Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway

Last updated
Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway
Logo of the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway.png
Overview
Headquarters Hermon, Maine
Reporting mark MMA
Locale Maine, Vermont, and Quebec
Dates of operationOctober 2002 (2002-10)–March 2014 (2014-03)
Predecessor Iron Road Railways
Successor Central Maine & Quebec Railway
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length510 miles (820 km)

The Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway( reporting mark MMA) was a Class II [1] freight railroad that operated in the U.S. states of Maine and Vermont and the Canadian province of Quebec between 2002 and 2014. It was headquartered in Hermon, Maine.

Contents

Its Canadian subsidiary was named the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Canada Company with offices in Farnham, Quebec. With the exception of an independently owned low-speed tourist train (the Orford Express) on one small segment between Magog and Sherbrooke, there was no passenger service on the MMA system. [2]

MMA and its Canadian subsidiary entered Chapter 11/CCAA bankruptcy protection in August 2013 as a direct result of the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster, a runaway train incident in July 2013 which resulted in an estimated $200 million in damage and the deaths of 47 people. [3] [4] [5]

MMA's assets were sold at auction to Railroad Acquisition Holdings, LLC, a subsidiary of Fortress Investment Group, LLC on January 21, 2014. [6] Fifteen locomotives worth $1.6 million were excluded from the deal and will be sold separately. [7] The sale was approved by bankruptcy judges on January 23, with the transfer of assets expected to occur on or before March 31, 2014.[ needs update ] [8] Railroad Acquisition Holdings, LLC has established a new railroad named Central Maine and Quebec Railway ( reporting mark CMQ) [9] to operate the former MMA rail lines. The CM&Q was acquired by Canadian Pacific Railway in June 2020.

History

2003 Assets acquired

MMA was formed in October 2002. The railway was 72.8% owned by Rail World ($54.7 million) and 12.8% by Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec ($7 million) with the remaining minority stakes held by fifteen other private investors. [10]

MMA purchased the assets arising out of the 2002 bankruptcy of the holding company Iron Road Railways. Iron Road Railways owned the following subsidiaries at the time of its bankruptcy:

Closing of the sale by the trustee for Iron Road Railways took place in January 2003 and MMA began operations over 745 mi (1,199 km) of track. An average of 25 trains were operating each day and the company employed roughly 350 people at that time. [12] MMA's logo design was based on that of Bangor and Aroostook Railroad.

2003-2010 Cost-cutting

The MMA's livery, one of the rarest liveries for a railroad. Only 2 locomotives were painted into this livery. MMA8569.png
The MMA's livery, one of the rarest liveries for a railroad. Only 2 locomotives were painted into this livery.

Almost immediately after MMA began operations, two of the railway's largest customers, a pair of Great Northern Paper mills in Millinocket and East Millinocket, declared bankruptcy and shut down. [13] [14]

MMA responded by reducing its workforce to 275 employees and cut salaries by 40 percent. The decline of the pulp and paper industry as well as the lumber industry, which originally represented 60% of the railway's traffic base, had rendered a company worth $60 million in 2003 effectively worthless. Accountants from the la Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec wrote that company's investment in MMA down to a nominal $1000 from 2008 onward. [10] MMA laid off additional workers in 2006 and in 2008 as the company struggled to become profitable.

In the spring of 2010, MMA cut train crews from two workers to one, installing remote control and cutting the total workforce to 175 people (down from twice that number in 2006). These steps were estimated to save $4.5 million annually in wages. Later that year, it sold the northern 233 miles (375 km) of the former BAR line to the state; this track was in very poor condition but its sale brought $20 million, $7 million of which was used to repay a 2003 loan from la Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, an MMA stockholder. [10] MMA was the only Maine railway to use a single-person crew and a remote-control device instead of the more common two-person crews. [15]

Largely due to the lack of money for track maintenance and equipment, adverse winter weather conditions, and possibly the practice of running with single person crews, from 2003 to 2013 MMA recorded an accident rate of 36.1 accidents per million miles travelled, versus a national average of 14.6/million miles traveled for all of North America, according to data from the Federal Railroad Administration. [16]

Freight volumes continued to drop as manufacturers, needing to meet customer demands for smaller quantity just in time delivery in order to reduce inventories, began to prefer trucking firms as faster and more reliable than MMA. [17]

2008 Eastern Townships passenger proposal

A 2008 proposal to return passenger train service to the Eastern Townships on the 150 kilometres (93 mi) route between Montréal and Sherbrooke was studied but never implemented. The MMA-owned section of the line from St-Jean-sur-Richelieu to Sherbrooke would have required costly upgrades to tracks and bridges in order handle Via Rail passenger trains operating at 110 kilometres per hour (68 mph). [18]

