Kennebunk station
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kennebunk station is a former train station located off Depot Street in Kennebunk, Maine. The station opened in 1873 and closed in 1965; it is now occupied by a private business. Planning began in 2014 to add Kennebunk as a stop on the Amtrak Downeaster route, but the town cancelled the project in 2018.
Kennebunk | |||||||||||
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 1873-built Kennebunk station building in September 2016 | |||||||||||
| General information | |||||||||||
| Location | Depot Street Kennebunk, Maine | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 43°22′57.2″N 70°31′45.7″W | ||||||||||
| Owned by | Dietz Associates (station building) | ||||||||||
| Line(s) | Pan Am Railways Freight Main Line | ||||||||||
| Tracks | 1 | ||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||
| Opened | 1873[1]: 95 | ||||||||||
| Closed | January 3, 1965[2][3] | ||||||||||
| Former services | |||||||||||
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Boston & Maine Railroad
From the 1840s until 1873, the Boston and Maine Railroad (B&M) used the Portsmouth, Saco and Portland Railroad to reach Portland, Maine. That year, after the joint lease of the PS&P by the B&M and the Eastern Railroad ended, the B&M built an extension of its mainline from South Berwick, Maine to Portland.[1]: 95 The foundation for a station at Kennebunk on the new line was begun in 1872 and the station opened the next year.[3] The station was built as a single-story clapboard structure, typical of B&M stations on the line.[1]: 164
The Kennebunk and Kennebunkport Railroad opened in 1883 from Kennebunk to Kennebunkport, Maine. The B&M operated service on the branch until 1926.[1]: 162–164 Mainline service to Kennebunk continued until the final day of service on January 3, 1965.[2] The station building remains, largely unchanged over the past 130 years.[1]: 164 After rail service ended, it was used by several businesses, including as the headquarters of Tom's of Maine.[4]
Downeaster
In 2001, Amtrak begun Downeaster service between Boston and Portland, which ran past but did not stop at Kennebunk. Some residents started to call for a stop at Kennebunk to attract tourists to the town, with serious discussions beginning in 2010.[3] In May 2014, the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (which governs Downeaster operations) agreed to add a station stop at Kennebunk. Service as soon as 2015 was considered, but will be delayed until at least 2016 due to the timing of state funding.[3]
In June 2014, Kennebunk voters approved a $300,000 tax increment financing (TIF) plan, which along with $60,000 from Maine Department of Transportation Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds and another $800,000 in CMAQ funds in 2016 would supply the $1.16 million needed to build the station.[3] In October 2014, $183,000 of the TIF money was dedicated to build a 55-space parking lot near the station.[3] In October 2015, the town signed a grant agreement for the station, though the remaining state funds were not yet guaranteed.[5] The town would also pay the $45,000 in annual maintenance costs from the TIF funds.[5]
A small section of the former Boston & Maine depot building was to be leased for use as a waiting area, as required by a deed restriction placed when the property was purchased from the B&M in the 1960s.[2] A 300-foot platform with a high-level section for accessibility was to be built behind the station building.[3] Like Old Orchard Beach, it would have been a seasonal stop only open from April to October, though town officials hoped it might eventually be a year-round stop.[3] By October 2015, the station was expected to be completed by 2017 or 2018.[2][5] On October 9, 2018, the Kennebunk Board of Selectmen cancelled the station project over concerns about the suitability of the site.[6]
In July 2019, the owners listed the building for sale for $939,000.[7]
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