Official: Sale of train tracks enhances Maine’s connectivity

BANGOR, Maine – A Maine transportation official says the recent sale of hundreds of miles of train tracks could bring improved infrastructure and better connectivity to the state.

Nate Moulton, director of freight at the Maine Department of Transportation, tells the Bangor Daily News that one of the largest rail operators in North America buying 481 miles (770 kilometres) of track in Maine and Quebec will be the state’s first return to a Class 1 railroad since the 1980s.

Canadian Pacific Railway is expected to close the deal to buy Central Maine & Quebec Railway by year’s end.

Moulton says the deal with Canadian Pacific comes with a “hope for better equipment, better condition of lines” and more of an opportunity to connect with the rest of the national system.