2011 Twin Rivers Paper dispute

In 2011, the Twin Rivers Paper Company of Madawaska, Maine, the largest customer on the former BAR line, intervened in a United States District Court lawsuit which sought to allow the company to deal directly with Canadian National Railway ( reporting mark CN) after years of problems with what it described as "MMA's exorbitant pricing structure, ineffective service, and annoying executives." MMA was charging more to haul rail cars 24 miles (39 km) from Madawaska, ME to the interchange point with CN at St. Leonard, NB than CN demanded to carry this freight onward to Montreal, Quebec. [19] MMA's service and business practices had been subject to ongoing complaints from Fraser Papers Inc. and its successor Twin Rivers Paper Co. about missed pickup and delivery deadlines as well as poor track maintenance. [20]

Upon failing to break free from MMA's local monopoly through legal action, [21] Twin Rivers Paper Co. resorted to transshipment of its entire output across the Canada–United States border to Edmundston, New Brunswick by truck for placement directly on CN trains. [22]

2010 Northern Maine abandonment

In early February, 2010, the MMA filed a notice of intent with the Surface Transportation Board that it intended to abandon 233 miles (375 km) of track in northern Maine, between Madawaska and Millinocket, part of the original Bangor & Aroostook Railroad's main line bought by MMA in 2003. [10] Many portions of this track were in such poor condition that freight could only safely run at 10 miles per hour (16 km/h). [22]

Affected lines were located in Penobscot County and Aroostook County, Maine, and included track serving Houlton, Presque Isle, Caribou and Fort Kent. MMA lines between Millinocket and Montreal, Brownville and Searsport, and Madawaska to Van Buren were not included in this application.[ citation needed ]

According to MMA, losses from operating the lines had reached the point where they were threatening the financial health of the entire railroad. [23] The STB subsequently postponed action on the request in late April, after the railroad and Maine officials agreed to negotiate to prevent the lines from being abandoned, which the state said could negatively affect the economy of the area. State legislators proposed that the state buy the lines and contract out freight rail service, similar to lines in Vermont. [24]

On October 20, 2010, the railroad reached an agreement to sell 233 miles (375 km) of track in the northern part of Maine to the state government for $20.1 million; [25] The Surface Transportation Board approved MM&A's abandonment of the tracks on December 28, 2010, allowing the state to purchase them. [26] Maine awarded a state contract to operate the line [27] to J.D. Irving Limited subsidiary Irving Transportation Services on April 5, 2011 [28] and completed $10.5 million worth of federally subsidised repairs to the long-neglected line in 2011-2012, including replacement of 50,000 ties and portions of the stone rail bed. [29]

Irving Transportation Services, which owns and operates New Brunswick Railway Company (and subsidiaries New Brunswick Southern Railway / Eastern Maine Railway) established a new subsidiary Maine Northern Railway in June 2011 to operate the line, hiring an additional thirty workers and acquiring additional locomotives and rolling stock. [30] In December 2011, the MMA agreed to sell the remaining 25 miles (40 km) of track between Madawaska, Maine and Van Buren, Maine, MMA's last track in northern Maine, to Irving outright. [31]

The red ink continued to flow; in 2011, MMA was losing four to five million dollars a year. [10] An attempt to sell the entire MM&A operation in 2011 failed as US government loans provided to the railway were not transferable to a subsequent buyer.

2012 Sainte-Rosalie abandonment

MMA suspended freight service on July 16, 2012 over the Ste Rosalie Subdivision without prior notice to its customers. This 38 kilometres (24 mi) rail line connecting the MMA main line at Farnham, Quebec north to Sainte-Rosalie in the Montérégie region of Québec was inspected in May 2012 by Transport Canada and was deemed to be non-compliant with recently updated "Rules Respecting Track Safety" [32] implemented by Transport Canada. The non-compliance was due to ongoing cost-cutting by MMA which resulted in deferred maintenance to the track between 2002 and 2012. MMA claimed the new "Rules Respecting Track Safety" was a force majeure and sufficient reason to terminate train operations [33] without first complying with Section 140 of the Canada Transportation Act [34] detailing requirements for "Transferring and Discontinuing the Operation of Railway Lines". The CTA legislation states that railway companies must give one year advance notice. [35]

Two local clients affected by MMA's suspension of service, F. Ménard Inc. and Meunerie Côté-Paquet, have since initiated lawsuits against the railway.

