Restoring Maine’s Rail Future
A Statewide Vision for Transportation, Economic Development, and Freedom.
Documentary Trailer
Maine is at a crossroads.
Critical rail corridors are being removed - just as demand for rail is rising across the country.
Once rail infrastructure is removed, it is often impossible to restore.
Multiple major, state-owned rail corridors in Maine have already been approved for removal by Maine DOT.
These include routes that could connect:
- Portland → Lewiston / Auburn / Bangor / Waterville
- Brunswick → Augusta
- Portland → Fryeburg
- Pembroke → Calais
The current plan replaces them with paved pedestrian trails.
What’s Happening Right Now
Multiple major, state-owned rail corridors in Maine have already been approved for removal by Maine DOT. The current plan replaces them with paved pedestrian trails.
Once rail infrastructure is removed, it is often impossible to restore.
Why This Matters
- Rail demand is increasing locally and nationally
- Transportation resilience requires multiple options
- These corridors are irreplaceable public assets
Rail is not outdated - it is foundational to the future economy.
A turning Point For Rail
- National rail resurgence is underway
- Freight demand is growing
- Passenger rail interest is expanding
- Private operators are looking at Maine
- Major freight railroads are investing heavily in the region
Lessons Maine Can’t Afford to Repeat
Infrastructure removed is rarely rebuilt—and its value is often underestimated.
The Core Argument
We should not be removing transportation infrastructure at the exact moment its value is increasing.
These rail corridors:
- Represent future capacity
- Are long-term public assets
- Are critical to economic and national security
Rail-With-Trail: The Balanced Solution
Rail and trails can coexist.
- Proven nationwide model
- No need to remove rail infrastructure
- Supports both recreation and transportation
Efficiency and Long-Term Value
Compared to highways:
- Roads require continuous investment cycles-at the cost of $800,000 per lane mile every eight years in Maine
- Rail infrastructure can last 50-100 years. No other transportation mode has that same investment longevity
- Rail moves freight with a dramatically higher fuel efficiency
- One railcar can replace multiple truckloads
Environmental Advantage
- Rail is one of the lowest emission transportation systems available
- Significant reduction in fossil fuel dependence is achievable at scale
- Rail is the only transportation mode that can absorb it’s own induced demand-for increased demand, add more rail cars without any expansion of infrastructure
Safety
- Highway travel results in tens of thousands of fatalities annually in the U.S.
- Rail travel has significantly lower incident rates per passenger mile
- Rail improves both safety and system efficiency
Misconceptions That Must Be Addressed
Many assume unused rail corridors are “beyond repair”. In reality, many remain structurally viable
Restoration is often far more feasible than commonly believed.
Key Maine Rail Corridors with Potential
- Mountain Division Line- Portland to Standish to Fryeburg
- Lower Road- Brunswick to Augusta
- Berlin Subdivision- Portland to Auburn
- St Lawrence and Atlantic greater corridor- Portland to Bethel to Montreal
- Rockland Branch- Brunswick to Rockland
These corridors have repeatedly been identified as having restoration potential
The Real Policy Question
This is not about:
- Rail versus Trail
- old infrastructure versus new recreation
- preservation versus progress
It is about: Whether Maine preserves it’s future transportation options-or permanently removes them
The Path Forward
- Reevaluate planned corridor removals in light of future demand
- Prioritize preservation of existing rail assets
- Conduct a full statewide rail infrastructure analysis and how it connects to the national rail system
- Expand rail-with trail where appropriate
- Pursue public-private partnerships for restoration and operations
Final Principal
Maine should not be dismantling critical infrastructure at the exact moment
- Rail demand is rising
- Energy and climate pressures are increasing
- New economic systems are emerging
Once rail use corridors are removed, they are gone forever!
Reggie Groff, Director, DP, has been creating film and video content for more than thirty years. His ability to elicit meaningful, poignant stories from interview subjects has resulted not only in attention-grabbing and entertaining and successful projects, but also in longstanding client relationships. Reggie has produced and directed hundreds of commercial and corporate productions in addition to programs for television networks and numerous TV pilots.
Passionate about storytelling in all its forms, Reggie spends his much of his own time developing new documentaries, TV shows, product ideas, as well as spending time with his daughter and extended family.