Title 23, Title 23

The officers of all railroad corporations shall cause a copy of section 6019 to be posted in a conspicuous place at the several stations along the line of their roads.

Where a railroad passes through enclosed or improved land, or woodlots belonging to a farm, legal and sufficient fences shall be made on each side of the land taken therefor, before the construction of the road is commenced, and the fences shall be maintained and kept in good rep…

The owner of any enclosed or improved land or woodlot belonging to a farm abutting upon any railroad, which is finished and in operation, may at any time between the 20th day of April and the end of October give written notice to the president, treasurer or any of the directors o…

1. Injuring fence. A person may not take down or intentionally injure a fence erected to protect the line of a railroad. 2. Turning animals into railroad enclosure. A person may not turn a horse, cattle or other animal upon or within the enclosure of a railroad. 3. Penalty. A per…

The corporation is liable for trespasses and injuries to lands and buildings adjoining or in the vicinity of its road committed by a person in its employment or occasioned by its order, if the party injured within 60 days after the injured gives notice to the corporation; but its…

No title to any real estate or any interest in real estate may be acquired against any railroad corporation by adverse possession, however exclusive or long continued.

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Maine State Railroad Police Act."

As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings. [PL 1987, c. 141, Pt. A, §4 (NEW).] 1. Qualified person. "Qualified person" means a person who: A. Has met all the education and training requirements as outlined und…

The Commissioner of Public Safety may commission and rescind the commissions of all railroad police officers in the State. The commissioner may commission and rescind the commissions of railroad police officers recommended and appointed by the chief police officer, or in his abse…

Each policeman so appointed and commissioned shall, before entering upon the duties of his office, take an oath of office administered by the Commissioner of Public Safety.

Each policeman may, in all cases in which the rights of the appointing railroad are involved, exercise within this State all powers, including the powers of arrest and the carrying of firearms, for the reasonable purpose of his office.

The keepers of jails, lockups and station houses in any county, city or town, shall receive all persons arrested by railroad police for the commission of any offense against the laws of this State, or the ordinances of any city or town, to be dealt with according to law and perso…

Each policeman so appointed and commissioned shall, when on duty, carry a shield or star with the words "Police," "Railroad Police" or "Railway Police" and the name of the appointing railroad inscribed on the shield. The shield or star shall be of uniform design. This shield or s…

The railroad to which each railroad police officer is assigned shall be responsible for the compensation and financial cost of training of railroad police officers.

In order to more effectively carry out the purposes of this Act, the Governor of this State, referred to as the empowering State, may enter into a reciprocal agreement with the governor of any other state, referred to as the reciprocal state, subject to any regulations prescribed…

Upon termination of employment of any railroad policeman, the powers of that policeman shall cease and terminate. Within 10 days after the termination, the appointing railroad shall, through its designated chief police officer or, in the absence of a chief police officer, its chi…

No train of passenger cars, moved by steam, may be run without one trusty and skillful brakeman to every 2 cars.

No car disconnected from a train may be left or permitted to remain standing on the main track of any railroad, unless accompanied by danger signals, such as flagging by day and lanterns by night, placed at such distances from the obstruction on the main line of the road as will …

When a building or other property is injured by fire communicated by a locomotive engine, the corporation using it is responsible for that injury and it has an insurable interest in the property along the route for which it is responsible, and may procure insurance on that proper…

Whoever, having charge of a locomotive engine or acting as conductor, brakeman, motorman or switchman, is intoxicated while employed on a railroad shall be punished by a fine of not more than $100 or by imprisonment for not more than 6 months.

Any person employed in conducting trains, who is guilty of negligence or carelessness causing an injury, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $1,000 or by imprisonment for not more than 11 months; but the corporation employing him is not thereby exempt from responsibility…

No railroad corporation is liable for the death of a person walking or being on its road contrary to law or to its valid rules.

1. Walking or standing on track or bridge. A person may not, without right, stand or walk on a railroad track or railroad bridge or pass over a railroad bridge except by railroad conveyance. 2. Entering track. A person may not, without right, enter upon a railroad track with a te…

A printed copy of section 7007 shall be kept posted in a conspicuous place in every railroad passenger station; for failure to post, the corporation forfeits not more than $100 for every offense.