In 2013 MMA attempted to abandon the right of way and sell it to local municipalities. Because of the poor condition of the tracks on this section, if the sale were successful, the rails would likely be removed and the property converted to a rail trail. [36]

2012 Oil shipments

The MMA had been constantly struggling financially since it was formed in 2002 due to economic problems facing its primary customers in the forestry industry. The forestry industry in Maine and Quebec fared poorly in the Great Recession of 2008-2010 and in 2010, MMA cut its workforce dramatically and sold hundreds of miles of track in northern Maine to control operating costs and manage its debt. The company's fortunes began to change in 2012 when MMA embraced oil-by-rail as a path to profitability. Transporting oil allowed it to re-hire laid-off workers and purchase additional locomotives (rebuilt General Electric C 39-8s originally constructed in 1986). The oil being transported over MMA was destined for Saint John, New Brunswick's Irving Oil Refinery. [37] By early 2013, environmental groups and Maine state officials were expressing concern about the increasing amounts of crude oil on both the MMA and its rival Pan Am Railways in the wake of a string of minor derailments on both railroads. According to Maine Department of Environmental Protection director Scott Whittier, "The transportation of crude oil across rail lines is a concern because many times, rail lines are very close to sensitive water bodies, so it does present a potential threat that we need to prepare for." [38]

In a March 2013 Associated Press interview, MMA chief executive Robert Grindrod dismissed these concerns, stating "The statistics tell you how much has been transported, but to the best of my knowledge, there hasn't been any spilled or released,". [39]

2013 Frontenac fuel spill

On June 11, 2013 an MMA locomotive spilled 13,000 litres (2,900 imp gal; 3,400 US gal) of diesel oil from its fuel tank at Frontenac (approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) east of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec) after the tank was perforated while using a switch. [40] [41]

2013 Lac-Mégantic disaster

On July 6, 2013, train MMA 2, which was made up of C30-7 5017, a VB Remote Control Caboose, C30-7 5026, CITX SD40-2 3053, C30-7 5023, CEFX SD40-2 3166, a boxcar being used as a buffer car and 72 DOT-111 cars carrying crude petroleum products derailed in the centre of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec. The runaway train, without anyone at the controls after a stop at Nantes for a crew change, derailed at approximately 1:20 AM, and four of its cars exploded. The city's downtown core suffered catastrophic damage, with many businesses and residential properties completely destroyed. Many of the residents lost their homes or jobs; 47 people are presumed dead in the deadliest Canadian rail disaster since the St-Hilaire train disaster in 1864. [42] [43] [44] The locomotives separated from the cars before they could derail.

Rail World president and CEO Edward Burkhardt first visited Lac-Mégantic after the accident on 10 July 2013, and was heckled by residents. After the accident the railway's safety record was called into question. The train had been left unattended and improperly secured overnight on the mainline, with one locomotive running, on a -0.92% grade leading 18 kilometres (11 mi) from Nantes, Quebec downhill to a 10 miles per hour (16 km/h) curve where the line entered downtown Lac-Mégantic. By then the track had fallen 360 ft over 7.2 miles. The railway air brakes appear to have released after a local fire brigade shut down the locomotive to extinguish a fire in the engine, [45] allowing the oil-laden cars to roll downhill into the town as an insufficient number of hand brakes had been applied to hold the train. [46]

Burkhardt refused to publicly disclose the amount of liability insurance [47] but acknowledged in mid-July "Whether we can survive is a complex question. We're trying to analyze that right now." [48] Questions were also raised about the condition of the line; on July 11 a Magog newspaper reported one in ten railroad ties to be rotten with many spikes loose enough to be removed by hand. [49]

Following the accident, the MMA ceased operations on its lines between Lac-Mégantic and Jackman, Maine, [50] effectively severing rail transport on its lines between Maine and Quebec, though rail traffic continued outside the affected area. In Quebec, MMA had continued operation from Farnham with a skeleton staff after the derailment, having laid off 24 Canadian employees [51] and 64 workers in Maine in July 2013 as the line remained blocked by wreckage at Lac-Mégantic. MMA aggregate gross revenue dropped by two thirds, leaving $1 million/month in revenue on the broken line. [52] According to CEO Burkhardt, "This may cost us our company. This may cost us our investment, cost the employees their jobs, the customers in Quebec, in Maine their rail service." [53]

On July 30, 2013, the Maine Department of Transportation established contingency plans for MMA's rail clients, [54] [55] contacting every Maine freight railroad to find an operator to carry local factory freight should MMA completely cease operation. [56] These plans were developed due in part to US federal law, which requires that a trustee step in to keep a bankrupt rail line operating until a buyer is found, due to the railway's status as a monopoly in many communities. [50]

On August 6, 2013, Burkhardt stated that MMA has no further plans to carry oil by rail. [57]

2013 Financial difficulties and bankruptcy

Following the tragedy, parent company Rail World faced hundreds of millions of dollars in lawsuits and environmental cleanup costs due to the destruction of downtown Lac-Mégantic. [58] It is unclear how much of the disaster's cost was paid by liability insurance; laid-off MMA workers reported problems obtaining the severance pay owed them [59] and cheques to suppliers were rejected due to non-sufficient funds. [60]

