OLD ORCHARD BEACH — The town is now officially on board with a proposal to bring rail service from Montreal to Boston.

The “train hotel” would feature dining and lounge cars, couch cars and sleeper cars, and is proposed by Montreal businessman François Rebello. Trips would leave Montreal around 6:30 p.m., arriving in Portland around 6:30 a.m., and in Boston around 9 a.m. Old Orchard Beach would be a stop along the way.

“You can have dinner on the train, sleep on the train, and wake up where you have to be,” said Rebello, who was in attendance at Tuesday night’s town council meeting.

The proposed train would use an existing freight rail system from Montreal to Portland, then connect with the passenger rail system at Portland.

Rebello is working to get the proposal under way with private investor money.

To avoid costly upgrades, the proposal would have the train move about 30 to 35 miles per hours on the freight rails, as freight rails don’t allow the higher speeds typical of passenger rails.

Rebello said there is very good support for the proposed train, and he’s hoping to begin service this summer. The service would begin as a seasonal operation and run for three months, he said.

“It’s a private business, we want to make sure we make money,” he said.

The town council voted to endorse the proposal at Tuesday night’s meeting.

Last month, the Old Orchard Beach Republican Committee also endorsed the proposal, and multiple communities along the proposed line have also given support.

“It’s a win-win situation,” said Town Manager Larry Mead, noting that Old Orchard Beach has long been a tourist destination for Canadians, and there is growing interest in rail service.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or [email protected].