In an astounding “heist” carried out in broad daylight, a small cadre of locally renowned bandits armed only with hyperbole is well advanced in figuratively pilfering an estimated $ 70 million from public sources. The otherwise obscure “All Aboard Brunswick” gang, collaborating with other organized groups with similar intentions, has brazenly secured appropriations of state and federal funds for the third of four construction phases associated with the extension of Amtrak’s “Downeaster” from Portland to Brunswick. This financial hoax at taxpayer expense is happening in the seductive name of reducing highway congestion and environmental pollution.

The aggressive, uninhibited, outspoken thieves, cleverly aligned with the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, have managed to convince Maine legislators and federal agencies to authorize $38 million for upgrading 28 miles of railroad track, followed by a purported $13 million for an oversized train shed in Brunswick and now $9 million for a redundant passing siding at Yarmouth. They express pork- lovers’ confidence that a final $10 million can be carved out for another questionable track project at Portland’s Transportation Center, the final capital phase in Maine’s “great train robbery.”

The missing element in this bold gambit is any sign of widespread appreciation by travelers. All Aboard Brunswick so far is a glaring misnomer, as two daily round trips have produced embarrassingly small patronage despite an attractive Boston- oriented schedule, deeply discounted fares, and heavy promotion. The “highway robbery” effect on automobile traffic is minuscule, and claims of lowered exhaust emissions are overblown. Even worse, this bungled initiative is ongoing, since the light-density Portland- Brunswick segment disproportionately raises required annual subsidies for the entire route. The bandits’ heralded achievement instead has become a strikingly underutilized money pit.

“ Downeaster” patronage at Brunswick averages perhaps 20 per trip and rarely exceeds a 50- passenger busload. (Perhaps out of embarrassment, the Rail Authority website no longer reports traffic by station.) Generously assuming all riders travel on one-way tickets at the posted adult fares, they generate annual incremental revenues on the order of only $60,000, a fraction of the cost of diesel alone. Moreover, development surrounding the station complex has been curtailed, and turnover among the original tenants leaves none that appear train-dependent.

Undaunted by lack of ridership, vocal rail enthusiasts now proclaim that adding another daily round trip to provide more options will assure a better outcome. This contrary observer believes that, just as extension of service to Brunswick in 2012 “stole” some former users of the Portland terminal, a third Brunswick train is more likely to shift patrons from the existing schedule than attract a proportionate complement of new ones.

All Aboard Brunswick and its accomplices have succeeded in raiding the public treasury of what turns out to be “fool’s gold” for wasteful infrastructure spending. Their appealing arguments about highway-traffic relief and environmental benefits become specious when mass-transportation capacity so far exceeds demand. Advocates’ repeated claims that “Downeaster” ridership is ahead of projections cannot possibly apply to the Portland- Brunswick extension. Is that any way to run a railroad?

George C. Betke, Jr. is President of Transport Economics, Inc., a Newcastle consultancy.