Resolve, Directing The Department Of Transportation To Implement The Recommendations Of The Portland To Auburn Rail Use Advisory Council Regarding The Rail Line From Portland To Yarmouth

132nd Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Mattie Daughtry

Directs MaineDOT to remove inactive Berlin Subdivision rail and install an interim bicycle/pedestrian trail, contingent on funding, permits, and agreements with affected towns.

Signed by Governor

#portlandtoyarmouth #railroads #trails

Summary — LD 30 (Resolve)

Title: Resolve, Directing The Department Of Transportation To Implement the Recommendations of the Portland to Auburn Rail Use Advisory Council Regarding the Rail Line from Portland to Yarmouth
Status: Signed by the Governor (June 20, 2025)
Introduced: January 8, 2025
Primary Sponsor: Rep. Matthea Daughtry
Subjects: Portland to Yarmouth, railroads, trails

Purpose and intent

LD 30 directs the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) to implement recommendations of the Portland to Auburn Rail Use Advisory Council concerning the specified rail corridor. The principal action required by the Resolve is removal of inactive railroad track on the Berlin Subdivision and installation of an interim bicycle and pedestrian trail in its place, subject to funding and necessary approvals.

Key provisions

Directs MaineDOT to remove inactive rail track along the Berlin Subdivision and replace it with an interim bicycle and pedestrian trail.

Implementation is expressly conditional on:

Availability of funding,
Required permits, and
Agreements with affected municipalities.

The Resolve implements recommendations from the Portland to Auburn Rail Use Advisory Council; the bill text and legislative documents reference the rail line between Portland and Yarmouth while fiscal documents specify the section between the City of Portland and the City of Auburn.

Who is affected

MaineDOT: responsible for planning and carrying out track removal and trail construction.

Municipalities along the Berlin Subdivision (Portland, Yarmouth, Auburn and any localities along the corridor): required to enter agreements for trail conversion and permitting.

Rail stakeholders: removal applies to inactive track segments; active rail operations would not be directly affected per the language focusing on inactive track.

Trail users and local communities: potential new interim bicycle/pedestrian trail and associated recreational/transportation benefits.

Fiscal impact

Fiscal notes (approved 04/17/25 and 05/27/25) identify potential current-biennium increases in costs to the Highway Fund and the Federal Expenditures Fund and also note potential current-biennium revenue increases to those funds.

No specific dollar amounts are included in the fiscal notes provided. All work is subject to the availability of funding.

Legislative and procedural timeline

Referred to the Committee on Transportation (received Jan 6 / introduced Jan 8, 2025).

Committee action produced a divided report; Committee Amendment “A” (S-45) was adopted.

House debated amendments; a House amendment to the committee amendment failed (Roll Call No. 183: 26 yeas, 116 nays).

Final passage occurred in late May 2025 (House roll call No. 182: Yeas 118, Nays 26, Absent 7).

Placed on and taken from the Special Highway Table during final consideration.

Sent to Governor and signed into law on June 20, 2025.

Notes and clarifications

The bill repeatedly conditions implementation on funding, permits and municipal agreements—practical execution depends on those elements.

Legislative documents reference both “Portland to Yarmouth” and “Portland to Auburn” in different places; fiscal notes specifically describe the Berlin Subdivision section between the City of Portland and the City of Auburn.