This is in response to John Davis’ letter (March 31). He describes my bill as a pork barrel project for the St. Lawrence and Atlantic rail line to Lewiston-Auburn, and insists that the Pan-Am route to Royal Junction is a better investment. The portion of the St. Lawrence and Atlantic rail line to Danville Junction […]
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Posted inLetters
M. Craven: Moving rail service forward
This is in response to John Davis’ letter, “Pork barrel construction project,” printed March 15. As I understand the term, “pork barrel” refers to a useless project that a legislator tacks onto another bill to earn favor from his/her constituents. Rep. Jared Golden and Sen. Nate Libby’s efforts are far from such a description. Davis […]
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Posted inLetters
T. Donovan: Investment in the future
This is in response to the letter to the editor by John Davis (March 15). As a commercial real estate developer and an expert on railroad development, I write to set the record straight. Davis is on the wrong track, literally, when he mischaracterizes two bills offered by Sen. Nate Libby and Rep. Jared Golden […]
Posted inBusiness, sj-web
Maine DOT proposes investing $125 million in passenger and freight rail
PORTLAND — Lawmakers and rail enthusiasts spent Tuesday pushing legislation that would make it easier to expand passenger train service from Portland to Lewiston-Auburn, but the Maine Department of Transportation has a bigger plan. The Maine DOT’s draft plan sets out goals for $125 million in passenger rail investments between 2014 and 2019 — mostly […]
Posted inBusiness
Canadian National to stop service to Auburn Intermodal; surprises officials
“This is news to all of us, and we are trying to figure out what the motivation behind this was,” City Manager Clinton Deschene said Tuesday. “It is interesting timing.” Canadian National posted a customer notification on its website Friday saying that its service to the Intermodal Freight Transfer Facility would end Nov. 15. Mark […]
Posted inAdvertiser Democrat, Oxford Hills
Paris railroad crossing repairs delayed
PARIS — Repairs to a worn railroad crossing linking Market Square with the rest of Main Street have been pushed back because of higher-than-anticipated construction bids. Maine Department of Transportation traffic resource manager Reggie Knowles confirmed Monday afternoon that the repairs will likely be incorporated into a larger paving project through Main Street later next month. […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
Lewiston event to discuss benefits of Twin Cities rail service
LEWISTON — Rail backers and local officials will be on hand Tuesday to discuss rail service between Portland and the Twin Cities. The Maine Chapter of the Sierra Club is hosting an event to celebrate International Transit Day at the banquet hall of the Royal Oak Room, the refurbished former Maine Central Railroad station at […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Sale of bankrupt railroad blamed for deadly derailment in Quebec is due to close next week
PORTLAND — The sale of the Maine-based railroad responsible for a deadly oil train derailment in Quebec is due to completed next week. Chapter 11 trustee Robert Keach said Thursday that the $15.85 million sale of Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway will close on May 15. A bankruptcy judge gave permission to delay a separate […]
Posted inLewiston-Auburn
2014 the year for Grand Trunk Cafe, owner vows
LEWISTON — Karen Pulkkinen said her long-awaited Grand Trunk Cafe will be open sometime this summer. “We are being very careful, and we want to be very prepared,” she said. “It’s not always a good thing to hype it up too much, because you want a soft opening. I know the restaurant business, and I […]
Posted inMaine, sj-web
Auction for railroad in Quebec derailment gets OK
PORTLAND (AP) — As the first trains rolled into a Quebec town devastated by a derailment and fire that killed 47 people, a federal bankruptcy judge approved bidding procedures Wednesday for the auction of the Maine-based railroad that owned the train. The action in a courtroom in Bangor came on the same day the first […]