On August 7, 2013, the company filed for bankruptcy protection in both the Quebec Superior Court in Montreal (under the Companies Creditors Arrangement Act) [47] and the United States Bankruptcy Court in Bangor, Maine [61] (under Chapter 11). [62] [63] According to Burkhardt, the financial obligations of both US and Canadian subsidiaries "now exceed the value of their assets, including prospective insurance recoveries, as a direct result of the tragic derailment at Lac-Megantic. A process under Chapter 11 and the CCAA is the best way to ensure fairness of treatment to all in these tragic circumstances." [64]

MMA had $50–100 million in US assets and less than $18 million in Canadian assets, including the track itself. [65] It owed $27.5 million on a 2005 Federal Railroad Administration loan, $6 million on a 2009 line of credit issued by the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway and $3.5 million to various other creditors and tax authorities. [66] J.D. Irving, as owner of NBM Railways, is one of MMA Canada's largest unsecured creditors at $2.35 million. [67] The total cost of the Lac-Mégantic derailment exceeded $200 million; MMA had $25 million in liability insurance [47] and $274,000 in its bank accounts at the time of bankruptcy filing. [68] Eighty-five MM&A employees remained on duty after the bankruptcy filing to provide service to all stations on the line except Lac-Mégantic, where all tracks remained blocked since the July 6 derailment and fire. [69] Fifteen of those workers were laid off on August 20. [70]

On August 13, 2013, the Canadian Transportation Agency announced it planned to revoke the MMA's certificate of fitness effective August 20, 2013, citing inadequate liability insurance; this effectively would have banned the MM&A from operating in Canada. [71] The August 20 date was later extended until February 1 [72] and subsequently to April 1. [73] Since the insurance policy's franchise provided no coverage for liability claims under a quarter-million dollars, the Québec Superior Court would set aside this sum in MMA's bankruptcy as available to victims of a future disaster involving MMA. [74]

On September 12, Transport Canada shut down part of the MMA line [75] after an inspection of six track segments found substandard rail conditions which included a concentration of defective ties on a section near a propane storage facility. [76] A failed October 11 inspection led Transport Canada to embargo the entire line between Lennoxville and Lac-Mégantic. [77] Orford Express, a special tourist train which used MM&A lines between Magog and Sherbrooke, carried $50–100 million in liability insurance independently of MMA and planned to continue its regular service. [78] A planned special train to carry 5000 visitors from Sherbrooke to Lac-Mégantic between Thanksgiving and Halloween 2013, [2] however, was scrapped as the embargo between Lennoxville and Lac-Mégantic forced Orford Express passengers to travel to Lennoxville and Lac-Mégantic via bus from Sherbrooke.

On December 18, 2013, the rail line from Sherbrooke was reopened through Lac-Mégantic with numerous restrictions, such as a prohibition on transport of dangerous cargo; a train's manifest being released no less than four hours ahead; no parking on tracks within 4 km (2 mi) of the town centre; a conductor and engineer must both be on board; and a train's speed must not exceed 16 km/h (10 mph). The first test train carrying particle board from the local Tafisa factory to Sherbrooke rolled through the town centre. There were plans to reroute the tracks outside the town by changing the track's route between Nantes and Frontenac; however, no time table was ever set. [79]

2014 sale

MMA's assets were sold at auction to Railroad Acquisition Holdings, LLC, a subsidiary of the Fortress Investment Group, LLC, in January 2014 in an attempt to keep the line open as a going concern. [3] [67] [80] That group's initial bid for US$14.25 million, placed in December 2013, [4] was the only to offer to buy the entire MMA system. The terms of the sale were announced in mid-February 2014 when the new railroad named Central Maine and Quebec Railway ( reporting mark CMQ) was registered in the United States and Canada. The sale was finalized in March 2014.

A joint bid from J.D. Irving Inc.'s Eastern Maine Railway and Pan-Am's Springfield Terminal Railway offered $8 million for just the Maine portions of the line; the Washington County Railroad offered $750,000 for just the line to Newport. [81]

A few hours after court approval of the sale, Great Northern Paper announced a 16-week closure of its mill in East Millinocket. [82] On January 30, trustees filed a US lawsuit on behalf of the bankrupt railway, alleging that World Fuel Services was negligent in failing to properly label the train's dangerous cargo and that, had its true volatility and inflammability been honestly disclosed on shipping documents, MMA procedures would have prevented it being left unattended on a main rail line. [83]

On May 12, 2014 the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway was charged with 47 counts of criminal negligence; engineer Thomas Harding, manager of train operations Jean DeMaître and rail traffic controller Richard Labrie were arrested and will appear in Lac-Mégantic's court. [84] [85]

Before the derailment, MMA employed 179. [86]

