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The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority said the Amtrak Downeaster fall-winter timetable takes effect on Monday, October 19, 2026, with new departure times on the Boston to Brunswick, Maine corridor. NNEPRA posted that date on its fall schedule notice, and the operator posted a matching flyer on the current Amtrak Downeaster schedule page.
Anyone holding a ticket on or after that Monday needs to compare weekday afternoon minutes, the last southbound from Brunswick, and the last northbound from Boston North Station. If the new card puts you into Portland after dark, use where to stay in Portland, Maine before you keep an old evening train that no longer exists.
- Start date: Monday, October 19, 2026, per NNEPRA and the operator flyer.
- Weekday last southbound: Brunswick at 4:25 pm, Boston North Station at 7:45 pm
- Weekday Boston afternoons: 12:00 pm, 4:10 pm, and 5:15 pm northbound, replacing 11:50 am, 3:45 pm, and 5:20 pm
- Late Boston trains: last northbound at 9 pm, 10:30 pm, or 11:25 pm depending on selected events.
- Until then: weekend Woburn skips remain through October 11.
Weekday Afternoon Trains Shift by 10 to 25 Minutes
The change is a new clock, not a new city pair. Today’s operator table still shows weekday northbound trains leaving Boston North Station at 8:50 am, 11:50 am, 3:45 pm, and 5:20 pm, plus late trains.
The October 19 flyer keeps 8:50 am, then lists 12:00 pm, 4:10 pm, and 5:15 pm That is 10 minutes later at midday, 25 minutes later in midafternoon, and five minutes earlier at 5:15 pm
Southbound weekday midday trains move about 10 minutes later. Brunswick’s 11:00 am and 12:55 pm departures become 11:10 am and 1:05 pm, with Boston arrivals at 2:30 pm and 4:25 pm instead of 2:20 pm and 4:15 pm The 4:30 am and 6:30 am Brunswick southbounds, and the 7:50 am and 9:50 am Boston arrivals, stay on the same minutes.
Those shifts matter if the Downeaster is the first or last leg of a day that also uses the MBTA, a South Station transfer, or a flight. For a Boston layover, things to do in Boston only works if the new minutes are on the ticket.
The Last Weekday Southbound Leaves Brunswick at 4:25 pm
The largest move is the last weekday train toward Boston. Today’s table lists 5:45 pm from Brunswick and 9:05 pm into North Station. The October 19 weekday column lists 4:25 pm from Brunswick and 7:45 pm into Boston, 80 minutes earlier at both ends.
Portland, Freeport, Saco, Wells, Dover, Durham, Exeter, Haverhill, and Woburn move with that train. The flyer puts the last weekday Portland southbound at 5:10 pm, Saco at 5:34 pm, Wells at 5:50 pm, Dover at 6:10 pm, and Haverhill at 6:55 pm, with a discharge-only Woburn stop at 7:24 pm
Anyone who now boards after 4:30 pm in Maine on a weekday is looking at a different last train. NNEPRA called the card more options. The flyer still shows five weekday southbounds. The last one simply leaves much earlier.
Last Boston Northbound Times Depend on Event Nights
Late northbounds are the other trap. The flyer footnote says the last northbound leaves Boston North Station at 9 pm, 10:30 pm, or 11:25 pm depending on selected Boston events, and it tells riders to check Amtrak.com or the Amtrak app for that date. The weekday column prints 9:00 pm as a listed departure, with 10:30 pm and 11:25 pm still shown as alternate last trains.
Today’s public table already uses 10:30 pm as a regular late train and 11:25 pm as an event-night train. The October 19 card folds 9:00 pm into that window and says the last train is not one number. A game or concert night at North Station can restore a later departure. A quiet Monday may not.
Reservations remain required before boarding. A ticket issued under today’s times for travel on or after October 19 is a claim that still needs a live Amtrak check.
