[Leo R.]

Can anyone help me with the following questions?
How many miles is it via rail/road from Maine to Virginia?
Is there a direct rail link between the two states?
My brother plans to visit the U.S. in the Summer and would like to see some friends in Lincoln,Maine and Collinsville,Virginia.
I would appreciate any information anyone could give me.

Leo R.

[Suzanne]

It is very far -- about half the length of the Eastern seaboard, depending on how far north in Maine and how south in Virginia.

Alas, passenger trains no longer go to Maine. We are a VERY backward country when it comes to travel: the personal automobile is generally considered to be the best method. (As you can see, I disagree. I'm a train fancier myself.)

Probably what he will have to do is take a bus from Boston to somewhere near Lincoln -- if he's lucky, one may actually go there. Then back to Boston by bus, where he can get a train that will go to Washington, DC and possibly into Virginia. (Check if Collinsville is near any train stops, which are few and far between.)

It will be a difficult, and expensive, trip.

For information, you can tryAmtrak for train information, and Peter Pan for bus information. Let me know if you need help finding what you need.

[chrose]

Also try for distances and travel times for anywhere.

Just to give you an idea


http://www.mapquest.com/directions/m...lr=2&x=55&y=14

[Suzanne]

Right, Mapquest is good, very good. But, again, it's for driving, which a visitor might not want or be prepared to do.

I looked up Leo's brother's 2 places, and while the one in Maine is probably reachable by bus from Bangor, the Virginia one is a lot more difficult. Maybe he should just ask his friends how they get around the wider region, and take it from there. I'd still be willing to help with suggestions.

[Leo R.]

Suzanne,thank you for help. I think he should hire a helicopter.Ha!Ha!
He is very grateful and has asked me to thank you for taking the time to look up the information.

By the way,our transport system isn`t that good. We have trains cancelled because there isn`t a driver/guard available.
We also had a senior rail manager claim they could not run a service because of the wrong kind of snow!! What the heck is the right kind? Maybe it was too bright for the driver`s eyes!!!

Thanks once again,Leo.

[Suzanne]

Yeah, I've heard that the BritRail system is on the skids, so to speak. Pity. Such an efficient, ecologically-better way to go (now that locomotives no longer belch coal smoke). Better than 100 X 1 or 2 people in a gasoline-burning resource gobbler, anyway. Why do people think that getting rid of trains is progress???

[thebighat]

There is a new train running from Boston to Portland. It started within the last month and is apparently very popular.

[Suzanne]

Yes, much to my surprise, I just saw that there is, in fact, a train that again runs at least as far as Portland. Hallelujah! So I stand -- or ride -- corrected. But unless we all lobby very hard with everyone in Washington (anybody here a former Enron exec?), we are unlikely to have much train service anywhere in a year or 2 or 3.

[KC]

You can get to Portland, Maine by Amtrak or by air. You can also fly into Bangor. After that, there is no public transportation to Lincoln. It is about 4 hours from Portland and 1 hour from Bangor by car.

If he is interested in driving, rte 95 goes all the way up to Lincoln, about a 5 hour drive north of Boston.

I live in Maine, and applaud your brother for his wisdom in avoiding this God-forsaken place in the middle of winter.

[Suzanne]

Ah, but in summer... I dream of returning to Deer Isle, or Arcadia, and watching the starfish and crabs, and the barnacles in tidal pools ... of course, I've only gone as a tourist, and for brief visits. That makes all the difference.