International Railway of Maine
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA historic Canadian Pacific railway route linking Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, with Mattawamkeag, Maine, and completing a direct Montreal–Saint John route.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
The International Railway of Maine was a cross-border railway company and operating identity associated with the Canadian Pacific Railway's route through northern Maine. Its line connected the railway at Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, with Mattawamkeag, Maine, where it linked with the former European and North American Railway route toward Vanceboro and Saint John, New Brunswick. By closing the roughly 100-mile gap between existing railways, the project gave Canadian Pacific a direct land route from Montreal to the ice-free Atlantic port of Saint John. The company originated in the railway-building ambitions of the International Railway, which had begun operating between Sherbrooke and Megantic in Quebec in 1875 to serve the forest industry. A predecessor company had also contemplated extending the route into Maine. Canadian Pacific acquired the Quebec company in the mid-1880s and organized or took control of the Maine corporation, which had been chartered in 1871. The Canadian section and the Maine section were transferred to the Atlantic and North-West Railway, a Canadian Pacific subsidiary, in 1886. Construction began in 1886–1887 under chief engineer James Ross. The line crossed sparsely populated and difficult Appalachian terrain, including the international boundary between Quebec and Maine. It opened in June 1889. Canadian Pacific initially relied on trackage rights over the Maine Central between Mattawamkeag and Vanceboro, while its acquisition of the New Brunswick Railway gave it control of the route from Vanceboro to Saint John. The completed corridor became the final link in Canadian Pacific's transcontinental system and provided access to a winter port at a time when Montreal was commonly constrained by ice. Canadian Pacific operated the Maine portion directly from 1889 until 1988, generally treating it as the International of Maine Division or Canadian Pacific Lines in Maine rather than as a fully separate commercial brand. The route carried both freight and passengers. Its traffic was particularly heavy through the first half of the twentieth century and into the early 1960s. Passenger trains connected Montreal and Saint John, with onward connections to the Maritime provinces. The Atlantic Limited, introduced in 1955, provided overnight service with dining, observation, coach, and sleeping cars. The route also became associated with two serious wartime incidents. During the First World War, a German officer attempted to sabotage the Saint Croix–Vanceboro railway bridge, although the resulting explosion did not destroy the structure. In 1919, an Onawa head-on collision involving a freight train and a passenger-train section killed 23 people. These events were exceptional disruptions to a route that otherwise functioned as an important international transportation corridor. The railway's strategic importance declined after the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1958 and the later availability of icebreaking support for Montreal. Changes in shipping patterns, trucking, container logistics, and the economics of rural railways further reduced returns. Via Rail Canada assumed passenger operations in 1978; the Atlantic was discontinued in 1981, restored in 1985, and finally withdrawn from the route in 1994. Canadian Pacific's attempt to reorganize its eastern lines under Canadian Atlantic Railway did not solve the underlying losses. Canadian Pacific received permission to abandon the route at the end of 1994 and sold it in sections on January 1, 1995. New Brunswick Southern Railway acquired the Saint John–New Brunswick border section, while Eastern Maine Railway took the border-to-Mattawamkeag and Brownville Junction portions. The western segment toward Montreal went to Iron Road Railways, later passing through the Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway and Central Maine and Quebec Railway. Canadian Pacific purchased Central Maine and Quebec in 2020, bringing much of the former route back into its corporate network, although the original International Railway of Maine entity and brand no longer operate as an independent railway.
History
The International Railway of Maine developed from the nineteenth-century search for a dependable rail connection between central Canada and the Atlantic coast. Canadian Pacific completed its Montreal–Vancouver transcontinental route in 1885, but Montreal's port could be restricted by winter ice. Saint John, New Brunswick, offered an ice-free alternative, and a route through northern Maine appeared more direct and less mountainous than competing routes through the White Mountains or toward Portland. Several pieces of the eventual corridor already existed. The International Railway operated between Sherbrooke and Megantic in Quebec from 1875, while the European and North American Railway and its successors had built lines from Saint John toward the Maine border and from Bangor to Mattawamkeag. The remaining gap between Megantic and Mattawamkeag was approximately 100 miles. Canadian Pacific acquired the Quebec railway interests in the mid-1880s and arranged for separate corporate structures on the two sides of the border. The Canadian portion was incorporated as the International Railway and transferred to the Atlantic and North-West Railway in 1886. The Maine corporation, which had been chartered in 1871, was likewise placed under Atlantic and North-West control. Construction proceeded in 1886 and 1887 under chief engineer James Ross, with work advancing from multiple points. The line crossed the boundary near Jackman, Maine, and traversed remote Appalachian country. It opened in June 1889. Canadian Pacific obtained trackage rights over the Maine Central between Mattawamkeag and Vanceboro and controlled the continuation into New Brunswick after acquiring the New Brunswick Railway. The result was a continuous Montreal–Saint John route and the final practical link in Canadian Pacific's transcontinental network. Canadian Pacific operated the Maine segment as the International of Maine Division, also known as Canadian Pacific Lines in Maine. Although the International Railway of Maine continued to exist as a legal or operating designation for some purposes, the infrastructure and daily service were absorbed into the Canadian Pacific system. Freight traffic included forest products, general merchandise, and other commodities exchanged with connecting railways. Passenger trains operated between Montreal and Saint John, with connections onward into the Maritime provinces. The line's remote location required specialized operating practices; employees were reportedly paid from the last railway pay car used in the United States or Canada until July 6, 1960. The corridor faced major strategic changes after the Second World War. The opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1958 reduced the distinct advantage of Saint John as a winter outlet, and later icebreaking services made Montreal more available through the cold season. Nevertheless, traffic remained substantial until approximately the early 1960s. Canadian Pacific introduced the Atlantic Limited in 1955 as a daily overnight Montreal–Saint John express. In the 1970s, public investment in a Saint John intermodal terminal and related infrastructure temporarily supported freight activity. Passenger operations moved to Via Rail Canada in 1978. The Atlantic Limited became the Atlantic and was extended from Saint John to Halifax. Federal cutbacks ended the service in 1981, although it was restored in 1985. It continued daily for a period and then ran three times weekly before its final discontinuation in December 1994. In 1988, Canadian Pacific grouped its eastern lines under Canadian Atlantic Railway, including the former International of Maine route and the Dominion Atlantic Railway. The new structure did not reverse the line's financial decline. Canadian Pacific sought abandonment in 1993, was initially refused, and reapplied successfully in 1994. The route was sold in sections on January 1, 1995, rather than disappearing entirely. New Brunswick Southern Railway and Eastern Maine Railway, both associated with J. D. Irving, took the eastern sections, while Iron Road Railways acquired the western portion. After Iron Road entered bankruptcy in the early 2000s, its territory passed to Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway, which itself entered bankruptcy protection in 2013. Fortress Investment Group acquired the relevant trackage from that proceeding and operated it through Central Maine and Quebec Railway from 2014. Canadian Pacific bought Central Maine and Quebec in 2020, restoring corporate Canadian Pacific involvement over much of the former corridor. The original International Railway of Maine is now a historical railway entity rather than an independent active brand.
