Maine Governor Signs Two Bills For Rails to Trails – But Why Not Both?

Governor Mills signed two bills to remove state-owned inactive railroad tracks along the Kennebec River Rail Trail, the Berlin Subdivision between Portland and Yarmouth, and 31 miles of the Mountain Division rails from Fryeburg to Standish. Why can't we have rails AND trails?

Rails to Trails

The so-called "Rails to Trails" movement has been around for more than a decade, with the goal of pulling up currently unused rails and building trails in their place.

I'm all for trails, but why rip up the rails to build a trail when there could be trains running on those rails? There are better solutions, in my opinion.

Rail and Trail Side-By-Side

Portions of the Mountain Division not only have the currently unused rail in place, but a walking and biking path has been built next to the rails.

Much of the rail on the Mountain Division in Maine is in good shape and would need very little maintenance to get it up and running.

Railroads Have Shown Interest

The Conway Scenic Railroad has shown interest in running passenger excursions and freight trains along the Maine portion of the Mountain Division. It currently runs trains from North Conway to Crawford Notch. Adding a route into Maine on the Mountain Division could take them all the way to Portland if the rail is preserved.

Rail and Trail Makes Sense

I don't see a losing situation here. Both the rail and a trail can co-exist. People can bike, run, and walk on the trail as passenger trains roll by on the nearby rail. Everyone is a winner.

READ MORE: This New Hampshire Restaurant Loves Trains, Even Has Locomotive-Themed Menu

Here are more details from Maine Public on the bills that were signed.