Interchange points

See also

Notes and references

  1. ↑ "America's regional railroads". Trains Magazine. Kalmbach Publishing: 38–39. October 2010.
  2. 1 2 Jean-François Gagnon (2013-07-24). "Une faillite de MMA n'aurait qu'un faible impact sur l'Orford express". La Tribune (Sherbrooke). Archived from the original on 2014-02-23. Retrieved 2013-08-15.
  3. 1 2 "Lac-Mégantic railway MM&A could be sold by December". CBC Montréal. 2013-10-07. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
  4. 1 2 "Fortress Affiliate Believed to Bid on MM&A Railway". The Wall Street Journal. 2013-12-13. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
  5. ↑ Richardson, Whit (2013-12-13). "Wall Street investment firm emerges as potential buyer of Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 2013-12-29.
  6. ↑ "Lac-Mégantic disaster's MM&A sold to Florida Great Lakes Partners". CBC Montréal. 2014-01-21. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
  7. ↑ "La vente de la MMA approuvée par les tribunaux". Radio-Canada Sherbrooke. 2014-01-23. Retrieved 2014-01-23.
  8. ↑ "Judges approve sale of bankrupt Maine railroad". Portland Press Herald. Retrieved 2014-01-24.
  9. ↑ "FindUs.Rail | Search MARKs". Railinc. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2014.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Francis Vailles (2013-07-12). "L'entreprise n'ira pas en prison" (in French). La Presse (Montréal). Retrieved 2013-08-11.
  11. ↑ "Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway". Railroads of Northern New England. Archived from the original on 15 June 2010. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  12. ↑ "Profile". Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway. Archived from the original on 26 July 2010. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  13. ↑ Sambides, Nick (2013-07-17). "One-man train crews are unsafe, says union negotiating with Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 2013-08-13.
  14. ↑ Sambides, Nick (2013-07-09). "Ten years of highs and lows for Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 2013-08-13.
  15. ↑ Sambides, Nick (2013-08-09). "Owner of MMA railway says 'Maine is not a growth state'". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 2013-08-13.
  16. ↑ BBC News: Lac-Megantic disaster: Engineer blamed for Canada blast, 10 July 2013
  17. ↑ Cousins, Christopher (2011-03-20). "Rail companies' struggle for solvency hangs on manufacturing". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
  18. ↑ "Railways studying train to Sherbrooke". Montréal Gazette. 2008-02-27. Retrieved 2013-08-15.
  19. ↑ John A. Woodcock, Jr.; chief US District judge (2011-04-04). "Canadian National vs. MMA (1:10-cv-00452-JAW)" (PDF). United States District Court, Maine. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-03. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
  20. ↑ "Canadian firm seeks legal right to handle freight at Madawaska mill". LogisticsWeek. Nov 2010. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
  21. ↑ Sambides, Nick (2011-04-03). "Federal judge finds in favor of Milo railroad in paper company dispute". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
  22. 1 2 Sambides, Nick (2011-04-07). "Aroostook manufacturers gave new railroad operator high marks, state says". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
  23. ↑ "Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway files abandonment notice for track in Maine". Vermont Business Magazine. 5 February 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
  24. ↑ "Maine abandonment suspended as state, railroad mediate". Trains Magazine. 27 April 2010. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
  25. ↑ "Maine reaches deal to buy imperiled rail lines". Trains Magazine. 20 October 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  26. ↑ "STB decision green lights Maine's plan to purchase Montreal, Maine & Atlantic lines". Progressive Railroading. 28 December 2010. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  27. ↑ "Maine DOT seeks short line to operate former MMA lines". Progressive Railroading. 17 December 2010. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
  28. ↑ "New Brunswick Southern to operate ex-Montreal, Maine & Atlantic routes". Trains Magazine. 5 April 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
  29. ↑ Sambides, Nick (2011-08-19). "$10.5M repair of 233 miles of state rail tracks set to start". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 2013-08-11.
  30. ↑ "New Brunswick Southern expansion planned for July 1". Trains Magazine. 6 April 2011. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
  31. ↑ "Montreal, Maine & Atlantic plans sale of isolated route". Trains Magazine. 7 December 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
  32. ↑ "Rules Respecting Track Safety". Transport Canada. 2012. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
  33. ↑ "L'Office des transports donne raison à deux plaignants contre la MMA" (in French). Radio-Canada. 2013-07-17. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
  34. ↑ "Canada Transportation Act". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 2013-07-25. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
  35. ↑ "Guidelines Respecting Net Salvage Value Determination Applications". Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA). 2012-10-30. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
  36. ↑ "Un tronçon de voie ferrée de la compagnie MMA à vendre à Farnham" (in French). Radio-Canada. 2013-07-13. Retrieved 2013-07-17.
  37. ↑ Sambides, Nick (2012-07-22). "Like the little engine that could, Hermon freight railway climbs back into profitability". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
  38. ↑ "As trains start to carry crude oil across Maine, environmentalists start to worry". Bangor Daily News. 2012-06-10. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
  39. ↑ Clarke Canfield (2013-03-25). "Trains carry millions of gallons of oil across ME". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
  40. ↑ "Déversement de diesel près de Lac-Mégantic" (in French). Radio-Canada.ca. 2013-06-11. Retrieved 2013-07-11.
  41. ↑ "Déversement de 13 000 litres de diesel à Frontenac, près de Lac-Mégantic". La Presse (in French). 2013-06-11. Retrieved 2013-07-11.
  42. ↑ "Canada train derailment: Death toll at 50; Lac-Megantic residents jeer rail CEO". Associated Press. July 11, 2013. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  43. ↑ "Lac Mégantic: au coeur de la tragédie" (in French). La Presse (Montréal). 2013-07-07. Archived from the original on 2015-06-10. Retrieved 2013-07-07.