Weekend Cards Stay Closer to Today’s Times
Saturday and Sunday columns stay nearer the current table. Weekend northbound Boston departures remain 8:50 am, 11:50 am, 3:45 pm, and 5:20 pm, with the same 10:30 pm and 11:25 pm late options.
Weekend southbound Brunswick times still show 4:30 am, 6:30 am, 11:00 am, and 12:55 pm, and the weekend last southbound keeps the later evening train, including the 5:45 pm Brunswick slot that weekdays lose.
A Friday arrival in Maine is an earlier last train. A Saturday return can still use the later evening southbound.
Woburn stays a limited stop, with discharge-only southbound and receive-only northbound flags on the flyer. Separately, the live Downeaster Woburn weekend skip still applies on remaining posted weekends through October 11, 2026, with no substitute bus. That skip is a different stream from the October 19 retiming and ends before the new card starts.
How to Recheck Tickets Before October 19
Start with the date on the reservation. If the trip is on or after Monday, October 19, open the flyer and the live Amtrak reservation and confirm origin, destination, and the exact minute. If the old minute is gone, change the ticket before departure day. The operator still says schedules can change and that reservations are required prior to boarding.
Then check the transfer. Downeaster trains use Boston North Station. Other Amtrak trains in Boston use South Station and Back Bay, and Amtrak does not run a dedicated transfer. A retimed 4:10 pm or 5:15 pm northbound will not wait for a late Northeast Corridor arrival.
The same rule applies in Portland and Brunswick if a hotel shuttle was timed to today’s 5:45 pm southbound. Keep the Woburn skip on the calendar until October 11, then use the October 19 limited-stop flags, not the skip list.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Hold a weekday ticket on or after October 19 | Compare the old minute with the flyer. Midday trains move about 10 minutes; the Boston 3:45 pm northbound becomes 4:10 pm |
| Need the last weekday train from Brunswick or Portland | Plan on 4:25 pm from Brunswick and 5:10 pm from Portland, arriving Boston at 7:45 pm |
| Need a late train out of Boston North Station | Check whether that date is a 9 pm, 10:30 pm, or 11:25 pm last northbound. |
| Travel Saturday or Sunday | Use the weekend column. Early and midday times stay close to today’s card, and the later evening southbound remains. |
| Use Woburn through October 11 | Expect the posted weekend skips with no bus, then switch to the October 19 limited-stop flags. |
October 11, 2026, is the last posted Woburn skip weekend. After that date, stop using the skip list and read the new card for limited Woburn stops.
October 19, 2026, is the fall-winter timetable date. Tickets on or after that Monday follow the flyer minutes, including the 4:25 pm weekday last southbound from Brunswick.
Event nights in Boston are a separate last-train check. The flyer does not freeze 10:30 pm as the everyday last northbound. Confirm the date in Amtrak before locking a hotel or a last connection in Maine.
When does the new Downeaster schedule start?
Monday, October 19, 2026, according to NNEPRA and the operator flyer posted on the Amtrak Downeaster schedule page.
What time is the last weekday Downeaster from Brunswick after October 19?
The flyer lists 4:25 pm from Brunswick, arriving Boston North Station at 7:45 pm, 80 minutes earlier than today’s 5:45 pm and 9:05 pm pair.
Does the 9 pm Boston Downeaster run every night?
No. The flyer says the last northbound leaves North Station at 9 pm, 10:30 pm, or 11:25 pm depending on selected Boston events. Check Amtrak for the date.
Do weekend Downeaster times change on October 19?
Weekend columns stay closer to today’s table, including the 8:50 am through 5:20 pm Boston northbounds and the later evening southbound that weekdays lose.
Is Woburn still skipped on weekends in October?
Yes, on the remaining posted weekends through October 11, 2026, with no substitute bus. That skip ends before the October 19 retiming.
Where do Downeaster trains stop in Boston?
Boston North Station only. Other Amtrak trains in the city use South Station and Back Bay, and Amtrak does not provide a dedicated transfer to North Station.
