Hop on the train to (or from) Bath, Maine!
The “Coastliner” passenger train servicing coastal Maine is launched August 26th right here in Bath, Maine! The schedule was a “one day only” trial run, with three round trip runs from Bath to Wiscasset - a historic event! There has not been any passenger service to Bath since 2015. The railroad first came to Bath in 1849.
I got a chance to tour the train at Heritage Days this year, when it was parked for a little open house in Bath.
The company running the service - Fingerlakes Excursions Railway - is working with the state to eventually run Brunswick to Rockland, with stops in Bath, Wiscasset, Newcastle. Check the Coastliner website for upcoming scheduled excursions.
On the inaugural run in August, we embarked (!) from Bath around 11:20am and arrived in Wiscasset on the Sheepscot River (home of the world famous Red’s Eats lobster shack) about 40 minutes later. We enjoyed breathtaking scenery on the way EVEN BETTER than what you see from your vehicle on Coastal Route One. Imagine what it was like to cross the Kennebec River on the Carlton Bridge, then arrive in Wiscasset by train! You don’t have to imagine it - you can do it, like I did! A whole new perspective.
The schedule and form to make your reservation is at the Coastliner website. (Don’t miss your chance to travel to and from Damariscotta’s Pumpkinfest by train!) Adults are $20, children 3-12 are $10. In the future, we will definitely be offering walking tours convenient to the train schedule!
A rural view from the train heading north - can’t beat a mowed field in the countryside.
Returning to Bath - a historic view of the Kennebec River and Bath’s downtown.