  44. ↑ Martin Croteau (2013-07-07). "La compagnie de chemin de fer n'en est pas à son premier accident" (in French). La Presse (Montréal). Retrieved 2013-07-17.
  45. ↑ "Lac Megantic explosion: Fire was doused on train and engine shut down before it smashed into Quebec town". Toronto Star. 2013-07-08. Retrieved 2013-07-17.
  46. ↑ Crary, David, "Rail chief blames engineer in deadly Quebec crash", AP via boston.com, July 10, 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
  47. 1 2 3 "Lac-Mégantic rail disaster company MM&A files for bankruptcy". CBC News. 2013-08-07. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
  48. ↑ Marley DelDuchetto Kayden (2013-07-19). "Railway Weighing Viability After Quebec Crash, Chairman Says". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
  49. ↑ "Une voie ferrée exécrable". L'Express - Drummondville. 2012-10-17. Archived from the original on 2016-01-10. Retrieved 2013-08-15.
  50. 1 2 Portland Press Herald: "Maine economy tied to rail line's fate", July 14, 2013.
  51. ↑ Daniel Roy (2013-07-17). "La MMA fournit la preuve d'une assurance responsabilité" (in French). Radio-Canada. Retrieved 2013-07-18.
  52. ↑ "Montreal, Maine and Atlantic file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after Lac-Megantic derailment". CTV News. 2013-08-07. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
  53. ↑ "We could have done more to prevent Lac-Mégantic, says CEO". CBC Montréal. 2013-07-31. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
  54. ↑ Railway Age: "Maine weighs options for MM&A traffic", July 30, 2013
  55. ↑ "MPBN News: "Maine Prepares for Possible Shutdown of MMA Railway", July 30, 2013". Archived from the original on December 13, 2013. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  56. ↑ Sambides, Nick (2013-07-30). "State making preparations should Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway fold". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 2013-08-09.
  57. ↑ "Fini le pétrole dans les trains de la MMA" (in French). Radio-Canada. 2013-08-06. Retrieved 2013-08-06.
  58. ↑ Jacquie Mcnish (2013-08-06). "The beleaguered railroader of the Lac-Mégantic tragedy". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2013-08-06.
  59. ↑ "Le Syndicat des Métallos accuse la MMA de voler ses employés" (in French). Radio-Canada. 2013-08-07. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
  60. ↑ Curtis, Christopher (2013-08-02). "MMA cheque to electrician bounces". Montreal Gazette. Archived from the original on 2013-08-06. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
  61. ↑ "Maine-based railway involved in Quebec crash that killed 47 files for bankruptcy". Bangor Daily News. 2013-08-07. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
  62. ↑ Kim Mackrael (2013-08-07). "MM&A files for bankruptcy after Lac-Mégantic rail disaster". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2013-08-08. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
  63. ↑ "Montreal Gazette: "Montreal, Maine and Atlantic files for bankruptcy protection", August 7. 2013. In this report, however, the US bankruptcy case was filed in Chicago". Archived from the original on 2017-10-27. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
  64. ↑ Canadian Press: "MM&A Railroad files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after Lac Megantic tragedy", August 7, 2013.
  65. ↑ "Railroad files for bankruptcy after Lac-Mégantic tragedy". Maclean's. Associated Press. 2013-08-07. Retrieved 2013-08-09.
  66. ↑ "Maine-based railway involved in Quebec crash that killed 47 files for bankruptcy". Bangor Daily News. 2013-08-07. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
  67. 1 2 "J.D. Irving eyeing railway involved in Lac-Mégantic crash". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 2013-08-19. Retrieved 2013-08-19.
  68. ↑ Justin Giovannetti (2013-08-07). "In Lac-Mégantic, anger and resignation greet MM&A's money woes". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2013-08-11.
  69. ↑ "La MMA sous la protection des tribunaux" (in French). Radio-Canada. 2013-08-07. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
  70. ↑ "La MMA met à pied 15 autres travailleurs". Courrier du Saguenay. 2013-08-21. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
  71. ↑ "Railway in Quebec tragedy has its Canadian licence suspended". CityNews. 2013-07-06. Retrieved 2013-08-15.
  72. ↑ Montreal, Maine & Atlantic can operate until Feb. 1 - Trains Magazine, October 2013
  73. ↑ "Les trains de la MMA pourront continuer de rouler jusqu'au 1er avril". Radio-Canada. 2014-01-30. Retrieved 2014-04-24.
  74. ↑ "La MMA peut continuer à circuler sur les rails du Canada" (in French). Radio-Canada. 2013-08-23. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
  75. ↑ "Transports Canada ferme un tronçon de la MMA au Québec | Tragédie à Lac-Mégantic". Radio-Canada.ca. 2013-09-12. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
  76. ↑ "Sections of MM&A's rails are substandard, says Transport Canada report". CBC Montréal. 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2013-09-12.
  77. ↑ Philippe Teisceira-Lessard. "L'Orford Express n'ira pas à Lac-Mégantic". La Presse. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
  78. ↑ CA (2013-08-14). "Permis suspendu MMA: aucun changement pour l'Orford Express". Le Reflet du Lac (Magog). Archived from the original on 2013-10-15. Retrieved 2013-08-15.
  79. ↑ Magder, Jason (2013-12-18). "Rail traffic resumes in Lac-Mégantic". Montreal Gazette. Archived from the original on 2018-08-25. Retrieved 2013-12-18.
  80. ↑ "La MMA pourrait être vendue d'ici la mi-décembre". Radio-Canada. 2013-10-07. Retrieved 2013-11-08.
  81. ↑ Martin Croteau (2014-01-22). "Une seule offre pour la portion canadienne de la MMA". La Presse. Retrieved 2014-04-24.
  82. ↑ Archived January 28, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  83. ↑ "Tragédie de Lac-Mégantic : MMA poursuit une multinationale pour négligence". Radio-Canada Sherbrooke. 2014-01-31. Retrieved 2014-04-24.
  84. ↑ "Train conductor, company face charges in connection with deadly Lac-Megantic derailment". CTV News. May 12, 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  85. ↑ "Lac-Megantic train explosion: Three charged in Quebec". BBC News . 13 May 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  86. ↑ Sharp, David (2013-08-07). "Maine firm in Quebec tragedy files for bankruptcy". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2013-08-10. Retrieved 2013-08-09.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quebec Central Railway</span> Defunct Canadian railway

