U.S. TRANSPORTATION OFFICIALS ACCEPT SENATOR COLLINS' INVITATION TO VISIT MAINE TO DISCUSS THE MONTREAL, MAINE & ATLANTIC RAILWAY

U.S. Senator Susan Collins today announced that Karen Rae, Deputy Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, and Joel Szabat, Acting Secretary for Transportation Policy at the U.S. Department of Transportation, have accepted her invitation to travel to Maine for meetings with local and state officials and stakeholders regarding the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic (MMA) Railway.

This meeting is scheduled to be held on Thursday, April 8th in Bangor.

"Aroostook County is facing the imminent loss of virtually all the freight rail service for this area," said Senator Collins. "I appreciate that the Secretary of Transportation is fulfilling the commitment he made to me to send federal officials to Maine to meet with local and state officials, and stakeholders, in an effort to work together on a plan to address this very serious issue."

During a March 4th Senate Appropriations Transportation Subcommittee hearing, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood pledged to Senator Collins, who is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, that he would send federal transportation officials to Maine to help develop a plan to keep the railway operating.

During this hearing, Senator Collins explained to Secretary LaHood how the current owner of MMA has filed a notice of intent to abandon 233 miles of its track in Aroostook and northern Penobscot Counties, citing high operating costs and low shipping volume as a result of the current economic climate. MMA provides the only freight rail service in Aroostook County, serving primarily the pulp and paper, agricultural and potato processing industries. Senator Collins expressed serious concerns regarding the proposal to abandon this critical rail link, which would have a devastating impact on the economy of Aroostook County and Northern Maine. More than 20 businesses employing thousands of workers rely on the railroad.

On a related note, on Friday, the Surface Transportation Board (STB), the regulatory agency that governs all U.S. railroads, granted Senator Collins' request to hold a public hearing in Maine regarding MMA's notice of intent. Senator Collins wrote to STB Chairman Daniel Elliott urging him to hold the hearing in Maine.

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