Short line chosen for Maine right-of-way

Maine’s Department of Transportation on Tuesday said it has chosen Eastern Maine Railway as the new operator for 233 miles of state-owned right-of-way in the Penobscot and Aroostook counties, located in the northern portion of the state. The route once was owned by the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway.

Eastern Maine Railway was chosen from among five applicants to run what is now known as the Aroostook Lines, running roughly north/south and linking Millinocket, just south of Baxter State Park, and Madawaska, located on the U.S.-Canadian border near Edmundston, N.B.

Eastern Maine Railway is the U.S. affiliate of Saint John, New Brunswick-based NB Southern Railway, itself part of J.D. Irving Ltd., also based in Saint John. NB Southern currently links Saint John on about 189 miles of east/west right-of-way with Brownville Junction, Maine, near the geographical center of the state. The railway interchanges with Pan Am Railway, CN, and CP, as well as with the MM&A.

A selection committee was impressed by EMR’s operating and business plans, said Denis Berube of the Northern Maine Development Commission in Caribou and a member of the committee. “They really came across as being very dynamic in terms of chasing after the business, essentially wanting to satisfy the needs of the customers,” he said. “They were in tune with what’s going on in (Aroostook) County.”

The state purchased the track and track rights for $20.1 million, while the federal government contributed $10.5 million for track upgrades.