The Quebec Central Railway was a railway in the Canadian province of Quebec, that served the Eastern Townships region south of the St. Lawrence River. Its headquarters was in Sherbrooke. It was originally incorporated in 1869 as the Sherbrooke, Eastern Townships and Kennebec Railway, and changed its name to the Quebec Central Railway in 1875. In 1894, it built a line southward to Mégantic to connect to Canadian Pacific Railway's east-west line, the International Railway of Maine. It would eventually own around 300 miles (483 km) of track. In 1912, the Canadian Pacific Railway leased the Quebec Central for 99 years but continued to operate as Quebec Central Railway, including passenger service to American cities. The Quebec Central in turn leased the Massawippi Valley Railway, a short line from Lennoxville to Newport, in 1926; this allowed passenger service from Quebec City via Sherbrooke to the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Railway of Maine</span>

The International Railway of Maine was a historic railroad constructed by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) between Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, and Mattawamkeag, Maine, closing a key gap in the railway's transcontinental main line to the port of Saint John, New Brunswick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangor and Aroostook Railroad</span> United States railroad company

The Bangor and Aroostook Railroad was a United States railroad company that brought rail service to Aroostook County in northern Maine. Brightly-painted BAR boxcars attracted national attention in the 1950s. First-generation diesel locomotives operated on BAR until they were museum pieces. The economic downturn of the 1980s, coupled with the departure of heavy industry from northern Maine, forced the railroad to seek a buyer and end operations in 2003. It was succeeded by the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lac-Mégantic, Quebec</span> Town in Quebec, Canada

Lac-Mégantic is a town in the Estrie region of Quebec, Canada. It is located on Lac Mégantic, a freshwater lake after which the town was named. Situated in the former Frontenac County in the historic Eastern Townships, Lac-Mégantic is the seat of Le Granit Regional County Municipality and of the judicial district of Mégantic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Atlantic Railway</span> Canadian and U.S. railway (1988–1994)

The Canadian Atlantic Railway (CAR) was a Canadian and U.S. railway that existed from 1988 to 1994.

The Washington County Railroad is a shortline railroad operating in Vermont and a sliver of New Hampshire, forming part of the Vermont Rail System. The WACR began operating in 1980 over the old Montpelier and Barre Railroad in Washington County, which the state acquired to ensure the continuance of rail service, and ceased operations in early 1999. Later that year, after interim service by other companies, operations were transferred to a new WACR subsidiary of the Vermont Rail System. In 2003, operations were greatly expanded through acquisition by the state and operation by the WACR of a former Boston and Maine Corporation and Canadian Pacific Railway line between Newport and White River Junction, which had most recently been operated by subsidiaries of the bankrupt Bangor and Aroostook Railroad.

