Resolve, To Establish the Commuter and Passenger Rail Advisory Task Force
Maine Legislature, Session 126, LD 1208
Committee: Transportation
Sponsors: VEROW, CHIPMAN, YOUNGBLOOD, BECK, BROOKS, CAMPBELL, CAREY, FREY, GILLWAY, GOODE, GUERIN, KUSIAK, LONGSTAFF, LUCHINI, NADEAU, SCHNECK, SHORT, STANLEY, TURNER, WERTS, WILSON, MAZUREK

Legislative Document 
No. 1208 
H.P. 852 
House of Representatives, March 26, 2013 
Resolve, To Establish the Commuter and Passenger Rail Advisory 
Task Force 
(EMERGENCY) 
Reference to the Committee on Transportation suggested and ordered printed. 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative VEROW of Brewer. 
Cosponsored by Representative CHIPMAN of Portland, Senator YOUNGBLOOD of 
Penobscot and Representatives: BECK of Waterville, BROOKS of Winterport, CAMPBELL 
of Orrington, CAREY of Lewiston, FREY of Bangor, GILLWAY of Searsport, GOODE of 
Bangor, GUERIN of Glenburn, KUSIAK of Fairfield, LONGSTAFF of Waterville, LUCHINI 
of Ellsworth, NADEAU of Winslow, SCHNECK of Bangor, SHORT of Pittsfield, STANLEY 
of Medway, TURNER of Burlington, WERTS of Auburn, WILSON of Augusta, Senator: 
MAZUREK of Knox. 
Emergency preamble. Whereas, acts and resolves of the Legislature do not 
become effective until 90 days after adjournment unless enacted as emergencies; and 
Whereas, the Commuter and Passenger Rail Advisory Task Force is established to 
evaluate and prioritize investments in commuter and passenger rail service in the State 
through the development of a Maine commuter and passenger rail plan; and 
Whereas, Maine communities are expanding their efforts to secure funding for 
passenger rail service; and 
Whereas, Maine's very high burden of per capita road maintenance imposes an 
increasingly unworkable cost burden on Maine's economy; and  
Whereas, rail transit may offer more economical and appealing transportation and 
community quality to the young workers that Maine needs to attract and retain; and 
Whereas, in some regions of the State, rail transit may expedite more efficient, 
enjoyable and prosperous downtown communities; and 
Whereas, federal transportation funding priorities are increasingly recognizing the 
economics and quality of life advantages of rail transit; and 
Whereas, public allocations of rail development funds require justified priorities for 
rail system support; and 
Whereas, Maine's priorities for passenger rail facilities expansion have not yet been 
researched and communicated through an adopted state rail plan; and 
Whereas, the Passenger Rail Service Act, as established in the Maine Revised 
Statutes, Title 23, chapter 621, established the Northern New England Passenger Rail 
Authority for the general purpose of promoting passenger rail service and directs the 
authority to take all actions that are reasonably necessary to initiate, establish or reinitiate 
regularly scheduled passenger rail service between points in the State and points inside 
and outside the State; and 
Whereas, the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority is empowered to use 
any services of the Department of Transportation that are available and expedient; and 
Whereas, the development of the plan must be initiated before the 90-day period 
expires in order that the plan may be completed and a report submitted in time for 
submission to the next legislative session; and  
Whereas, in the judgment of the Legislature, these facts create an emergency within 
the meaning of the Constitution of Maine and require the following legislation as 
immediately necessary for the preservation of the public peace, health and safety; now, 
therefore, be it 
Sec. 1.  Task force established.  Resolved:  That the Department of 
Transportation, referred to in this resolve as "the department," working with the Northern 
New England Passenger Rail Authority, referred to in this Act as "the authority," shall 
establish and convene the Commuter and Passenger Rail Advisory Task Force, referred to 
in this resolve as "the task force," to evaluate and prioritize investments in commuter and 
passenger rail service between communities in this State to help target available funding 
and establishment of rail service where it is most appropriate in the major economic and 
population centers of this State in order to reduce the costs to the State, its municipalities 
and its citizens of travel to and from work, business activities and entertainment and 
recreation activities; and be it further 
Sec. 2.  Task force membership.  Resolved:  That the department shall invite 
the participation of the following persons in the task force: 
1.  Four regional transportation planners, one each from the Portland Area 
Comprehensive Transportation System, Androscoggin Transportation Resource Center, 
Bangor Area Comprehensive Transportation System and the midcoast region; 
2.  Two representatives of major private employers from the greater Portland area, 
Lewiston-Auburn area or Bangor area, each representing a different employer; 
3.  One representative of a group that has expertise in transit services in the State that 
are complementary to rail service; 
4.  One representative of the Department of Transportation, who has experience in 
