Maine Getting $20M Transportation Grant To Improve Rail

Associated Press

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) -- Maine is getting a $20 million federal transportation grant to help rehabilitate about 380 miles of rail throughout the state.

The TIGER grant announced Thursday would help remove long-standing bottlenecks and create faster and more reliable freight service.

Led by the Maine Department of Transportation, the project is backed by a partnership of the Maine Northern Railway, Central Maine and Quebec Railway, Eastern Maine Railway, and Pan Am Railways.

Upgrades include new rail, ties, and surfacing, upgraded road crossings, and the construction of additional yard tracks and more efficient configurations.

Leveraging an investment made in the Aroostook County Railroad Preservation and Rehabilitation Project in a 2010 TIGER grant, this project extends the investment to rail on the north and eastern side of Maine.

The total cost is $37.4 million.