Laura of Winthrop, ME I actually took my 3 kids from Portland to Boston and then onto Los Angeles. It was a great experience for us. We saw the country without the hassle of driving. The kids talk about it to this day.report abuse

Lois of Randolph, ME When my husband was critically ill we took the Downeaster to Boston for medical care. Imagine our frustration to find upon arrival at North Station that there were no wheelchairs available even for rental. Walking through the station to a cab was almost impossible for him. Later when I called to complain (because there were wheelchairs available at South Staion) I was told the Downeaster lacked the funds to provide them. I hope the situation has been corrected since then. It leaves a bitter taste in my mouth to read of Amtrak's profits.report abuse

Gil of Winthrop, ME The easiest connection between the Downeaster and southbound trains (to Providence, New York, etc.) is to take the Orange Line from North Station inbound to Back Bay Station.

All Amtrak trains (and most MBTA trains) heading out of South Station make the station stop at Back Bay -- and that way you don't have to change subway lines.

:-)report abuse

Reverb of Haverhill, MA Jay2,
You can still take the subway to get to South Station from North Station, but involves a few stops and changing from either green or orange line to the red. But I know what you mean, it is still inconvenient for people taking trips beyond Boston, especially for people that are unfamiliar with the T and might have trouble navigating from North to South station.

Maybe in the distant future one could imagine passenger train service connecting Portland to Brunswick, L/A, Augusta, and the Bangor area. Perhaps it would sort of run parallel to I-95 and 295, that is, 2 northbound lines would leave from Portland, one bound for L/A, the other for Brunswick. Then they would merge into one line before Augusta, and then on to Bangor.report abuse