20 Years. Amtrak Downeaster service began on December 15, 2001, operating commuter passenger trains from Maine for the first time since 1965. Intitally service was provided between Portland, Maine and North Station in Boston, Massachusetts, and was later extended to Brunswick, Maine. On February 26, 2021, Amtrak Train 684 crosses Scarborough Marsh in Scarborough, Maine with AMTK 90224 (NPCU, née-AMTK 224, F40PH) leading with the distinctive Downeaster logo. At the 20th Anniversary event in Wells, Maine on December 15, 2021, a group of stakeholders including the State of Maine, Amtrak, Pan Am Railways, and The Federal Railroad Administration broke ground on a $22.9 million project to improve Downeaster service.
