People of all ages love trains. Parents travel to bring their children to ride on a Thomas the Train ride. The train from Portland to Boston is a great success, as is the train in Brunswick and the list goes on.

Wouldn’t it be grand to have passenger train access right here in Lewiston? The Lewiston-Auburn area has a larger population than Brunswick and it would give residents an option to get to Boston without driving to Portland first.

Visitors could use the train to attend the balloon festival, visit the Franco Center, attend the Dempsey Challenge and eat at Lewiston-Auburn restaurants. Future plans would be the ability to take the train from the Lewiston-Auburn area to and from Montreal.

I thank Rep. Jared Golden for seeking transportation opportunities for the Lewiston area and I agree it is time for passenger rail service for Maine’s interior cities and towns.

Diane Poirier, Lewiston