- 2020
Canadian Pacific reacquires Central Maine and Quebec
[1]Canadian Pacific purchased Central Maine and Quebec Railway and began integrating its former lines.
- 2014
Central Maine and Quebec Railway begins operations
[1]After the bankruptcy of Montreal, Maine and Atlantic, Fortress Investment Group's successor railway began operating the western portion.
- 1995
Route sold in sections
[1]The former route was divided among New Brunswick Southern Railway, Eastern Maine Railway, and Iron Road Railways.
- 1994
Abandonment approved and passenger service ends
[1]Regulators permitted Canadian Pacific to abandon the route, and Via Rail ended the Atlantic on December 17.
- 1988
Canadian Atlantic Railway created
[1]Canadian Pacific consolidated eastern routes, including the International of Maine Division, within Canadian Atlantic Railway.
- 1978
Via Rail assumes passenger operations
[1]Passenger service transferred from Canadian Pacific to Via Rail Canada, with the train renamed the Atlantic.
- 1958
St. Lawrence Seaway opens
[1]The opening of the Seaway weakened Saint John's special role as Montreal's winter alternative.
- 1955
Atlantic Limited introduced
[1]Canadian Pacific launched a daily overnight express between Montreal and Saint John.
- 1889
Line opens
[1]The new route opened in June, linking Megantic with Mattawamkeag and completing Canadian Pacific's direct route to Saint John.
- 1886
Canadian Pacific takes control of the project
[1]The Quebec railway and the Maine company were transferred to the Atlantic and North-West Railway, a Canadian Pacific subsidiary.
Products and positioning
A strategic cross-border railway corridor built to provide Canadian Pacific with a direct, comparatively low-gradient route from Montreal to the Atlantic port of Saint John and a winter alternative to Montreal.
Freight rail · 1889
Cross-border freight railway
The principal service was railway freight transportation across northern Maine and Quebec, connecting Canadian Pacific's Montreal system with Saint John and with regional interchange partners. Traffic included forest products, general merchandise, and later intermodal loads. The route's value came less from a consumer-facing brand than from its role as a strategic trunk line and interchange corridor.
Passenger rail · 1889
Montreal–Saint John passenger service
Passenger trains linked Montreal with Saint John and connected travelers with onward services to Moncton and Halifax. The service operated through Canadian Pacific and later Via Rail, rather than as a separately marketed consumer brand of the International Railway of Maine. Dedicated passenger service over the route ended in December 1994.
Passenger rail · 1955
The Atlantic Limited
Introduced by Canadian Pacific in 1955, the Atlantic Limited was a daily overnight express between Montreal and Saint John. It offered dining, observation, coach, and sleeping cars. Under Via Rail it became the Atlantic, was extended to Halifax, and experienced suspension and restoration before final withdrawal in 1994.
Controversies
Brand decisions
1994
Abandonment and divestiture of the routeStrategyBackground
Canadian Pacific reported continuing decline despite earlier restructuring and infrastructure efforts.
Action taken
After a second abandonment application, Canadian Pacific received regulatory approval and sold the line in sections on January 1, 1995.
Aftermath
Different portions passed to New Brunswick Southern Railway, Eastern Maine Railway, and Iron Road Railways, ending the original entity's independent operating role.
1988
Reorganization under Canadian Atlantic RailwayStrategyBackground
Canadian Pacific's eastern routes were losing money as traffic patterns and logistics changed.
Action taken
Canadian Pacific placed the International of Maine route and other eastern lines under Canadian Atlantic Railway.
Aftermath
The reorganization did not restore profitability, and the route was later approved for abandonment and sold.
1955
Launch of The Atlantic LimitedProduct launchBackground
Canadian Pacific continued to market the Montreal–Saint John corridor as an important long-distance passenger route.
Action taken
It introduced a daily overnight express with full-service passenger accommodations.
Aftermath
The service later transferred to Via Rail, became the Atlantic, and was ultimately discontinued in 1994.
Sources1 sources
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