Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway

Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway
Reporting mark	MMA
Locale	New England, Quebec, New Brunswick
Dates of operation	2003–
Track gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge)
Headquarters	Hermon, Maine

The Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway (reporting mark MMA) is a Class II^[1] 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.

History

The railroad was formed in October 2002 by Rail World, Inc. to combine the following lines that were threatened by the bankruptcy of holding company Iron Road Railways:

• Bangor & Aroostook Railroad
• Canadian American Railroad
• Northern Vermont Railroad
• Quebec Southern Railway^[2]

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.^[3]

Northern Maine abandonment

In early February 2010, the MM&A filed a notice of intent with the Surface Transportation Board (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.^[4] 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.^[5]

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.^[6][6] The US government also issued $10.5 million in funds to upgrade and maintain the line.^[6]

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.^[7] On 28 December 2010, the STB announced it had approved the abandonment of the tracks in question, allowing the state to purchase them.^[8]

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.^[9] 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.^[10]

Interchange points

B&M/PAR Newport, Vermont (via WACR) CN Saint John, NB (via NBSR/EMR) Sherbrooke, QC (via SLQ) St. Jean, QC St. Leonard, NB Ste. Rosalie, QC CP St. Jean, QC CCR Newport, Vermont (via WACR) EMR/NBSR Brownville Jct., ME

NECR Newport, VT (via WACR) QCR Sherbrooke, QC MEC/PAR Mattawamkeag, ME (via NBSR/EMR) Northern Maine Jct., ME SLQ/SLA Lennoxville, QC WACR Newport, VT

See also

• List of Canadian railways

References

1. ^ "America's regional railroads". Trains Magazine (Kalmbach Publishing): 38–39. October 2010. 
2. ^ "Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway". Railroads of Northern New England. http://www.rrnne.net/MMA.htm. Retrieved 6 June 2010. 
3. ^ "Profile". Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway. http://www.mmarail.com/profile_main.php. Retrieved 6 June 2010. 
4. ^ "Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway files abandonment notice for track in Maine". Vermont Business Magazine. 5 February 2010. http://www.vermontbiz.com/news/february/montreal-maine-atlantic-railway-files-abandonment-notice-track-maine. Retrieved 28 April 2010. 
5. ^ "Maine abandonment suspended as state, railroad mediate". Trains Magazine. 27 April 2010. http://www.trains.com/trn/default.aspx?c=a&id=6724. Retrieved 29 April 2010. 
6. ^ ^{a b c} "Maine reaches deal to buy imperiled rail lines". Trains Magazine. 20 October 2010. http://trn.trains.com/en/Railroad%20News/News%20Wire/2010/10/Maine%20rail%20purchase.aspx. Retrieved 20 October 2010. 
7. ^ "Maine DOT seeks short line to operate former MMA lines". Progressive Railroading. 17 December 2010. http://www.progressiverailroading.com/news/article/Maine-DOT-seeks-short-line-to-operate-former-MMA-lines--25287. Retrieved 18 December 2010. 
8. ^ "STB decision green lights Maine's plan to purchase Montreal, Maine & Atlantic lines". Progressive Railroading. 28 December 2010. http://progressiverailroading.com/news/article/STB-decision-green-lights-Maines-plan-to-purchase-Montreal-Maine-Atlantic-lines--25338. Retrieved 29 December 2010. 
9. ^ "New Brunswick Southern to operate ex-Montreal, Maine & Atlantic routes". Trains Magazine. 5 April 2011. http://trn.trains.com/en/Railroad%20News/News%20Wire/2011/04/New%20Brunswick%20Southern%20to%20operate%20ex-Montreal%20Maine%20Atlantic%20routes.aspx. Retrieved 9 April 2011. 
10. ^ "New Brunswick Southern expansion planned for July 1". Trains Magazine. 6 April 2011. http://trn.trains.com/en/Railroad%20News/News%20Wire/2011/04/New%20Brunswick%20Southern%20expansion%20planned%20for%20July%201.aspx. Retrieved 9 April 2011. 

External links

• Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway - official website