It’s been a big year for the Casco Bay Trail Alliance. Thanks to your support, the vision of a 72-mile multimodal loop connecting Portland, Lewiston, and Brunswick is coming ever closer to reality. In 2025, we celebrated state approval of a 25-mile segment of the proposed route as a multipurpose trail.
Celebrating success and planning for the future
Much of our work over the last several years focused on authorization for the trail segment from Portland to Auburn. Having achieved that goal, now we’re focused on what’s needed to tackle the remaining steps required to create a new trail:
1. Identifying a route
2. Obtaining public access along the route (trailheads)
3. Getting authorization to use the route as a trail
4. Engineering and design
5. Trail construction
6. Maintaining and operating the trail for millions to enjoy
Click on the links below to see updates for each segment of the Casco Bay Trail Alliance loop:
There is incredible value in public space where people can safely travel, recreate, and enjoy the outdoors—without fear of being hit by speeding cars. The Casco Bay Trail Alliance vision would transform community space, public health, and green living in Maine. Thank you for all your support over the years. We can’t wait to see all that we will achieve together in 2026!
Segment updates:
Portland to Auburn
The Portland-to-Auburn segment covers the abandoned St. Lawrence and Atlantic railroad corridor, which is owned by the State of Maine.
The first 1.5 miles of this corridor is part of the Eastern Promenade park in Portland. The Casco Bay Trail would extend the wildly popular Eastern Promenade Trail to points north
The route connecting the Eastern Prom to the Roux Institute campus in East Deering is part of an existing project and grant. Design and construction are set to occur in the coming years. Completion of this segment will allow people to safely access and exit the Portland peninsula on a traffic-separated route
The remaining 24.8 miles of the state-owned corridor from Portland to Auburn was authorized as “an interim bicycle and pedestrian trail” in L.D. 30, passed by the Maine Legislature this year.
That means we’re halfway there! What comes next is: engineering and design, trail construction, and maintaining and operating the trail. There is already exciting progress on these steps.
The Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG) recently issued a regional trail plan listing portions of the Casco Bay Trail that are within the GPCOG region as high-priority projects! GPCOG completed conceptual-level designs for segments from Portland to Falmouth and Falmouth to Yarmouth. (Check out the report at https://gpcog.org/650/Regional-Trail-Plan, pp. 44-50).
We are also in conversation with municipalities along the corridor to create an interlocal management district to be a cohesive local partner for Maine Department of Transportation (Maine DOT) in next steps for creating the trail. Thanks to our Town Trail Builders in each municipality for taking the lead in these conversations!
Lewiston to Brunswick
The proposed trail route from Lewiston to Brunswick is the Lewiston Lower Branch Rail Corridor. The State of Maine owns the 9-mile portion from Lisbon to Brunswick; CSX owns the portion from Lewiston to Lisbon.
Lisbon—the midpoint of this corridor—is already home to the fantastic 2.1 mile Paper Mill Trail.
Close to the Paper Mill Trail is another 2.57 miles of the Lewiston Lower Branch corridor in Lisbon. The Rail Use Advisory Council process has been completed for this segment—the same process resulting in authorization for an interim trail on the Portland-to-Auburn corridor. The advisory council recommended that an interim bicycle and pedestrian trail was the best use of the 2.57 miles in Lisbon. Next steps include advocating for the Maine DOT Commissioner to support proposed legislation to authorize an interim trail on this section.
The State of Maine also owns the rest of the approximately 9-mile segment in Topsham and Brunswick. According to a 2024 report, use of these tracks is currently limited to a small section in Brunswick used as a turn-around for the Amtrak Downeaster. The only freight customer has not utilized the track for five or more years. Next steps include exploring authorization of an interim trail for this corridor.
Finally, the portion from Lewiston to Lisbon is owned by CSX but not used by trains. A 2018 report found that the corridor was “suitable and feasible for conversion to a recreational trail facility.” Next steps include working with the Cities of Lewiston, Auburn, Lisbon, and the Lewiston-Auburn Railroad Corporation to pursue the required ownership and approval for use as a trail.
Connections in Auburn, Brunswick, and Freeport
The remainder of the loop has connections in Auburn, Brunswick, and Freeport, which are at varying stages of trail creation.
There has been exciting progress in Auburn to “Reimagine Washington Street,” which would connect Danville Junction (the end of the state-owned rail corridor) to downtown Auburn. Next steps include advancing this project.
The segment from Brunswick to Freeport is in the stage of route identification.
Finally, the sections from downtown Freeport to Yarmouth are included in GPCOG’s regional trail plan, numbered 12N and 07N.
Next steps include completion of routing and pursuing grants to fund design and construction.
CASCO BAY TRAIL ALLIANCE 