International Railway of Maine

The CPR acquired the International Railway in the mid-1880s and surveyed a line running directly from Megantic to a point on the E&NA (then leased by the Maine Central) at Mattawamkeag.

This portion of new railway would cross the International Boundary between Megantic, Quebec and Jackman, Maine, thus the CPR organized two separate companies: Construction under Chief Engineer James Ross began in 1886–1887 and proceeded in both directions from various points on the route.

[1] The new CPR line across Maine to Saint John was the last link in creating a transcontinental railway, although the section from Mattawamkeag to Vanceboro was operated under trackage rights.

[1] The Quebec Central Railway anticipated that the new CPR main line across Maine to its winter port of Saint John would result in traffic to Quebec City, thus the QCR built a line from the CPR at Megantic north to Tring Junction and thence on to Vallee Junction in the Beauce River valley.

The officer travelled to Vanceboro on a Maine Central passenger train and stayed several nights in the local hotel, then laid explosives which detonated but did not destroy the bridge.

This daily train operated overnight from Montreal to Saint John and vice versa, with full service diner, observation and coach/sleeper cars.

Government investment in the 1970s for an intermodal container terminal and various improvements at Saint John resulted in some freight traffic increases and CPR invested in infrastructure improvements over the route, however by the 1980s, it was in severe decline as changes in shipping patterns and cargo logistics saw CPR make less and less return on the line.

West of Brownville to Montreal, the route was purchased by Iron Road Railways, the corporate owner of the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad.

As of June 4, 2020, Canadian Pacific has purchased the entire Central Maine and Quebec Railway and has begun the process of integrating the former CM&Q lines.

This includes the former Bangor and Aroostook lines owned by the Central Maine and Quebec which had no prior ties to Canadian Pacific.