Rail lines not vital to Maine, report suggests

The warmly debated proposal of the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway to abandon 233 miles of line in Maine’s Aroostook and Penobscot counties reached another milestone Monday with the release of the Final Environmental Assessment prepared by the Surface Transportation Board’s Section of Environmental Analysis. These were its major findings:

* “The proposed discontinuance of service … would notsignificantly affect the quality of the human or natural environment if the board imposes recommended mitigation measures.”

* “When considering the average size of the shipmentsof all shippers on the rail segments proposed for abandonment, the majority of freight (more than 90%) transported by these shippers already moves by truck. Although some shippers have questioned that conclusion, statewide data shows that freight rail in Maine carries approximately 10% of total tonnage in the state … This statistic does not necessarily reflect the situation of individual shippers … But this does not mean that truck transportation is not—or could not be—available to transport the vast majority of shipments at issue in this case.”

* "The increased truck traffic for the worst case scenario … would have minimal impact on overall highway safety in the region.”

Proposed mitigation measures are designed to minimize impacts to threatened and endangered species and other resources.

The STB board will make its final decision based on the Environmental Assessment plus testimony received at a public hearing on July 9.