advertisement

---

Officials from the state of Maine and officials from Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway Ltd. have agreed to mediation conducted by the Surface Transportation Board to discuss the proposed abandonment of rail lines in northern Maine, board officials said in a prepared statement.

The board will suspend any formal action on the matter for three weeks to allow time for mediation.

The railroad has asked the board for permission to abandon 233 miles of rail lines in Aroostook and Penobscot counties but state officials fear the abandonment would hurt northern Maine’s economy and cost jobs.

Earlier this month, the board’s environmental analysis found that abandoning the lines could divert as many as 73,344 truck trips onto Maine’s highways per year, resulting in the consumption of an additional 3.3 million gallons of fuel per year, officials said.