To the editor:
It is imperative that rail service to Aroostook County be preserved. When the recession actually ends and new housing starts return to normal levels, those mills in Sherman, Masardis, Ashland, Skerry (Nashville) and other locations will not be viable without rail as an option. Without a rail transportation option, the shippers currently using rail may find that higher transportation costs would affect their viability. Losing the potential for rail service could limit industrial development of the Loring facility.
The state of Maine needs to purchase the track, bridges, right of way and other improvements from the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic for net salvage value. That is the amount the railroad would receive if the infrastructure were abandoned. A lease and operating agreement could be written which would include payments from the railroad to the state which increase as carloads increase.
I worked form 1978 until 2003 as a Railroad Safety Inspector for the Federal Railroad Administration and can state that this railroad segment is generally in sound condition. It is operated and maintained by well qualified and motivated men and women, many of whom live and work in The County. A cooperative effort by our state, the railroad, users of the railroad and local leaders can preserve a transportation system which could never be replaced.
St. Albans
