dibber25 Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 Apparently two F40PH locomotives and five stainless steel passenger cars have been trapped in Churchill, Manitoba, since May when floods and melting of the permafrost damaged some 300km of the line from Winnipeg. With the railway severed now the only way in or out of Churchill is by air or from the port of Churchill during the short season when Hudson's Bay is not frozen. VIA Rail is already critically short of equipment due to the advanced age of its fleet, and is understood to be considering bringing the equipment out by barge. It is unlikely that the rail route will ever be repaired. (CJL) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Wintle Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 Apparently two F40PH locomotives and five stainless steel passenger cars have been trapped in Churchill, Manitoba, since May when floods and melting of the permafrost damaged some 300km of the line from Winnipeg. With the railway severed now the only way in or out of Churchill is by air or from the port of Churchill during the short season when Hudson's Bay is not frozen. VIA Rail is already critically short of equipment due to the advanced age of its fleet, and is understood to be considering bringing the equipment out by barge. It is unlikely that the rail route will ever be repaired. (CJL) Our prime minister has insisted that the owner of the line (Omnitrax) must pay to repair the line. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/trudeau-pallister-meeting-1.4227610 I don't know whether that is a legal requirement or just posturing. Adrian 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
davknigh Posted July 31, 2017 Share Posted July 31, 2017 (edited) Trudeau was speaking about the problem on the news last night and was suggesting that the American owners of the tracks could be forced to make repairs due to the importance of the line to local communities. Whether the Feds will act or not remains to be seen. Cheers, David Edited to correct dodgy spelling Edited July 31, 2017 by davknigh Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
w124bob Posted August 3, 2017 Share Posted August 3, 2017 (edited) Not running a rail replacement bus then? Seriously $35m for garden, clearly he has his priorities right. Edited August 3, 2017 by w124bob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supaned Posted August 3, 2017 Share Posted August 3, 2017 Given that the Canadian government couldn't be bothered to subsidise rail service from Toronto to Cochrane (Ontario Northland) , I can't really see them doing much with this either. I'm sure an effort will be made to retrieve the Via Rail locos and stock but otherwise it will be tough. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jjb1970 Posted August 3, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 3, 2017 To be honest, given the size of the town, the length of the rail line and lack of much need for either the port or rail line[ other than maintaining a link to a relative handful of people in this case it probably makes more sense to just rely on the air link. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
davknigh Posted August 3, 2017 Share Posted August 3, 2017 To be honest, given the size of the town, the length of the rail line and lack of much need for either the port or rail line[ other than maintaining a link to a relative handful of people in this case it probably makes more sense to just rely on the air link. There are some who would disagree with you starting here http://www.portofchurchill.ca/ as only by rail can the goods be moved into the port. Shipping anything by air is very expensive in an area which is remote and not served by roads. The rail line also brings in tourists to see, for the moment anyway, polar bears. As for passenger service to Cochrane, that was abandoned by the provincial government in a cost cutting measure that saved money for the province and abandoned people who can't afford to fly. Travelling the 716km by bus is cruel and unusual punishment. Cheers, David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jjb1970 Posted August 3, 2017 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 3, 2017 The port of Churchill is itself a bit of an odd ball port given its location both in terms of how remote it is and also the nature of Hudson Bay. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theakerr Posted August 3, 2017 Share Posted August 3, 2017 It all seems a bit of a shame because Canada boasts and pays homage the fact that it was the Railways that opened and united the Country. Now at the behest of big business, the country is being shut down again because there is no margin in small towns. Banks are doing the same thing. As for our wanna-be Rock Star PM he might just say anything ion it gets his picture on the cover (of Rolling Stone) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerald Henriksen Posted August 4, 2017 Share Posted August 4, 2017 (edited) Not running a rail replacement bus then? How do you run a rail replacement bus when there are no roads? Anyway, it is Omntrax's problem. When they took $40 million in government money (half Federal, half Manitoba) they signed a legal agreement to operate the line until Oct. 2018: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/omnitrax-contract-ottawa-1.4230972 And another article indicating Omnitrax may not be able to get out of their obligations: https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/omnitrax-bound-by-law-to-fix-rail-lines-to-churchill-experts-438468313.html Edited August 4, 2017 by Gerald Henriksen 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerald Henriksen Posted August 4, 2017 Share Posted August 4, 2017 There are some who would disagree with you starting here http://www.portofchurchill.ca/ as only by rail can the goods be moved into the port. Except the port is also owned by Omnitrax and they shut it down last year. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pH Posted August 4, 2017 Share Posted August 4, 2017 I would presume it's not "Omnitrax" that runs the line but something like "Omnitrax Manitoba (2008) Inc". The latter can then declare bankruptcy, "Omnitrax" has no obligation and Canada/Manitoba will have to pick up the costs if they want the line re-opened. Remember - "Privatise profits, externalise costs". 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
davknigh Posted August 4, 2017 Share Posted August 4, 2017 An interesting article http://business.financialpost.com/transportation/residents-rail-against-u-s-company-as-port-churchills-future-is-on-the-line/wcm/0911a698-f959-477d-b133-4c8a5b239e74 that shows how complicated things can get. Cheers, David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted May 5, 2018 Share Posted May 5, 2018 http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/churchill-railway-buyers-manitoba-first-nations-1.4648133 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted June 15, 2018 Share Posted June 15, 2018 Canadian Transportation Agency has ruled against Omnitrax and ordered them to begin repairs by July 3 http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/churchill-railway-ruling-omnitrax-1.4707524 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pH Posted September 1, 2018 Share Posted September 1, 2018 Sale of line announced to a consortium called Arctic Gateway Group Limited Partnership, a private-public partnership that includes Missinippi Rail Limited Partnership, Fairfax Financial Holdings and AGT Limited Partnership: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/churchill-raiway-sale-omnitrax-1.4807450 Let's see what happens now. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pH Posted November 1, 2018 Share Posted November 1, 2018 First train into Churchill since May 2017: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/churchill-first-train-arrives-1.4886923 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 VIA has announced resumption of service effective Dec 2nd https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/via-rail-service-resumes-in-northern-manitoba-between-gillam-and-churchill-701280671.html Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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