BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME.

The Bangor Daily News reported, last December, that Downeaster passenger counts exceeded expectations.  That's despite a schedule which requires consists to deadhead from or to Portland to begin the day's runs.

But despite — and perhaps, because of — the Downeaster’s early success, noise generated by the train remains a concern for some residents who live near the tracks.

Some residents are also complaining about noise created while the trains idle in Brunswick for an average 5½ hours a day, which state Sen. Stan Gerzofsky, D-Brunswick, said he hopes to address with legislation.

In the Cold Spring Shops research files are some Maine Central passenger timetables.  The residents of Brunswick have a point.  The passenger trains used to begin or end their journey at Bangor, Waterville, or Rockland.  A passenger arriving on the Rockland section of the Bar Harbor had to be ready to unload at 5.30.