rail planning; 
5.  One representative of statewide environmental organizations; 
6.  One representative of a contracting company in this State with expertise and 
experience in the construction of rail line facilities; 
7.  One interested citizen of the State, who is informed with respect to rail service 
issues; 
8.  One representative of the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority; and 
9.  One representative from the Legislature; and be it further 
Sec. 3.  Duties.  Resolved:  That the department, working with the authority,  shall 
convene the task force at least once a month to develop a Maine commuter and passenger 
rail plan, referred to in this resolve as "the plan."  The task force shall research and 
identify investment priorities for the establishment of commuter and passenger rail 
service between communities in this State.  The plan must be based on existing studies 
and analyses.  The plan must identify the markets and infrastructure and the potential to 
remove automobile traffic from excessively used roadways.  The plan must serve to 
reduce highway construction and maintenance costs and to reduce road congestion and 
lessen transportation costs for citizens living in cities in this State.  The commuter rail 
investment priorities identified by the task force must be included in the plan.  The task 
force shall recommend and include in the plan routes for passenger and commuter rail 
development; projected operational and capital investment costs; logistical issues; 
requirements for equipment, operators and track upgrades; and proposed sources of 
funding.  The task force shall make recommendations regarding connections at rail 
terminal sites to bus transit and bicycle, trail and pedestrian access points and routes to 
destinations from terminals.  The task force may include in the plan total cost estimates 
and environmental and service quality comparisons to other transportation investments 
for achieving similar results.  If comparisons are included in the plan, the comparisons 
must include a comparison of rail service to the continued reliance on private motor 
vehicles and bus service, including the costs of road and bridge construction and 
maintenance. 
The task force must work closely with the State's regional planning councils, 
economic development districts, metropolitan planning organizations and Indian tribal 
governments, must prioritize their recommendations into the task force findings and must 
ensure that multimodal investments and connections are designed in a manner that 
integrates their collective priorities with those of the State; and be it further 
Sec. 4.  Chairs.  Resolved:  That the representative of the Department of 
Transportation and the representative of the Northern New England Passenger Rail 
Authority shall serve as cochairs; and be it further 
Sec. 5.  Staff assistance.  Resolved:  That the department shall provide necessary 
staffing services to the task force; and be it further 
Sec. 6.  Compensation.  Resolved:  That the members of the task force serve 
without compensation or reimbursement of expenses; and be it further 
Sec. 7.  Report. Resolved:  That the department shall report the findings and the 
plan of the task force to the Joint Standing Committee on Transportation no later than 
February 28, 2014.  The Joint Standing Committee on Transportation may submit a bill to 
the Second Regular Session of the 126th Legislature on the subject matter of the report. 
Emergency clause.  In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, this 
legislation takes effect when approved. 
SUMMARY 
This resolve directs the Department of Transportation to establish and convene the 
Commuter and Passenger Rail Advisory Task Force to evaluate and prioritize 
investments in commuter and passenger rail service between communities in this State in 
order to expedite development of efficient commuter rail service as appropriate in the 
major economic and population centers of this State to reduce costs to the State, its 
municipalities and its citizens of travel to and from work, business activities and 
entertainment and recreation activities.  The task force must develop a Maine commuter 
and passenger rail plan, which must include investment priorities for the establishment of 
commuter and passenger rail service between communities in this State.  The plan must 
be based on existing studies and analyses and explore the markets and infrastructure and 
the potential to remove automobile traffic from excessively used roadways.  The plan 
must also provide for the reduction of highway construction and maintenance costs and 
identify ways to limit the need for parking facilities and to reduce road congestion and 
lessen transportation costs for citizens living in cities in this State.  The Department of 
Transportation must report the findings and the plan of the task force to the Joint 
Standing Committee on Transportation no later than February 28, 2014.  The Joint 
Standing Committee on Transportation may submit a bill to the Second Regular Session 
of the 126th Legislature on the subject matter of the report.