Any person, other than a servant or employee of the road, or a passenger holding a ticket for a passage over the road, or mail agent or expressman, who gets upon or leaves any steam engine, tender or car at any place outside of a railroad station while that engine, tender or car …

Whoever, without authority, alters, changes or in any manner interferes with any safety switch or switch lights on any railroad commits a Class E crime.

Whoever intentionally and without right injures, destroys or molests any signal of a railroad corporation, or any line, wire, post, lamp or other structure or mechanism used in connection with any signal on a railroad or destroys, or in any manner interferes with the proper worki…

No railroad company may construct or maintain a track or run an engine or cars on a street or highway so near any station of another railroad as to endanger the safety and convenient access to and use of that station for ordinary station purposes.

Obstruction or interference with the performance of any act authorized or required in this chapter is declared to be a misdemeanor and any person convicted of the same shall be punished by a fine of not more than $20 or by imprisonment for not more than 30 days. Jurisdiction over…

The Superior Court is given full jurisdiction to enforce compliance with any order issued prior to January 1, 1982, by the Public Utilities Commission or any order issued by the Department of Transportation under this chapter. It is the duty of the Department of Transportation to…

Within 180 days of the effective date of this section, a railroad company shall submit to the Commissioner of Environmental Protection a prevention and response plan including the environmental impact analysis submitted to the United States Department of Transportation, Pipeline …

A city or town by a 2/3 vote, at any legal meeting called for the purpose, may raise by tax or loan, from time to time or all at once, a sum not exceeding in all 5% on its regular valuation for the time being, to aid in the construction of railroads in such manner as it deems pro…

A city or town raising money by loan or under authority conferred by special Act of the Legislature shall raise and pay or fund besides the interest, each year after the third, not less than 3% of the principal. Any city or town receiving money, bonds, certificates of indebtednes…

Meetings for the purposes set out in this chapter in cities shall be called by the municipal officers, on the order of the common council, like meetings for the election of city officers and the council shall set forth in their order the substance of the proposition to be inserte…

Whenever a city or town has voted at any legal meeting upon any question of loaning its credit to, or taking stock in, or in any way aiding any person or corporation, the city or town shall not vote again upon the same subject, except at its annual meetings.

When a city or town holds stock in a railroad, the municipal officers, or an agent appointed by them in writing, may vote at any meeting of the corporation.

Whenever any city or town in the State, in its corporate capacity, holds 1/5 or more of the shares in the capital stock of any railroad incorporated by the Legislature, any citizen of the city or town, being a freeholder and resident, is eligible as a director of the railroad com…

This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the "State Railroad Preservation and Assistance Act."

The Legislature makes a finding of fact that a viable and efficient rail transportation system is necessary to the economic well-being of the State. [PL 1989, c. 398, §7 (RPR).] The Legislature makes a further finding of fact that the State must take active steps to protect and p…

The Treasurer of State shall receive all revenue derived from the tax levied pursuant to Title 36, chapter 361 and taxes paid under Title 36, section 1865 and shall deposit all revenue in the Multimodal Transportation Fund account established in section 4210-B.

1. Notice required. Any railroad which files a petition or proposal with the United States Interstate Commerce Commission concerning the sale, merger, abandonment or embargo of any railroad line in this State shall concurrently file a copy of the petition or proposal with the dep…

1. Definition of term "railroad line." Unless otherwise defined in this section, the term "railroad line" or "lines" shall be construed to mean the right-of-way, track, track appurtenances, ties, bridges, station houses and other appurtenant structures. 2. Temporary lease and con…

1. Definition of term "railroad operating equipment." 2. Acquisition of railroad operating equipment. The Department of Transportation is authorized to lease, purchase and dispose of railroad operating equipment when in the judgment of the department the purchase or disposal of t…

Except as provided in this section, the Department of Transportation may not dismantle or change state-owned track for a nonrail use or contract with a state agency or private entity for the dismantling or changing of state-owned track for a nonrail use. When the department, in c…

1. Repaid funds to be used to preserve rail corridor. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, funds repaid to the Department of Transportation as a result of state investments or loans for the redevelopment of the Calais Branch rail corridor must be used by the department to …

1. Legislative findings. The Legislature finds that safe, efficient and reliable rail service is essential to the economy of the State, the economic livelihood of industries located in the State, conservation and protection of the environment and the quality of life of the citize…