BRUNSWICK — The New England Passenger Rail Authority is considering alternative sites for a proposed Downeaster train layover and maintenance facility that has upset some homeowners in neighborhoods off Route 1.

Alternative sites will be discussed at a public forum at 7 tonight in the Town Council chambers at Maine Street Station.

“We will be evaluating other sites that have been suggested and considering environmental impacts such as noise, vibration, air and water quality,” said Patricia Quinn, executive director of the authority.

The meeting will be hosted by representatives of the authority and the Maine Department of Transportation.

State Sen. Stan Gerzofsky, D-Brunswick, organized the meeting to address noise concerns and other issues raised by constituents who live near the proposed 40,000-square-foot train facility.

The site runs along the north side of the tracks, from Church Road to Stanwood Street, Quinn said. The state plans to buy the land from Pan Am Railways, Gerzofsky said.

Other suggested sites are near an industrial park where the town dumps snow, and at Cook’s Corner, near the Walmart and Lowe’s stores, Gerzofsky said.

Started in 2001, the Downeaster offers passenger service between Portland and Boston. It carried 474,058 passengers in 2010. The rail authority is working to extend service to Freeport and Brunswick by late 2012. 

Staff Writer Kelley Bouchard can be contacted at 791-6328 or at:

kbouchard@pressherald.com