Washouts stranded an entire VIA Rail Canada train for weeks.
There has been much debate about the line to Churchill over the years with the federal and provincial governments sinking hundreds of millions of dollars into keeping the port on Hudson Bay going. Locals and rail promoters had high hopes for the line in its re-emergency during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Most of those hopes fizzled, however.
The current deal is expected to close in June and observers say the rail line might be repaired by winter 2018.
The rail line began as a move to ship grain more easily from western and central Canada by water to Europe. Canadian National took over the languishing project in 1919 and completed the route to Churchill in 1929. CN sold the line to OmniTRAX in 1997.
I hope this comes to be. Fact is, I have made 20 trips up the Hudson Bay rail line to Churchill and so much want to do it again. I and several other fans of this line will be on the first VIA trip if this should come to pass.
Omnitrax and Merv Tweed, manager of the Churchill Line and former Canadian Member of Parliament, have done a great diservice to the Province of Manitoba, the port (town) of Churchill and Canada by running this railroad into the ground.
An excelllent article in Canada’s Financial Post gives a good accounting of Omnitrax’s and Tweed’s less than stellar performance at:
http://business.financialpost.com/transportation/residents-rail-against-u-s-company-as-port-churchills-future-is-on-the-line
Thank-you Omnitrax and President Tweed – don’t let the door slam into you butt on the way out!
One of my most memorable rail riding experiences was riding V I A on this line about ten years ago. The purpose of the trip was to view the bear migration in Churchill. VIA had added extra coaches and sleepers as well as a “Park” car on the rear. To ride in the upper level of the rear “park” car and watch the whole consist wiggle like a snake , on track laid on permafrost, was a sight to behold! We proceeded slowly— 10/15 mph and never went on the ground !