Local groups led by the Casco Bay Trail Alliance are urging the city of Portland to approve the proposed 26-mile, multi-use Casco Bay Trail.

The trail would use the discontinued Berlin Subdivision corridor to connect East Deering in Portland to points north, including Falmouth, Cumberland, New Gloucester, and Auburn.

The Casco Bay Trail would connect to stops on the METRO and BREEZ bus lines, allowing for a combination of public transit with pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

The trail would go through several further steps if it’s approved in Portland.

Even if Portland’s Sustainability and Transportation Committee supports the trail, legislative approval will be necessary to authorize any non-rail use.

State law currently prohibits non-rail use of the state-owned rail corridor and provides an advisory council process to seek legislative authorization for other uses.

The advisory council process for the Portland-to-Auburn section of the Berlin Subdivision was completed in January 2023, with a majority of voting members supporting an interim trail on the corridor.

If an interim trail use is approved by the legislature, next steps would include feasibility studies and consultation between the Maine

Department of Transportation and local governments.

In addition to the Casco Bay Trail Alliance, the trail is supported by Portland Trails, the Bicycle Coalition of Maine, the Portland Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee, Vision Zero Maine, the Portland Parks Conservancy, and the Maine Island Trail Association.

“Too many bicyclists and pedestrians are injured or die after being hit by cars,” said Jean Sideris, Executive Director of the Bicycle Coalition of Maine.