Back in 1930 the first railroad tracks were laid in Brunswick, at what is now Maine Street Station. Historians say the project helped boost the local economy out of the Great Depression. Eighty years later, new tracks are being laid, upgrading the old railroad lines from Brunswick to Freeport, which officials hope will boost the local economy out of the Great Recession. Once the upgrade is finished in 2012, the Amtrak Downeaster will add two daily round trips from Boston on up to Brunswick, with stops in Portland and Freeport.

To celebrate, hundreds of local residents and officials gathered on August 1, 2010, at the Maine Street Station in Brunswick. The excitement and magic that trains inspire was palpable.

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Governor John E. Baldacci today announced the members of the Aroostook Rail Advisory Task Force, which he established by Executive Order on April 13.

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WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) announced that the State of Maine and the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway have agreed to confidential mediation conducted by the STB. As part of the terms of the mediation, all official proceedings in the abandonment case, including the field hearing that had been scheduled for May 10 in Presque Isle, will be postponed.

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(Gov. John Baldacci, middle, and Sen. Susan Collins discuss the future of the MMA Railway with a stakeholder. A bond proposal that voters will decide on this June could save jobs connected to the railroad line.)

The Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway line is, for many businesses and workers, their lifeline. A meeting in Bangor, chaired by Gov. John Baldacci, gave Joseph C. Szabo, administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration an inside view into the probable impact on Maine, if the abandonment of 233 miles of railroad lines occurs.

“The abandonment is unacceptable,” said Gov. Baldacci. “It would cut Aroostook County off from the rest of the state. It would jeopardize thousands of jobs at paper companies across the state that rely on the wood supplied by the County and delivered on this line.”

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Maine will receive $14 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to revitalize Maine ports.

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Maine received a $35 million grant to extend passenger rail service from Portland north to Freeport and Brunswick.

“The Downeaster is one of Amtrak’s most successful lines and is a national model for the successful introduction of new intercity passenger rail service,” said Governor John Baldacci.

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Anyone driving in Maine can see, and feel, the impact where the rubber meets the road. Communities across the state are in desperate need of roadwork. Governor John Baldacci would like the people of Maine to invest $28 million for highway projects, which is projected to support 750 construction jobs. The money would pay for about 14 miles of highway reconstruction and 31 miles of paving across the state.

It’s part of a proposed bond package that includes a total of $62 million for highway, port and rail projects, and $17 million for environmental and energy needs.

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Congressman Mike Michaud sent a letter with Congressman James Oberstar, Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, to the Surface Transportation Board (STB) requesting a public hearing in the State of Maine on the application of the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway for authority to discontinue rail service and abandon rail lines.

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Governor John E. Baldacci held a ceremonial signing of LD 1736, “An Act To Improve Safety on Maine’s Primary and Secondary Roads, Reduce Road Maintenance Costs and Improve the Environment and the Economy by Allowing Certain Heavy Commercial Vehicles on the Interstate Highway System in Maine.”

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U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today announced a $100,000 grant to Augusta, ME, one of 19 grants totaling $6.4 million awarded this year to assist small communities around the United States improve their air service.

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