Maine Regional Railways Project

A number of Maine RRs won a TIGER grant for significant improvements coming to Central, Northern and Eastern Maine.


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From the Portland Press Herald:

Portland Press Herald wrote:Central Maine & Quebec Railway will contribute $4 million to a $10 million project. Trains on most of the railroad’s line between Hermon and Searsport now travel at 10 mph. The project will replace 34,650 ties and provide new ballast and new rail on the 78-mile section. When completed, trains will operate at about 25 mph.

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A huge victory for Maine's railroad network. I was struck by the possibility of signal work between Waterville and Northern Maine Junction. Also very impressed to see how much Class III track will be in place.

The signal work is actually removing them between WTVL and NMJ which is happening as we speak.

CN9634 wrote:The signal work is actually removing them between WTVL and NMJ which is happening as we speak.

Oh dear. Well, at least we won't have to worry about them breaking down anymore!

Signals are still active all the way to Northern Maine Junction, but we have noticed trains calling a lot more on the radio than they used to

CN9634 wrote:The signal work is actually removing them between WTVL and NMJ which is happening as we speak.

Wait- what? I'm pretty sure PAR petitioned to remove the signal system in the past, but was denied by the FRA. At any rate, the system is still in place and there's at least no immediate plans for removal. I don't know the specifics, but perhaps they could strike a deal where a contiguous CTC signal system from Royal Jct to Leeds Jct would allow the removal of the system from Oakland to Hermon. There's more trains, more tonnage, more hazmat, and more train meets in that stretch, anyway.

Wait- what? I'm pretty sure PAR petitioned to remove the signal system in the past, but was denied by the FRA. At any rate, the system is still in place and there's at least no immediate plans for removal. I don't know the specifics, but perhaps they could strike a deal where a contiguous CTC signal system from Royal Jct to Leeds Jct would allow the removal of the system from Oakland to Hermon. There's more trains, more tonnage, more hazmat, and more train meets in that stretch, anyway.

PAR only wanted to remove the signals from Fairfield north. The FRA and Maine DOT want the signal system to stay in place for any possible future passenger rail expansion. The signals between NMJ and Fairfield are still active as of January.

Cosakita18 wrote:PAR only wanted to remove the signals from Fairfield north.

That might as well be everything and would leave less than 10 miles of signaling. That would leave the system only in place in Oakland - which is next to useless - and Waterville - which is a yard with no highballing trains passing by and would be better better off without the system.

Cosakita18 wrote:any possible future passenger rail expansion

What a joke.

BostonUrbEx wrote:

Cosakita18 wrote:any possible future passenger rail expansion

What a joke.

Remember, this is the Maine DOT we're talking about, they'd fund passenger rail to the middle of nowhere

The wording of the regional railways project actually mentions signal upgrades as part of the Waterville-NMJ makeover.