Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway
Encyclopedia
The Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway is a Class II
freight railroad operating in the U.S.
states of Maine
and Vermont
and the Canadian
provinces of New Brunswick
and Quebec
. Its Canadian subsidiary is the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Canada Company. The entire system is owned by Rail World, Inc.
and is headquartered near Bangor, Maine
.
to combine the following lines that were threatened by the bankruptcy of holding company Iron Road Railways
:
Closing of the sale by the trustee for Iron Road Railways took place in January 2003 when MMA began operations over 745 miles of track. Currently, an average of around 25 trains are operated each day, and the company employs roughly 350 people.
(STB) that it intended to abandon 233 miles (375 km) of track in northern Maine, between Madawaska and Millinocket, part of the original Bangor & Aroostook Railroad's mainline, which had been bought by the MMA in 2003.
Affected lines include track serving Houlton, Presque Isle, Caribou and Fort Kent. MMA lines between Millinocket and Montreal, Brownville and Searsport, and Madawaska to Van Buren are not included in this application.
According to the railroad, losses from operating the lines had reached the point where they were threatening the financial health of the entire railroad. The STB subsequently postponed action on the request in late April, after the railroad and Maine officials agreed to negotiate to prevent the lines from being abandoned, which the state said could negatively affect the economy of the area. State legislators proposed that the state buy the lines and contract out freight rail service, similar to lines in Vermont
.
On October 20, 2010, the railroad reached an agreement to sell 233 miles (375 km) of track in the northern part of Maine to the state government for $20.1 million. The state would then contract operations on the lines to bidders once the deal was closed. The US government also issued $10.5 million in funds to upgrade and maintain the line.
On 17 December 2010, it was announced that the state was accepting bids for the operation of trackage the state was due to purchase, with the deadline for proposals being 19 January 2011. On 28 December 2010, the STB announced it had approved the abandonment of the tracks in question, allowing the state to purchase them.
On 5 April 2011, it was announced that the New Brunswick Southern Railway
, using its Eastern Maine Railway
subsidiary, had been awarded the contract to operate the lines in question. The handover of operations was expected to occur on 1 July, and in order to operate its new trackage, the New Brunswick Southern expected to hire around 30 more employees, as well as acquire additional rolling stock.
CN
CP
CCR
EMR
/NBSR
NECR
QCR
MEC/PAR
SLQ/SLA
WACR
Class II railroad
A Class II railroad in the United States is a mid-sized freight-hauling railroad, in terms of its operating revenue. , a railroad with revenues greater than $20.5 million but less than $277.7 million for at least three consecutive years is considered a Class II railroad...
freight railroad operating in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
states of Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
and Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
and the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
provinces of New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
and Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. Its Canadian subsidiary is the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Canada Company. The entire system is owned by Rail World, Inc.
Rail World, Inc.
Rail World, Inc. is a rail transport holding company. Its specialties include railway management, consulting, investment, privatizations, and restructurings. Its purpose is to promote rail industry privatization by bringing together government bodies wishing to sell their stakes with investment...
and is headquartered near Bangor, Maine
Bangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
.
History
The railroad was formed in October 2002 by Rail World, Inc.Rail World, Inc.
Rail World, Inc. is a rail transport holding company. Its specialties include railway management, consulting, investment, privatizations, and restructurings. Its purpose is to promote rail industry privatization by bringing together government bodies wishing to sell their stakes with investment...
to combine the following lines that were threatened by the bankruptcy of holding company Iron Road Railways
Iron Road Railways
Iron Road Railways Incorporated was a railroad holding company which owned several short line railroads in the U.S. state of Maine, as well as the Canadian provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia....
:
- Bangor & Aroostook Railroad
- Canadian American RailroadCanadian American RailroadThe Canadian American Railroad was a railroad that operated between Brownville Junction, Maine and Lennoxville, Quebec between 1994 and 2002...
- Northern Vermont RailroadNorthern Vermont RailroadNorthern Vermont Railroad was a former class III railroad that operated in Vermont from 1996-2002.The Northern Vermont Railroad was created by holding company Iron Road Railways on and began operations on 28 September, 1996 on the former Canadian Pacific Railway's Lyndonville Subdivision and the...
- Quebec Southern Railway
Closing of the sale by the trustee for Iron Road Railways took place in January 2003 when MMA began operations over 745 miles of track. Currently, an average of around 25 trains are operated each day, and the company employs roughly 350 people.
Northern Maine abandonment
In early February 2010, the MM&A filed a notice of intent with the Surface Transportation BoardSurface Transportation Board
The Surface Transportation Board of the United States is a bipartisan, decisionally-independent adjudicatory body organizationally housed within the U.S. Department of Transportation. The STB was established in 1996 to assume some of the regulatory functions that had been administered by the...
(STB) that it intended to abandon 233 miles (375 km) of track in northern Maine, between Madawaska and Millinocket, part of the original Bangor & Aroostook Railroad's mainline, which had been bought by the MMA in 2003.
Affected lines include track serving Houlton, Presque Isle, Caribou and Fort Kent. MMA lines between Millinocket and Montreal, Brownville and Searsport, and Madawaska to Van Buren are not included in this application.
According to the railroad, losses from operating the lines had reached the point where they were threatening the financial health of the entire railroad. The STB subsequently postponed action on the request in late April, after the railroad and Maine officials agreed to negotiate to prevent the lines from being abandoned, which the state said could negatively affect the economy of the area. State legislators proposed that the state buy the lines and contract out freight rail service, similar to lines in Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
.
