PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • January 22, 2025
CSX Transportation, which operates on 481 miles of track and maintains 269 public grade crossings in Maine, will increase some train speeds to 40 mph. That’s up from 10 to 25 mph, depending on track locations. The speed increase follows a 2023 Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram investigation into recent derailments that found the eight companies running freight through Maine are responsible for maintaining their own tracks, mostly police themselves, and too often fail to report accidents and injuries. The majority of nearly 4 million tons of freight traveling through Maine annually consists of pulp, paper, lumber and other wood products, as well as refined petroleum, minerals, chemicals and food.