PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • October 10, 2024
The Maine Department of Transportation is seeking a new operator to restore freight service to the Rockland Branch rail line – and possibly fulfill a yearslong effort to extend Amtrak Downeaster passenger service from Brunswick to Rockland. The freight line has been without an operator since Midcoast Railservice announced in June that it would terminate its lease on the 57-mile, state-owned railroad after its primary customer, Dragon Cement in Thomaston, ceased production.