Senators Collins, King Announce More Than $37 Million for Freight Rail Upgrades in Northern Maine

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Susan Collins, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Angus King announced that the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) has been awarded $37,040,000 for the Northern Aroostook Rail Gateway Modernization and Safety Project. This funding will support the rehabilitation of approximately 90 miles of railroad tracks in northern Maine, including in Fort Kent, Madawaska, and Van Buren.

The funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration's (FRA) Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program. In July 2026, Senators Collins and Angus King sent a letter to the FRA in support of MaineDOT's application for this funding, highlighting the importance of the rail corridor to northern Maine's forest products and agricultural industries.

The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) provided an additional $5 billion for the CRISI Program from Fiscal Years 2022 through 2026. Senator Collins was part of the core group of 10 senators who negotiated the IIJA.

"Freight rail is essential to northern Maine's economy, connecting our forest products and agricultural industries to markets across the country and around the world," said Senators Collins and King. "This $37 million investment will help modernize aging rail infrastructure and increase railcar capacity, making it easier and safer for Maine businesses to move their products. By strengthening this critical rail corridor, this funding will support local jobs and help keep Aroostook County's forest products and agricultural industries competitive for years to come."

Specifically, the project will rehabilitate approximately 90 miles of the Maine Northern Railway's Madawaska Subdivision and the Eastern Maine Railway's Van Buren Subdivision. Improvements will include replacing aging rail, crossties, and ballast, as well as rehabilitating a key railroad bridge.

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