Currently, the Downeaster operates five round-trips each day between Portland and Boston, with three of those round-trips extending to Freeport and Brunswick. Beginning November 12, two additional round trips will serve Freeport and Brunswick on weekdays (5 round trips total), with one additional trip on weekends (4 round-trips total).

NNEPRA officials believe that these additional trains will open new travel markets for Mainers traveling to/from Boston for business and leisure and will help boost tourist travel to Maine as well.

The addition of early morning southbound departures from Brunswick, which arrives in Boston before 8:00 am each weekday (Train 680) and by 9:10 am on weekends (Train 690), are expected to be popular with business travelers and those making other travel connections. The addition of Train 686, a new 1:30 pm weekday departure from Brunswick, is a favorite for sports fans and concert-goers, as is the late-night northbound train from Boston (Train 689/699) which will terminate in Brunswick every day instead of just on Friday and Saturday.

Train 681, the daily 9:05 am departure from Boston which currently terminates in Portland at 11:35 am, will now extend through Freeport and terminate in Brunswick at 12:30 pm each day. The first train from Boston currently does not arrive in Brunswick until 4:25 pm, so this new arrival should be particularly appealing to Freeport-bound travelers during the holiday shopping season.