by MEC407
From The Portland Press Herald:
The Portland Press Herald wrote:Rail line’s bleak outlook a challenge for MaineRead more at: http://www.pressherald.com/news/rail-li ... 08-19.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
With the return of service to Lac-Megantic in doubt, the state is faced with losing an important economic link.
By Tom Bell
Staff Writer
LAC-MEGANTIC, Quebec — Motorists here still stop at the railroad tracks and look both ways.
Such are the habits of people living in a town built around a transcontinental railway.
But nobody has seen or heard a freight train since the riderless “ghost train” hauling crude oil rolled into town on July 6 and exploded, killing 47 people and destroying 40 buildings downtown.
The rail line has been blocked while crews work to clean up 1.5 million gallons of spilled oil and remove debris.
While trains could be allowed to pass through within a few months, the long-term prospects for rail here are uncertain.
What happens in Lac-Megantic has ramifications in Maine, where the rail line is a link between Maine lumber and paper mills and their customers throughout North America.
At issue is not the survival of the line’s bankrupt owner, Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway, which is looking for a buyer, but whether the line can be run as a sustainable business under any owner, given its scattered customer base, high fixed costs and daunting political obstacles.
MEC407
Moderator:
Pan Am Railways — Boston & Maine/Maine Central — Delaware & Hudson
Central Maine & Quebec/Montreal, Maine & Atlantic/Bangor & Aroostook
Providence & Worcester — New England — GE Locomotives
Moderator:
Pan Am Railways — Boston & Maine/Maine Central — Delaware & Hudson
Central Maine & Quebec/Montreal, Maine & Atlantic/Bangor & Aroostook
Providence & Worcester — New England — GE Locomotives