MaineDOT getting over $53 million for rural freight rail upgrades
By Chris Bouchard, St. John Valley Times Staff
Over $53 million in federal grant money is coming to the Maine Department of Transportation for freight rail upgrades in rural areas of the state.
A total of $53,313,091 has been approved for upgrades to two Eastern Maine Railway mainlines that travel through Penobscot, Aroostook, Washington, and Piscataquis counties. It will also be used to rehabilitate tracks and connect to Millinocket’s One North Bio-Industrial Park, according to a press release from U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.
RAILROAD UPGRADES — MaineDOT will upgrade 140 miles of railroad tracks in rural areas like these in Aroostook County thanks to federal grant money.
The grant was awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration’s Fiscal Year 2024 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program. One North and Eastern Maine Railway will contribute a 20 percent match for the project, with the total cost being just over $66.6 million.
The railway improvements will address the safety, speed, and reliability of 140 miles of rail, which includes installing 86,000 new crossties and over 108,000 tons of ballast. The work also includes installing equipment defect detectors and upgrading seven highway grade crossings, according to the release.
The work will support the Maine forest products industry as well as new sustainable industries within the Katahdin region, where One North is located.
“This investment will make critical safety and reliability upgrades to enhance freight rail service in rural Maine,” Collins said in a statement. “Repairing and expanding our state’s rail network will strengthen economic opportunities and support jobs throughout the state by connecting our rural communities to national and global markets.”