On the topic of Declining traffic on the MMA, a 2008 Oakfield Town plan spoke very poorly of the Railroad in regards to service. Heres the direct article quote:
"
Railroads
Montreal, Maine, and Atlantic (MMA) purchased 436 miles of Class 2 main and branch rail lines
from the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad (BAR) within Maine. The Ashland branch was
upgraded to main line status and has concentrated used primarily to transport forest products.
The two largest customers, Irving Woodlands in Nashville Plantation and Fraser Paper in
Madawaska, remain its important base in this industry. Lumber traffic, fed by the Pinkham and
Levesque mills in the Ashland area, add to the traffic. Two wafer board mills, Louisiana Pacific
in New Limerick and J.M. Huber in Easton, represented additional base.
In order to become a more viable transportation provider in the region, MM&A needs to invest
in its infrastructure. There are sections of the main line where trains can only travel at 5 to 10
miles per hour due to poor track conditions and other locations where derailments have occurred
on a regular basis. MM&A receives approximately $1 million annually from MaineDOT for
infrastructure improvements. Most of this funding is being spent between Brownville and
Jackman.
MM&A has had difficulty in meeting the needs of the region. Shippers have cited such issues as
waiting for cars that sometimes never arrive, inability to supply the types and volumes of cars
requested or needed, and a general lack of responsiveness from the provider to the customer. Rail
is a key component in the region’s economic development plan and one that could greatly
enhance the region’s economic development potential especially if fuel prices continue to climb.
However, shippers have shifted to more reliable alternative shipping modes because of these
problems, which exacerbate the issue of declining rail service by reducing revenues for MM&A.
If these issues could be resolved shippers have expressed a willingness to utilize rail again."
Source:
http://www.maine.gov/spo/landuse/comppl ... d/plan.pdf (Pg49)
Say it ain't so MMA!!?