The Eastern Maine Railway Company Limited is a 99.5 mi (160.1 km) U.S. short line railroad owned by the New Brunswick Railway Company, a holding company that is part of "Irving Transportation Services", a division within the industrial conglomerate J.D. Irving Limited.

Rail World is a rail transport holding company. Its specialties include railway management, consulting, investment, privatizations, and restructurings. Its purpose is to promote rail industry privatization by bringing together government bodies wishing to sell their stakes with investment capital and management skills.

The Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway is a private Canadian regional railway that stretches 414 kilometres (257 mi) through the wilderness of northeastern Quebec and western Labrador. It connects Labrador City, Labrador, with the port of Sept-Îles, Quebec, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River. QNS&L is owned by Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC), and is a common carrier.

The Canadian American Railroad was a railroad that operated between Brownville Junction, Maine and Lennoxville, Quebec. The railroad later expanded west to Farnham, Quebec and then St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec with running rights on Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) to Montreal, Quebec. CDAC was established in 1994 and operated as a railroad between 1995 and 2002. It was owned by transportation holding company Iron Road Railways.

Iron Road Railways Incorporated (IRR) was a railroad holding company which owned several short line railroads in the U.S. state of Maine, as well as the Canadian provinces of Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Farnham station (Quebec)</span> Railway station in Quebec, Canada

Farnham station, or the Canadian Pacific Railway station is a disused railway station in Farnham, Quebec, Canada. Its address is 191 Victoria Road. The current station was built in 1950 to replace a previous station building which burned down in 1949, and opened to passenger service on March 8, 1951. The station saw its final passenger service on October 24, 1980. It was designated as a heritage railway station under the Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act in 1994.

The Maine Northern Railway Company Limited is a 258 mi (415 km) U.S. and Canadian short line railroad owned by the New Brunswick Railway Company, a holding company that is part of "Irving Transportation Services", a division within the industrial conglomerate J.D. Irving Limited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lac-Mégantic rail disaster</span> 2013 oil train crash in Québec, Canada

The Lac-Mégantic rail disaster occurred in the town of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, Canada, on July 6, 2013, at approximately 1:14 a.m. EDT, when an unattended 73-car Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway (MMA) freight train carrying Bakken Formation crude oil rolled down a 1.2% grade from Nantes and derailed downtown, resulting in the explosion and fire of multiple tank cars. Forty-seven people were killed. More than thirty buildings in Lac-Mégantic's town centre were destroyed, and all but three of the thirty-nine remaining buildings had to be demolished due to petroleum contamination. Initial newspaper reports described a 1 km (0.6-mile) blast radius.

The Massawippi Valley Railway was a short line railway established in 1870 between Lennoxville, Quebec, and the Vermont border. Part of the Quebec Central Railway from 1926, the line was abandoned in 1990 and removed in 1992. Most of the former railway's right of way is now used for bicycle trails.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DOT-111 tank car</span> North American tank car for rail transport

In rail transport, the U.S. DOT-111 tank car, also known as the TC-111 in Canada, is a type of unpressurized general service tank car in common use in North America. Tank cars built to this specification must be circular in cross section, with elliptical, formed heads set convex outward. They have a minimum plate thickness of 7⁄16 inch (11.1 mm) and a maximum capacity of 34,500 US gallons. Tanks may be constructed from carbon steel, aluminum alloy, high alloy steel, or nickel plate steel by fusion welding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Burkhardt</span> American railroad executive

Edward Arnold Burkhardt is a railroad executive, the founder and current chairman of Rail World Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Maine & Quebec Railway</span> Freight railroad operating in Canada and the USA

The Central Maine and Québec Railway was a Class II freight railroad operating in the U.S. states of Maine and Vermont and the Canadian province of Quebec with headquarters in Bangor, Maine. It was owned by Railroad Acquisition Holdings, LLC, a subsidiary of Fortress Investment Group, LLC. It is now a subsidiary of Canadian Pacific Railway since June 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orford Express</span>

The Orford Express was a tourist train between Magog and Sherbrooke, Quebec, operating seasonally on the former Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway line through Quebec's Eastern Townships. A dinner train which operated from early May to end-December, it was owned and operated separately from the underlying tracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Technical investigation of the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster</span>

The technical investigation of the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster looked into the instigating and mitigating factors regarding the incident, one of the deadliest in Canadian railway history, with 47 deaths. It identified 18 factors related to the cargo, maintenance of the tracks, maintenance and operation of the train, and weak government oversight all combined to produce the disaster. Five recommendations for change resulted from the investigation.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.