Maine's Unused 24-Mile Rail Line Gets Official Abandonment Nod
Published Date: 3/28/2025
Notice
Summary
St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad Company is officially ending its rights to use a 24-mile rail line in Cumberland County, Maine, that hasn’t seen trains since 2015. This move won’t affect any current rail users or local traffic, and the change will take effect on April 27, 2025, unless someone steps in to save the line. Employees impacted by this will get protections, so no worries there!
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 0 costs, 2 mixed.
Affected Employees Get Legal Protections
Any employee adversely affected by the abandonment will be protected under the Oregon Short Line Railroad precedent (360 I.C.C. 91 (1979)). A petition for partial revocation under 49 U.S.C. 10502(d) may be filed to address whether these protections are adequate.
24.23‑Mile Rail Line Abandonment Set
St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad filed to abandon its 24.23-mile freight easement in Cumberland County, Maine (milepost 1.74 near Deering to milepost 25.97 at the New Gloucester–Auburn town line). The exemption is slated to take effect April 27, 2025 unless a formal expression of intent to file an offer of financial assistance (OFA) or a stay is filed; SLR states no local traffic has moved over the line since 2015.
Deadlines to File OFAs and Stay Requests
Interested parties must file formal expressions of intent to file an OFA, petitions to stay (not involving environmental issues), or interim trail use/railbanking requests by April 7, 2025; petitions to reopen and requests for public use conditions must be filed by April 17, 2025. If no OFA is received, the abandonment becomes effective April 27, 2025.
Draft Environmental Assessment and Comment Window
The Board's Office of Environmental Analysis will issue a Draft Environmental Assessment by April 4, 2025; comments on environmental or historic preservation matters must be filed within 15 days after the Draft EA becomes available to the public.
Abandonment Authority Expires If Not Consummated
SLR must file a notice of consummation with the Board to signify it has fully abandoned the line; if SLR has not filed a notice of consummation by March 28, 2026, and there are no legal or regulatory barriers, the authority to abandon will automatically expire on that date.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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