The Amtrak Downeaster set a new ridership record in the fiscal year that ended June 30, according to the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority.

The number of passenger trips on the rail service between Portland and Boston increased 28 percent from the previous year, totaling 441,769 riders in fiscal 2008. Ticket revenues grew 33 percent to $6.1 million, according to the authority.

Ridership was up for all trains and markets, it said, and April and June this year set monthly records, surpassing 40,000 passengers in one month for the first time.

The average number of daily riders increased from 947 in fiscal year 2007 to 1,207 in fiscal year 2008. An additional passenger car has been added to all trains because of the growth.

The increase reflects a nationwide trend, with Amtrak seeing a system-wide ridership increase of 12.7 in the past nine months. But the Downeaster's ridership is growing the fastest of any of Amtrak's 30 routes, with a 31.9 percent increase in the same nine-month period, the authority said.