When he was still in office, the late Newcastle Selectman Phil Wright often talked about rail service coming to Newcastle with a gleam in his eye.
Wright was smart enough to see the future of the Twin Villages served by a thriving train service, delivering tourists and paying customers to the area on a regular basis, and he was vocal about aggressively pursuing a rail stop in Newcastle.
This week we are pleased to report passenger rail service has returned to the area for the first time in 55 years.
Wright left office in 2004 and passed away in 2012, but we are sure, were he still alive, he would be pleased.
It is safe to say he envisioned a more robust service than the limited excursions currently scheduled, but it is a step forward and a good one. It is not hard to extend the thought that what is now a day trip to Wiscasset can easily turn into a car-less excursion to Boston and all points beyond.
We congratulate the volunteers, local officials and committee members who lent a hand to bring rail service into fruition, some of whom have literally devoted years to the effort. Now that the ball is rolling, that much more is possible.
In the days when Wright talked about rail service, it seemed like a pipe dream. Now that dream is a couple whistle stops closer to reality.
