PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • November 12, 2021
The headline to the Oct. 21 story “Potential rail use conflicts with Portland-Auburn bike trail plans” may have misled readers. There is no conflict. The state-owned rail line continues, by law, to make rail use the top priority. Another misleading statement is that converting to a recreational trail “would not jeopardize…passenger rail service” because another line “runs nearly parallel.” Both lines are needed for rail. One is the Freight Mainline, owned and operated by PanAm, over which Amtrak could extend service to Lewiston and beyond. The other, the state-owned St. Lawrence and Atlantic, could be routed from Portland and Auburn right into downtown Lewiston, with self-propelled, battery-electric trains providing passenger service between Maine’s most densely populated urban areas. ~ Anthony Donovan, Portland