Rail task force holds its first meeting in Caribou
5/13/10 By Jen Lynds BDN Staff
CARIBOU, Maine — Members of a governor's task force created to stop the abandonment of 233 miles of northern Maine freight tracks expressed optimism in a meeting Wednesday about the chances of keeping trains running on the tracks.
Officials announced at the four-hour meeting that 20 private entities have expressed interest in operating the railroad, but little else new was revealed, as the bulk of the session took place in executive session.
The 15-member Aroostook Rail Advisory Task Force met for the first time at the Caribou Inn and Convention Center. The meeting included a time for public comment before the group went into executive session, but only three individuals testified.
Those present at the meeting said they did not expect to see a large crowd due to the timing of the hearing and the broad-based representation on the task force.
Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway sought federal approval in February to abandon northern Maine tracks by summer, citing losses of $4 million to $5 million annually. MMA provides the only rail freight service in Aroostook County, serving primarily the pulp and paper, agriculture and potato processing industries.
The tracks targeted for abandonment run from Madawaska to Millinocket, with spurs to Caribou, Easton, Houlton, Limestone and Presque Isle. Nearly two dozen of Maine’s largest manufacturers and growers use those lines for shipping.
The state plans to buy the tracks and lease them to a rail operator that would keep northern Maine’s freight moving, keeping as many as 1,722 people employed.
Those jobs could be lost if the freight lines were abandoned.
Officials from MMA, the Maine Department of Transportation and the federal Surface Transportation Board, which mediates railroad disputes, met privately on April 22 in Washington, D.C., to discuss MMA’s proposed abandonment. Details of the meeting are being kept confidential.
The task force will help DOT buy and manage the tracks if voters approve a $7 million bond package in a June referendum.
Tuesday’s meeting was attended by DOT Commissioner David Cole, economic development representatives from Aroostook County, business stakeholders in the rail lines, and others from the private sector.
Representatives from the state’s congressional delegation also were present.
Those who testified mainly spoke about how some major manufacturers and workers in the state would be devastated if the rail lines were abandoned. Members of the public as well as task force members pointed out that the railway employees many Aroostook County workers and serves as a cost-effective shipping resource for companies and as a resource for companies that ship products that don’t fit on tractor-trailers.
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