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Maine
3 buyers · 12 tenders · checked 2026-10-08
NNEPRA's Downeaster (Wells, Portland station relocation, tie renewal) and MaineDOT's CRISI freight grants; no open rail solicitation on 8 October 2026.
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0Metro systems operating
3Buyers tracked
12Tenders tracked
5Cities tracked
- Live pipeline
- Up to $48.1m Portland Station Relocation (FRA selection, $60m estimated cost); $53.3m CRISI Eastern Maine Railway (MaineDOT, signed January 2026); $37.0m CRISI request Northern Aroostook Rail Gateway (application only); $31.2m Wells Area Improvement Project (in execution); $27.5m FRA Federal-State Partnership crosstie programme (NNEPRA); FTA State of Good Repair grants to NNEPRA $12.1m and $11.5m live, $10.2m and $7.6m ended in 2025; MaineDOT $7.9m railroad bridge capacity award ended 2023
- Technology areas
- Track & civil, Digital operations, Signalling & train control
Key figures
Maine rail network1,072 miles
1 source · primary
- ● Maine State Rail Plan, March 2023 · MaineDOT's state rail plan: 1,072-mile system operated by eight carriers, ownership and operated miles by railroad, Downeaster corridor and host railroads, Amtrak service agreement, Industrial Rail Access Program, annual rail line improvement allocation, 2021 bond Question 2, CP acquisition of Central Maine and Quebec Railway, CSX acquisition of Pan Am Railways, Rockland Branch operator change (published 2023-03-01 · checked 2026-10-08)
Downeaster FY2026 ridersabout 568,000
1 source · primary
- ● NNEPRA Board Packet, 28 September 2026 · Board briefing materials including minutes of 17 August 2026: Wells Area Improvement Project on target for completion in late October or early November 2026, FRA award for Portland Station Relocation, total estimated cost and local match, FY2026 performance; next meeting 26 October 2026 (published 2026-09-28 · checked 2026-10-08)
MaineDOT CRISI award$53,313,091
2 sources · 1 primary
- ● USAspending award 69A36526421610CRSME (FRA CRISI to MaineDOT) · FRA CRISI award titled Driving Maine's Rural Economy Through Freight Rail Efficiency; signed 26 January 2026; federal $53,313,091, non-federal $13,328,273; period 1 January 2026 to 31 August 2029 (published 2026-01-26 · checked 2026-10-08)
- ○ Maine Senator's release: more than $53 million for freight rail upgrades in rural Maine · Congressional release of 25 October 2024: FY2024 CRISI award to MaineDOT for about 140 miles of work on two Eastern Maine Railway mainlines and dormant track to the One North Bio-Industrial Park in Millinocket; Eastern Maine Railway and One North provide the 20 percent match; total project cost above $66.6 million; Secondary because the FRA page is behind a 403 (published 2024-10-25 · checked 2026-10-08)
Portland station grant$48,136,000
3 sources · 2 primary
- ● FRA FY 2024-2026 Federal-State Partnership (National Railroad Partnership Program) Project Selections, 14 August 2026 · FRA project summaries for 41 selections; Maine Portland Station Relocation, up to $48,136,000, NNEPRA, selected for final design, right-of-way acquisition and construction, 20 percent non-federal match; read from the web.archive.org copy because railroads.dot.gov returns 403 to automated clients (published 2026-08-14 · checked 2026-10-08)
- ○ Maine Senators' release: $48 million for new Downeaster train station in Portland · Congressional release of 14 August 2026 as republished by Capitol Releases: $48,136,000 to relocate Portland's Downeaster station to the mainline, selected to advance through final design, right-of-way acquisition and construction, NNEPRA 20 percent non-federal match; Secondary because the FRA's own page is behind a 403 and the release names no FRA programme (published 2026-08-14 · checked 2026-10-08)
- ● NNEPRA Board Packet, 28 September 2026 · Board briefing materials including minutes of 17 August 2026: Wells Area Improvement Project on target for completion in late October or early November 2026, FRA award for Portland Station Relocation, total estimated cost and local match, FY2026 performance; next meeting 26 October 2026 (published 2026-09-28 · checked 2026-10-08)
Industrial Rail Access Programabout $2,000,000
2 sources · all primary
- ● MaineDOT Industrial Rail Access Program · Programme page: approximately $2,000,000 programmed for IRAP available beginning January or February 2027; ten scoring categories; five project categories (published undated · checked 2026-10-08)
- ● Maine State Rail Plan, March 2023 · MaineDOT's state rail plan: 1,072-mile system operated by eight carriers, ownership and operated miles by railroad, Downeaster corridor and host railroads, Amtrak service agreement, Industrial Rail Access Program, annual rail line improvement allocation, 2021 bond Question 2, CP acquisition of Central Maine and Quebec Railway, CSX acquisition of Pan Am Railways, Rockland Branch operator change (published 2023-03-01 · checked 2026-10-08)
Buyers
| Buyer | Type | Tenders | Contracts awarded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority | State SPV | 8 | 0 |
| Maine Department of Transportation | State DOT | 4 | 0 |
| Maine Port Authority | Development authority | 0 | 0 |
Tenders
