Federal official tours Auburn rail spur

AUBURN – A federal official toured a three-mile rail spur linking three Auburn-based businesses Tuesday and said he was impressed at how the track has enhanced jobs and business growth.

Assistant Secretary of Transportation Emil Frankel visited the St. Lawrence & Atlantic railroad spur, which connects Morse Bros., Safe Handling and Cascades Auburn Fiber to each other and to suppliers and markets worldwide.

The spur enables Morse Bros. to get scrap wood from Canada, Safe Handling to obtain paper-making products from the Pacific Rim and Cascades Auburn Fiber to deliver finished recyclable paper to customers throughout New England and, soon, Tennessee.

“Quite frankly, I think most people here in New England think of how depressed Maine is,” Frankel said. “But seeing this growth and how it relates to the railroad is quite extraordinary. You have something very good going on.”

Rail line owners are hoping to move ahead with a $1.6 million expansion that includes four 3,500-foot tracks, preferably in the industrial park created in the newly designated Foreign Trade Zone.

The additional tracks would allow the rail line to store more containers on site and enhance its flexibility to respond to customers’ needs. The rail’s major storage area now is in Richmond, Quebec.

The state has funneled matching funds of up to $800,000 for the expansion, said Ray Goss, general manager for St. Lawrence & Atlantic. Railroad staff are waiting to hear about a request for funds from federal sources.