PARTIES IN MAINE RAIL ABANDONMENT AGREE TO MEDIATION; PUBLIC HEARING IN PRESQUE ISLE POSTPONED

[STBNews@xxxxxxxxxxx]

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>From the Surface Transportation Board, Washington, D.C.
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The Federal Surface Transportation Board agreed to postpone action on the
proposed abandonment of rail lines in Northern Maine in order to give the
parties time to arrive at a mediated solution.

               The state of Maine and the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic
               Railway Ltd. have agreed to confidential mediation conducted
               by the Board. The Board will suspend any formal action on
               the matter for three weeks and will postpone a public
               hearing scheduled for May 10 in Presque Isle, Maine. The
               hearing is postponed until further notice of the Board.

               "We are pleased that the parties in the case have decided to
               take advantage of the Board's mediation services,'' said STB
               Chairman Daniel R. Elliott III. "Agreements resulting from
               folks sitting down and negotiating are almost always better
               than decisions imposed from Washington."

               The railroad has asked the Board for permission to abandon
               233 miles of rail line in Aroostook and Penobscot counties.
               Maine officials fear the abandonment would hurt the economy
               of Northern Maine and cost jobs.

               Earlier this month, the Board's Section of Environmental
               Analysis released a draft environmental assessment that
               found that the abandonment of the lines could divert onto
               Maine's highways as many as an additional 73,344 truck trips
               per year, consuming an additional 3.3 million gallons of
               fuel per year.

               (  ) n the case, [<a
               href="http://www.stb.dot.gov/decisions/readingroom.nsf/WebDecisionID/40766?OpenDocument";>Montreal,
 Maine & Atlantic Railway, Ltd – Discontinuance of Service and Abandonment
               – In Aroostook and Penobscot Counties, Maine, STB Docket No.
               AB-1043 (Sub No. 1)</a>], can be found on the Board's
               website at www.stb.dot.gov.

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