| Tender | Buyer | Status | Value band | Next key date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wells Station Expansion Invitation to Bid | NNEPRA | Awarded | $5–25m | |
| Downeaster Crosstie Replacement Programme | NNEPRA | In execution | $25–100m | |
| Wells Area Improvement Project | NNEPRA | In execution | $25–100m | |
| Downeaster FTA Formula Grant 2022 | NNEPRA | In execution | $5–25m | |
| Maine Railroad Bridge Capacity Project | MaineDOT | In execution | $5–25m | |
| Downeaster FTA State of Good Repair Grant 2025 | NNEPRA | In execution | $5–25m | |
| Downeaster FTA State of Good Repair Grant 2024 | NNEPRA | In execution | $5–25m | |
| Downeaster FTA State of Good Repair Grant 2023 | NNEPRA | In execution | $5–25m | |
| Central Maine Mainline CRISI Rehabilitation | MaineDOT | In execution | $5–25m | |
| Eastern Maine Railway CRISI Rail Renewal | MaineDOT | Planned | $25–100m | |
| Northern Aroostook Rail Gateway CRISI Application | MaineDOT | Planned | $25–100m | |
| Portland Station Relocation | NNEPRA | Planned | $25–100m |
Cities
| City | Network status | Networks |
|---|---|---|
| Portland | The Downeaster's Portland Transportation Center is on a branch line; an FRA-funded relocation to the mainline off St. John Street is awaiting grant obligation. The Maine Port Authority's marine terminal has Class I rail access. | |
| Brunswick | Northern terminus of the Downeaster, with NNEPRA's indoor Brunswick layover facility (completed 2016); the Rockland Branch to the east is state-owned. | |
| Wells | Wells Area Improvement Project adds siding and a second platform; works are due to finish in late October or early November 2026. | |
| Madawaska | Junction of Maine Northern Railway's Madawaska Subdivision and Eastern Maine Railway's Van Buren Subdivision; subject of MaineDOT's Northern Aroostook CRISI application. | |
| Millinocket | Dormant track to the One North Bio-Industrial Park is to be rehabilitated under MaineDOT's CRISI award for Eastern Maine Railway mainlines. |
Withheld in the free surface
- Capex in this region (3)
- Live pipeline value (3)
- Market narrative
Full detail withheld: 3 fields. In the United States edition · See a fully open example
- State owned lines (2)
- Lewiston auburn (2)
Full detail withheld: 2 fields. In the United States edition · See a fully open example
Sources
- ● MaineDOT Bid Opportunities · Current construction bid list with weekly Wednesday bid openings via Bid Express; no rail-construction solicitation on the list on 8 October 2026 (the Mountain Division item is a shared-use trail) (published undated · checked 2026-10-08)
- ● MaineDOT: Lewiston Auburn Passenger Transportation · MaineDOT plans to pursue improved bus service rather than passenger rail for Lewiston-Auburn, based on the 2018 Transit Propensity Analysis, the 2019 Service Plan and the 2023 Economic Evaluation Study (published undated · checked 2026-10-08)
- ● Maine State Rail Plan, March 2023 · MaineDOT's state rail plan: 1,072-mile system operated by eight carriers, ownership and operated miles by railroad, Downeaster corridor and host railroads, Amtrak service agreement, Industrial Rail Access Program, annual rail line improvement allocation, 2021 bond Question 2, CP acquisition of Central Maine and Quebec Railway, CSX acquisition of Pan Am Railways, Rockland Branch operator change (published 2023-03-01 · checked 2026-10-08)
- ● Maine Port Authority: International Marine Terminal · Terminal page: 21-acre container yard, Class I rail access, transload warehouse, rail packer and trackmobile, 170 refrigerated container plugs (published undated · checked 2026-10-08)
- ● NNEPRA Board Packet, 28 September 2026 · Board briefing materials including minutes of 17 August 2026: Wells Area Improvement Project on target for completion in late October or early November 2026, FRA award for Portland Station Relocation, total estimated cost and local match, FY2026 performance; next meeting 26 October 2026 (published 2026-09-28 · checked 2026-10-08)
- ● NNEPRA Service and Organizational Overview, October 2024 · NNEPRA's own presentation to a MaineDOT advisory committee: board and staff structure, agreements with Amtrak, CSX, MBTA and station communities, host-railroad ownership, funding sources, capital investments to date, Wells Area Improvement Project cost split, Portland Station Relocation and West Falmouth Station pipeline (published 2024-10-09 · checked 2026-10-08)
- ○ Maine Senators' release: $48 million for new Downeaster train station in Portland · Congressional release of 14 August 2026 as republished by Capitol Releases: $48,136,000 to relocate Portland's Downeaster station to the mainline, selected to advance through final design, right-of-way acquisition and construction, NNEPRA 20 percent non-federal match; Secondary because the FRA's own page is behind a 403 and the release names no FRA programme (published 2026-08-14 · checked 2026-10-08)
- ● USAspending award 69A36526421610CRSME (FRA CRISI to MaineDOT) · FRA CRISI award titled Driving Maine's Rural Economy Through Freight Rail Efficiency; signed 26 January 2026; federal $53,313,091, non-federal $13,328,273; period 1 January 2026 to 31 August 2029 (published 2026-01-26 · checked 2026-10-08)
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