On October 20, 2010, the railroad reached an agreement to sell 233 miles (375 km) of track in the northern part of Maine to the state government for $20.1 million. The state would then contract operations on the lines to bidders once the deal was closed. The US government also issued $10.5 million in funds to upgrade and maintain the line.
On 17 December 2010, it was announced that the state was accepting bids for the operation of trackage the state was due to purchase, with the deadline for proposals being 19 January 2011. On 28 December 2010, the STB announced it had approved the abandonment of the tracks in question, allowing the state to purchase them.
On 5 April 2011, it was announced that the New Brunswick Southern Railway
New Brunswick Southern Railway
The New Brunswick Southern Railway and Eastern Maine Railway form a 189-mile railway system operating a former Canadian Pacific Railway mainline between Saint John, New Brunswick and Brownville Junction, Maine....
, using its Eastern Maine Railway
Eastern Maine Railway
Eastern Maine Railway can refer to two separate railroad companies:*Eastern Maine Railway *Eastern Maine Railway , the U.S. half of the New Brunswick Southern Railway...
subsidiary, had been awarded the contract to operate the lines in question. The handover of operations was expected to occur on 1 July, and in order to operate its new trackage, the New Brunswick Southern expected to hire around 30 more employees, as well as acquire additional rolling stock.
Interchange points
B&M/PARPan Am Railways
Pan Am Railways, Inc. , known as Guilford Rail System before March 2006, is a holding company that owns and operates Class II regional railroads covering northern New England from Mattawamkeag, Maine to Rotterdam Junction, New York...
- Newport, VermontNewport (city), VermontNewport is a city in and the shire town of Orleans County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 5,005. The city contains the largest population of any government in the county, yet encompasses the smallest area....
(via WACR)
CN
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....
- Saint John, NBSaint John, New BrunswickCity of Saint John , or commonly Saint John, is the largest city in the province of New Brunswick, and the first incorporated city in Canada. The city is situated along the north shore of the Bay of Fundy at the mouth of the Saint John River. In 2006 the city proper had a population of 74,043...
(via NBSRNew Brunswick Southern RailwayThe New Brunswick Southern Railway and Eastern Maine Railway form a 189-mile railway system operating a former Canadian Pacific Railway mainline between Saint John, New Brunswick and Brownville Junction, Maine....
/EMREastern Maine RailwayEastern Maine Railway can refer to two separate railroad companies:*Eastern Maine Railway *Eastern Maine Railway , the U.S. half of the New Brunswick Southern Railway...
) - Sherbrooke, QC (via SLQ)
- St. Jean, QC
- St. Leonard, NB
- Ste. Rosalie, QCSainte-Rosalie, QuebecSainte-Rosalie is a former town in Quebec, Canada which was annexed to the town of Saint-Hyacinthe in 2002.-External links:*...
CP
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
- St. Jean, QC
CCR
- Newport, VermontNewport (city), VermontNewport is a city in and the shire town of Orleans County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 5,005. The city contains the largest population of any government in the county, yet encompasses the smallest area....
(via WACR)
EMR
Eastern Maine Railway
Eastern Maine Railway can refer to two separate railroad companies:*Eastern Maine Railway *Eastern Maine Railway , the U.S. half of the New Brunswick Southern Railway...
/NBSR
New Brunswick Southern Railway
The New Brunswick Southern Railway and Eastern Maine Railway form a 189-mile railway system operating a former Canadian Pacific Railway mainline between Saint John, New Brunswick and Brownville Junction, Maine....
- Brownville Jct., ME
NECR
New England Central Railroad
The New England Central Railroad is a subsidiary of RailAmerica that began operations in 1995. It runs from New London, Connecticut, to Alburgh, Vermont, a distance of .-History:...
- Newport, VTNewport (city), VermontNewport is a city in and the shire town of Orleans County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 5,005. The city contains the largest population of any government in the county, yet encompasses the smallest area....
(via WACR)
QCR
Quebec Central Railway
The Quebec Central Railway was a railway in the Canadian province of Quebec, that served the area of Quebec called the Eastern Townships, south of the St. Lawrence River. Its headquarters was in Sherbrooke. It was originally incorporated in 1869 as the Sherbrooke, Eastern Townships and Kennebec...
- Sherbrooke, QC
MEC/PAR
Pan Am Railways
Pan Am Railways, Inc. , known as Guilford Rail System before March 2006, is a holding company that owns and operates Class II regional railroads covering northern New England from Mattawamkeag, Maine to Rotterdam Junction, New York...
- Mattawamkeag, MEMattawamkeag, MaineMattawamkeag is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States located where the Mattawamkeag River joins the Penobscot River. The population was 825 at the 2000 census.-Railroad history:Mattawamkeag's history is inextricably linked to the railroad....
(via NBSR/EMR) - Northern Maine Jct., MEHermon, MaineHermon is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,416 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
SLQ/SLA
St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad
The St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad , known as St-Laurent et Atlantique Quebec in Canada, is a short line railroad operating between Portland, Maine on the Atlantic Ocean and Montreal, Quebec on the St. Lawrence River. It crosses the Canada-U.S...
- Lennoxville, QCLennoxville, QuebecLennoxville is an arrondissement, or borough, of the city of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. Lennoxville is located at the confluence of the St. Francis and Massawippi Rivers approximately five kilometers south of downtown Sherbrooke....
WACR
- Newport, VTNewport (city), VermontNewport is a city in and the shire town of Orleans County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 5,005. The city contains the largest population of any government in the county, yet encompasses the smallest area....