PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 14, 2022
Before railroad companies and unions representing tens of thousands of railroad workers across the U.S. reached a tentative agreement, Maine businesses and transportation officials waited to see how a strike might affect the state. In Maine, six railroads carry freight over 1,100 miles of tracks. The Maine trains haul a wide variety of cargo, including paper, lumber, chemicals, produce, frozen seafood, cars and appliances. Only two of the six railroads are categorized as Class I – CSX Transportation and Canadian Pacific Railway – and neither company’s Maine branch appears to be included in the strike. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said a shutdown of the rail service would “lead to perishable foods spoiling at their points of origin, would halt Amtrak service for approximately 12.2 million daily riders in 46 states, would disrupt materials and goods being delivered to factories and ports, and would inhibit the transport of heating fuel.”