Re-establishment of freight rail line approved; construction underway to open new economic development opportunities in city of Auburn and town of Poland

With the objective of providing an alternative rail line for the movement and delivery of freight to area businesses while alleviating congestion on the existing main rail line servicing the Maine Intermodal Transportation Facility, moving rail cars full of merchandise through the Auburn facility will become more efficient as the official commencement of the Rangeley Branch rail line restoration project occurred at a groundbreaking ceremony held in April 2013.

Providing direct rail access to approximately 400 acres of land in the city of Auburn and town of Poland while opening new economic development opportunities for business growth, the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments, the Lewiston-Auburn Economic Growth Council, the city of Auburn, representatives of the Lewiston and Auburn Railroad Company, and the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad Company, worked closely with members of the Lewiston-Auburn area delegation to secure $3.0 million in general obligation bond funds for the reconstruction of the former Rangeley Branch rail line running from Auburn to Poland.

The Lewiston-Auburn area delegation was instrumental in securing access to the legislative process and ultimately for inclusion of this project in the 2010 bond package. Representative Peggy Rotundo and Representative Mike Beaulieu were key players in this process, with strong support from the entire Lewiston-Auburn area delegation.

The project consists of restoring approximately 6,600 linear feet of the former line between the Lewiston-Auburn Railroad at West Hardscrabble Road and the existing siding of the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad near Lewiston Junction Road; the construction of approximately 400 linear feet of new track for a spur line leading from the midpoint of the mainline to an abutting commercial property owned and operated by MB Bark, LLC; and the addition of 1,500 linear feet of double-ended siding ultimately adding capacity and reducing delays on the route caused by heavy usage of the Maine Intermodal Transportation Facility.

“After working on this project for over 10 years, to see the re-establishment of this rail line serves as welcomed news due to the long term strategic transportation benefits for the state of Maine,” said Bob Thompson, executive director of the Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments. “The implementation of this project to open hundreds of acres for rail related development is a major step towards attracting businesses, creating jobs, and facilitating strong economic development opportunities for many years to come.”

As rail cars full of freight are brought into the Port of Auburn, LLC and the Maine Intermodal Transportation Facility, the cars are unloaded during the day and the empty rail cars are removed at night. In addition to providing direct rail access for delivering freight to these two facilities, the main rail line that runs through the facilities is also used to assemble and disassemble trains at various times during the day as needed. As those activities are occurring, approaching trains must wait until the assembly and/or disassembly process is completed before they can proceed through these facilities thereby incurring delays in freight deliveries.

The restoration project will provide an alternate route for waiting trains that will allow them to circumvent the main line while trains are being assembled and/or disassembled.

“The investment into our regional transportation infrastructure represents a key economic priority for our community,” said Gerald Berube, president of the Lewiston and Auburn Railroad Company. “Transportation naturally plays a critical role in business development opportunities as the movement of goods and materials through the Lewiston-Auburn area is weighed against other communities across the United States with similar transportation access. With the addition of this line, we will reduce congestion and regional businesses should see an increase in productivity and efficiency thanks to the decreased delivery time.”

The project is expected to create new growth opportunities as much of the land surrounding the line is zoned for commercial and industrial development. Companies looking for vacant industrial land with rail access will have the ability to locate their facilities in this area and take advantage of rail-to-truck cross-loading opportunities, further enhancing the city of Auburn’s role as a major transportation hub in the state of Maine.

City of Auburn officials anticipate an increased interest in the area by owners of manufacturing operations and warehouse and distribution facilities due to the proximity of the Maine Intermodal Transportation Facility, Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport, Maine Turnpike, and recently permitted Phase II of the Auburn Industrial Park.

“While technology continues to advance at an incredible pace, we often forget how important the railroad system is for our economy,” said Clinton Deschene, manager for the city of Auburn. “We are a recognized transportation hub for the state of Maine and this project will provide an enhanced and reliable transportation infrastructure system, ultimately adding significant value and benefit to our area businesses by strengthening their capability for global competitiveness advantages.”

In addition to the logistical benefits, economic incentives are available for prospective businesses including the Pine Tree Development Zone and proximity to Foreign-Trade Zone #263.

Created by Congress in the 1930s, the Foreign-Trade Zone program facilitates trade and increases the global competitiveness of U.S.-based companies. Designed to level the global playing field, a Foreign-Trade Zone is an area within the United States that the government considers outside U.S. Customs territory. Companies that conduct manufacturing, assembly, fabrication and value-added activities within a FTZ are also eligible for additional benefits including inverted tariff savings, weekly Customs entry savings, duty deferral, duty elimination on waste and scrap, duty elimination on rejected or defective parts, duty elimination on re-exports, and duty elimination on domestic content or value added including labor, overhead and profits.

The Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments began advertising for bid proposals in November of 2012 and local developer, Gendron and Gendron of Lewiston, was awarded the lowest bid contract in February of this year.

“We are excited to officially break ground and begin construction on this project,” said John Gendron, vice president of Gendron and Gendron. “This project will provide opportunities for direct rail access to future industrial and commercial facilities along the restored rail line, similar to the dual rail spur we constructed at our warehouse and distribution facility located at 55 Logistics Drive in Auburn.”

“The St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad strives daily to be the safest, most reliable, and most efficient mode of bulk freight transportation in New England. The Auburn-Lewiston railway corridor has experienced steady freight rail traffic over the years and we continue to look for opportunities to grow and diversify our customer base,” added Blake Jones, general manager for St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad. “The Rangeley Branch project offers us the ability to accomplish both of these objectives without negatively impacting our current customers. As we break ground with our community partners, the entire St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad team looks forward to the completion of this project, with a renewed commitment to making the corridor a more viable and efficient option for business growth.”

Construction of Phase 1 is anticipated to be completed in November 2013.

Project Overview and Purpose:

The purpose of the project is to provide rail service to existing and future industrial facilities in the area.

Project will be performed in close coordination with the various stakeholders and local entities that will ultimately benefit from this project.

Special attention will be given to the existing local infrastructure, including the proposed runway extension at the Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport and the potential relocation of a portion of the Lewiston Junction Road, and future vision for this overall site.

Additional capacity created by reestablishing the track will allow additional daily freight trips without hindering existing or future freight train volumes.

The additional capacity also will improve service reliability and efficiency.

Building new track will open approximately 400 acres of land to rail access, opening opportunities for warehousing and distribution facilities.

The Port of Auburn is an inland port located adjacent to the Auburn-Lewiston Municipal Airport that has U.S. Customs and a Foreign-Trade Zone designation.

The area has been developed with a long range vision to provide both freight and passenger facilities.

Project Highlights:

Restoring approximately 6,600 linear feet of the former Rangeley Branch rail line between the Lewiston-Auburn Railroad at West Hardscrabble Road and the existing siding of the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad near Lewiston Junction Road.

Construction of approximately 400 linear feet of new track for a spur line leading from the midpoint of the mainline to an abutting commercial property owned and operated by MB Bark, LLC.

The addition of 1,500 linear feet of double-ended siding ultimately adding capacity and reducing delays on the route caused by heavy usage of the Maine Intermodal Transportation Facility.

Improve the economy within the Auburn area by creating new economic development opportunities.

Stimulate immediate employment opportunities during construction of the project.

Reintroduce efficient transportation methods by reducing the number of trucks on local roads and highways.