FREEPORT – Although officials report promising numbers on overall ridership of the newly extended Amtrak Downeaster train line to Freeport and Brunswick, visitors have been complaining about a central problem: bags, and specifically, where to put them while they shop.

“It has been a problem,” said Janet Dutson, executive director for FreeportUSA, an organization that markets the town as a tourist destination. “People arrive with their bags and have no place to put them. It’s certainly an inconvenience.”

The problem primarily plagues day-trippers, as those who are staying overnight at a local inn or hotel can arrange to be picked up, said Dutson, whose office is directly above the train station on Depot Street. As a temporary solution, Dutson has been allowing visitors to store their belongings in her office, a risky alternative if anything were to get lost or, in a highly unlikely scenario, stolen.

“I’d really love to look at getting lockers for the train station,” she said. “But it’s a matter of funding and also where would they go? This space is pretty tiny.”

On July 10 2012, the Freeport Town Council voted unanimously to enter into a 10-year lease with L.L. Bean for the building that houses the train platform. The town pays a rent of $1 per year for the building, but as part of the lease, must forgive the approximately $1,200 in annual property taxes.

Even those who don’t arrive with luggage have a need to stash packages they have from local stores. For people visiting friends or family and then going on to their next destination, the lack of storage space can be burdensome.

“This is the first year of the train, so there is a learning curve,” said Dutson. “We certainly want to make this a convenient experience.”

The Amtrak Downeaster line begins in Boston and makes two stops daily in Freeport and Brunswick as part of an expansion that began on Nov. 1. Dutson, who was still assembling the actual number of passengers who have arrived in Freeport, said ridership levels were promising.

Dutson is on the agenda to speak at the Freeport Town Council meeting on Aug. 20.

“It’s basically to tell the council what we do and how we market Freeport as a destination,” she said. “We have also received two grants from the Maine Office of Tourism for the greater Portland region. One is for photography ($2,000) and the other ($9,000) is for marketing the train travel to Freeport.”

Dutson, citing the typically long council meetings, said she was considering asking the council to remove her from the agenda.

“It’s good for them (the council) to be aware of what we’re doing, but I’m there in a purely informational capacity,” said Dutson. “I don’t them to be there until midnight hearing me talk about marketing Freeport.”