Maine freight railway upgrade project receives $20M federal grant
Maine will receive $20 million in federal funding to pay for more than half of freight railway upgrade project that’s expected to remove bottlenecks and create faster and more reliable service.
U.S. Sen Susan Collins announced the grant Monday, saying the project will “help to rebuild and upgrade our state’s railway system, create jobs in Maine and provide increased public safety for our communities.”
The $37.3 million project will add new rails, ties, surfacing, and upgraded road crossings and signal systems to about 380 miles of tracks.
Nate Moulton, director of rail programs for the Maine Department of Transportation, which will oversee the project, told the Portland Press Herald that scale of the project and the level of cooperation among the state’s railroads are unprecedented. Along with the federal grant, four private railroads will supplement the grant with $14.5 million, and MDOT will provide $400,000, the Press Herald reported.
Moulton told the paper that the project will allow the short-line and regional railroads to be similar to a Class I railroad, a type of large railroad that carries freight across the country.
The railroads included in the project are Pan Am Railways, Central Maine & Quebec Railway, Maine Northern Railway and Eastern Maine Railway, the Press Herald reported.
The paper reported that construction is expected to start next spring and last two years.
U.S. Sen. Angus King, in a statement applauding the funding, said the grant will enhance commerce, put Maine people to work and keep surrounding communities safe.
The federal funding is from the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant program.
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