Commentary: It is the perfect time for putting Maine on the move
It’s time to explore how state and federal government and private investors can join forces to fund commuter rail between Lewiston-Auburn and Portland.
By Tony DonovanSpecial to the Press Herald
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Maine taxpayers own a transportation infrastructure asset that is the envy of places around the world. Over the past 20 years, the state of Maine’s investment in railroads has provided an impressive return on investment. A recent opinion of value is $1 million a mile, or over $350 million in transportation infrastructure assets, on an investment of maybe $20 million is state funds. And, in most cases, these railways are in good condition. One route in particular has been the subject of state transportation planning to the tune of millions of dollars in engineering and analysis.