Advocates of a walking and biking trail that could someday link Fryeburg to Portland are trying to delay the reconstruction of the Mountain Division Rail Line, which is due to start this month.

Although the contract for the $4 million job has been signed and rails have been delivered, trail committees and snowmobilers are asking state transportation officials to put the project on hold.

The issue pits rail proponents against the trail’s advocates and threatens to fracture a long-term effort by both groups to create alternatives to highway transportation between the coast and western Maine.

Trail supporters have dubbed the project the “railroad to nowhere,” while rail proponents say the controversy threatens a major economic spur for the region.

The conflict centers on five miles of the Mountain Division Rail Line between Bridge Street in Westbrook and Route 202 in South Windham. The state bought that section in 2007 from Pan Am Railways, which sold the rails and ties as salvage.

The state had bought other parts of the Mountain Division line in the 1990s, with the goal of creating a recreational trail next to the railway. In recent years, hikers and snowmobilers have been allowed to use the five miles of empty rail bed.

Advertisement

That section is part of a proposed 52-mile trail from Fryeburg to Portland. About six miles of paved trail have been completed next to the track from South Windham to Standish. The state has funded a 1.25-mile section of paved trail along the track in Fryeburg, and it’s due to be built this summer.

In June, Maine voters approved a $47.8 million transportation bond that includes $4 million to restore the track along the Mountain Division line, to reopen the line to freight service. The state said recently that the trail will be closed to recreational use once construction starts March 22.

That announcement drew protests from recreational users, including snowmobilers who use the rail line as a highway to Fryeburg. “It is foolishness,” said Dan McCarthy, president of the Westbrook Trailblazers snowmobile club.

Trail advocates say it makes no sense to rebuild the railway now. Even after the five-mile reconstruction, the state will have to find another $21 million or so to make improvements above South Windham.

State Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham, who supported making the Mountain Division Railway part of June’s bond package, said he hopes to win support to put a bond issue before voters this year to complete the improvements.

But trail advocates say that could take years, given the state’s fiscal crisis and the anti-spending mood in the Republican-led State House.

Advertisement

Trail users are merely asking the state to put the construction on hold to allow time to make the trail part of the project, said Dave Kinsman, president of the Mountain Division Alliance, which formed in 1994 to promote the recreational trail and keep the railway open.

If the track is rebuilt without engineering and planning for the trail, it may no longer be possible to fit both. “We don’t see what the big rush is,” said Kinsman.

Meanwhile, Windham and Westbrook are awaiting word on their application for $3.4 million in state money to engineer and build a recreational trail along the railway.

Some rail supporters scoff at the economic impact of the trail compared with the potential economic benefits of freight service. Western Maine communities are pushing for the restoration of freight service to Portland to spark development in their region.

“It really is an issue of the common good,” said Larry Seidl, owner of L.E. Seidl Trucking in Baldwin and president of the Baldwin Business Association.

The railway would spark economic development, save taxpayers money by reducing wear and tear on roads, and help alleviate traffic congestion, advocates say. They say that all of the money for the Mountain Division rail-trail has gone to the trail, and now it’s time to shift focus to the rail portion of the project.

Advertisement

Lou Stack, a Standish town councilor, said traffic studies show that the restoration of rail would reduce truck trips in the region by 25,000 a year, plus another 19,000 truck trips that are expected from a planned wood pellet plant in Baldwin.

The rail-trail may have been a good idea when the railway fell into disuse 20 years ago, but in reality it doesn’t work, said Tony Donovan, president of the Maine Rail Transit Coalition.

He said the completed six-mile section from Standish to Windham will be unpleasant for users once the trains return. “Picture pushing a baby carriage with a freight train running 5 or 10 feet away,” he said.

Rail proponents say there are alternative locations for a recreational trail, but only one place for the railway.

The Sebago to the Sea Trail Coalition, a group of 19 land trusts, trail committees and municipalities including the Mountain Division Trail Alliance, is not giving up its effort to stall the rail restoration until the engineering for the trail is complete.

The coalition is exploring interim options, said Tania Neuschafer, project coordinator for the Sebago to the Sea Trail. They include continuing the trail along routes 237 and 25 or by boat on the Presumpscot River.

Advertisement

“They are not great options,” Neuschafer said.

Transportation Commissioner David Bernhardt, who was unavailable for comment, met with trail advocates last week and is due to meet with rail proponents next week. The project, originally scheduled to start in January, has been delayed to allow snowmobilers to finish the season, said Mark Latti, spokesman for the Department of Transportation.

“But at this point, any other delays would end up costing us more money, because we would be breaking the contract,” he said.

Staff Writer Beth Quimby can be contacted at 791-6363 or at:

bquimby@pressherald.com

 


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.