AUBURN – The St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad is on the move again.

Buried within the $388 billion spending bill that Congress approved this week was $500,000 for the local rail company to expand its service. That money, coupled with a grant from the Maine Department of Transportation for upwards of $800,000, allows the rail line to build five new tracks.

“It’s absolutely good news for us,” said Ray Goss, general manager for the rail line. “We’re excited we got the support we needed. I think this will support the whole area, not just us.”

Goss submitted a request for the federal funds last January. The expansion plan calls for building four 2,000-foot siding tracks and a 1,000-foot lead track.

The additional tracks will allow St. Lawrence and Atlantic to increase its capacity and extend service to more local companies.

“They’ll allow us to handle increased customer needs that we’re experiencing already with companies such as Duke Energy, Cascade Auburn Fiber and Safe Handling,” said Goss. New customers who want access to freight rail service will also be served by the expansion.

It will also reduce the number of crossings at Lewiston Junction Road that are needed to line up rail cars before they leave for their destinations. Space is so tight at the rail line’s Rodman Road facility now that rail cars are often lined up just south of Montreal for Maine customers. The additional tracks will let St. Lawrence and Atlantic store and put together the sequence of cars needed locally.

“The customer demand exists right now (to support the expansion),” said Goss. “We expect further growth with the Pine Tree Zone and Foreign Trade Zone designations.”

Officials from the rail line are searching for a site for the new tracks somewhere between Lewiston Junction Road and Mechanic Falls. During a visit by a federal transportation official last month, they spoke of the possibility of finding space within a new industrial park created inside the Foreign Trade Zone.

“We’re very open to that idea,” said Goss. “We haven’t had any talks with the city yet, but we’re very open. At this point we’re keeping all options open.”

St. Lawrence and Atlantic is a subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Inc., with ties to the Canadian National Railroad. The connections allow freight handled by St. Lawrence and Atlantic to go from Maine to western ports such as Vancouver, then be shipped to Asian markets.