Ridership during the first month of Amtrak’s Downeaster service to Brunswick has eclipsed expectations by almost double, rail officials say.

Patricia Quinn, executive director of Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, said the train carried 5,135 Brunswick passengers in November. Daily ridership from Brunswick Station averaged 177 people, almost double the agency’s initial projection of 100.

“The train is doing great,” Quinn said. “I mean, it’s the first month of service, so we know that there’s bound to be a bubble there. But so far it’s been received very well.”

She notified Town Manager Gary Brown Monday evening; he delivered the news to town councilors during their regular meeting.

Although no official tracking records were cited, Brown said most shopkeepers along Maine Street told him they have noticed a corresponding spike in their business — particularly the trackside restaurants Scarlet Begonia’s and Byrne’s Irish Pub.

“Anecdotally, they say it’s like the month of July all over again in November,” he said.

The welcome news comes amid sporadic but mounting complaints of noise and vibration from residents who live near the tracks in Freeport, while most of the complaints in Brunswick stem from concerns about trains idling between runs.

Despite the start of regular service and the better-thanexpected ticket sales, several issues still await resolution.

One is what to do with trains when they need maintenance or are waiting several hours before making the return trip to Portland or Boston.

The Portland-based rail authority has yet to decide where to build a large, permanent layover facility that would shelter trains from weather and insulate trackside property owners from noise, light and fumes produced by idling locomotives.

A structure of 40,000 to 60,000 square feet — about the same height as a two-story house — would be large enough to hold three engineand cars assemblies side by side while storing hazardous materials, tools and other maintenance equipment.

Several locations are being considered. A parcel at Cook’s Corner is unlikely because it is too far away from the Brunswick Station loading area, and because shuttling trains to and from would require too many road crossings.

The most logical trackside site — between Church Road and Stanwood Street — is relatively unpopular with abutters who worry about noise and emissions.

Proposals to build such a facility have been estimated to cost $12 million to $18 million — three times what Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority allocated for the project.

Combined with a federal grant application that was denied, plans for a layover facility were shelved until another source of funding can be arranged.

For the time being, Quinn and her crew are looking for benefactors or other sources of revenue to make the project work.

“We have about $5 million on hand, and we’ll need roughly five to seven million more,” Quinn said. “Right now, we’re evaluating our options for funding.”

“We have capital plans and we always have projects lined up, but there really hasn’t been a flow of capital dollars for us to use,” she added. “This happens to be a priority project because it’s costing us money every day to shuttle trains back and forth. But there are lots of projects that are unfunded, and we just have to prioritize what we can.”

jtleonard@timesrecord.com