Freight rail service continues to show signs of improvement

By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
   PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Improvements to freight rail service in Maine was the focus of Thursday’s annual meeting of the Maine Better Transportation Association, held at the Northeastland Hotel.
MBTA Board President Thomas Gorrill welcomed those in attendance, recognizing several dignitaries who were present, including: Sen. Troy Jackson; Reps. Kenneth Theriault, Bernard Ayotte, Robert Saucier, Joyce Fitzpatrick and Carol McElwee; Phil Bosse, representative for Sen. Susan Collins; Sharon Campbell, representative for Sen. Angus King; and Barbara Hayslett, representative for Congressman Mike Michaud. Also taking part were members of Aroostook Partnership for Progress and Northern Maine Development Commission: Bob Dorsey, Robert Clark and Jay Kamm.
Gorrill talked briefly about the importance of bonds and the problems that are surfacing due to current cuts to funding.
“Despite the effort of legislators, uncertainty continues on how much the (transportation) bond will be. This affects long-term funding in Maine. I call on chambers (of commerce), LEAD (Leaders Encouraging Aroostook Development) and others. We’ll only get more under-funded with more fuel-efficient vehicles, since funding is based on fuel taxes,” said Gorrill.
The evening’s guest speaker, Ian Simpson — general manager of Irving’s rail holdingss, including Northern Maine Railway, Eastern Maine Railway and New Brunswick Southern Railroad — spoke next, providing an update on freight rail service in the state.
Simpson discussed the upgrades that have been made on the 233 miles of rail line Irving acquired two years ago — a stretch abandoned by Montreal, Maine and Atlantic, then bought by the state and now maintained by NMR.
“The rail arm is growing. We’re trying to come up with one name as we grow. We now operate 521 miles — some we own, 241 miles are owned by the state and we’ve been selected to operate,” said Simpson.
Simpson said there was “a lot of wisdom in the state purchasing the line.”
“If it was abandoned, you’d likely never see it back,” he said. “This was a team effort.”
Simpson said his company recently purchased the Madawaska line, which he said was “good for us from a viability standpoint.”
He discussed the various lines his company either services or owns in the state.
“A big part of our business is fiber. It’s essential for mills to find a way to move fiber, be competitive and efficient,” said Simpson, noting ease of access to other states is also an important factor. “We do a lot of chip business from Portage to Old Town right now.”
“There are more options for mills throughout the state. It’s important to their future,” he said.
Simpson said when NMR first took over two years ago, they had about 350 rail cars but that number has continued to grow as demand increases.
“Shipping log cars are in high demand. Any time a block of them become available, we lease or buy them. We’ve gone from 350 to 600 rail cars in two years, with demand for more. We’ve gone from 14 to 34 locomotives in our fleet,” said Simpson.
Simpson said millions have been invested in improvements, from rail repairs to added safety measures and training.
“We use GIS technology. It’s leading edge. Using a hand-held device, employees can go in the field — highlight, mark and know the exact location of any problems. We do mandatory checks every week,” he said. “This has become a terrific tool. It can be used for bridge inspections. The sky’s the limit for this technology.”
The company also use Wi-Tronix GPS, which helps determine fuel consumption.
“It tells if trains are idling, running, etc.,” said Simpson.
He said modern technology is improving efficiency and increasing safety.
“We have systems that can detect if there’s a problem with a train wheel — sends a message to the foreman. It sends the exact location by GPS,” he said.
“It’s great technology we’ve incorporated. It also tells if a train is going too fast for that part of the track,” said Simpson.
He credited the TIGER program and the $10.5 million NMR received for the many improvements that were made.
“It’s amazing how much work got done for $10.5 million. We were able to use GIS technology to track every tie in the ground and record every foot of ballast. We were able to lay 80,000 ties — up from the original figure of 50,000. We surfaced 210 miles,” said Simpson. “We’re just about there. We’ve gone from the worst rail in the region to some of the best.”
Getting track speed up is crucial in the business, said Simpson.
“Oakfield to Scopan was 15 mph, with other sections 10 mph. When we’re finished, the north piece/branch should be 25 mph. Oakfield to Scopan will be up to 35 mph. It’s a Class 3 rated track,” said Simpson.
He said increased rail speed means more loads transported, since crews can cover more miles per shift.
“Track speed is important. A train crew can only work 12 hours. Track speed isn’t just about getting down the line, it’s about getting crews home,” said Simpson.
Simpson said by late August he expects most of the work to be “pretty much all done.”
Safety has been on the minds of many in recent weeks, following the July 6 crash in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, that killed at least 47 people.
“Safety’s been a big concern the last three weeks. We use radar detection to check for problems. We run a minimum of once a year, with main lines checked as often as four times a year,” said Simpson. “We have a hot box detector — a stationary laser beam — talks to the train crew and advises if all clear or notes problems on specific cars.” Employees also undergo rigorous training, he said.
NMR focuses on three core service offerings: direct rail, indirect truck and rail, and track engineering and construction services — the later proving to be a lucrative business for the company.
“It’s opened the market for us. We have the best-of-the-best equipment. We have highly-productive equipment and the ability to keep highly-skilled people in Maine. We look forward to doing more,” he said.
Simpson said the company’s seen a steady increase in freight moving in the area since 2011.
“We started with about 100 carloads a week in mid-June 2011. By that December we were at 211 cars a week. We expect in the second half of 2013 to be closer to the 350 range. We’ll likely see 350-400 cars shipping up and down the line by the end of the year,” said Simpson.
He said increasing shipments has led to an increase in jobs.
“In May 2011, we had 20 employees in Maine. As volume grows and we keep investing, we hire more employees. It’s a rural business and goes through a lot of communities. We’re now at 84 and hope to get to 100 real soon,” said Simpson.
When asked if he’s seen any change in traffic since the incident in Canada, Simpson said he has.
“The accident affected the main link between eastern Canada and western U.S. That line was cut off at the border. Business in Quebec coming this way can’t get through. Product going into Searsport that once shipped west into Quebec — shippers are now rerouting, giving to CN Rail, going through Van Buren. They’re interchanging with us, so we’re seeing more traveling the line,” said Simpson.