OTTAWA, Ontario — The Canadian government has added to its financial commitment to the Hudson Bay Railway and the Port of Churchill, Manitoba, increasing its funding to Ca$175 million over the next five years.
The funding announced Friday, March 21, will provide $125 million for operation and maintenance of the 627-mile railway, with a main line between The Pas, Man., and Churchill and branches to Flin Flon, Thompson, and Kelsey. Another Ca$50 million will aid pre-development activities at the port. Both are owned by Arctic Gateway Group, a partnership of 29 First Nations groups and 12 isolated communities served by the railway.
“Now, more than ever, it’s important to make critical investments in Canadian infrastructure to bolster economic development in Canada’s northern regions,” Chrystia Freeland, minister of transport and internal trade, said in a press release. “The Hudson Bay Railway and Port of Churchill are important transportation corridors that serve the needs of Indigenous and northern communities, and this new funding will connect more Canadians and grow our economy.”
In February, the federal and Manitoba governments announced a total of Ca$79.4 million to fund rehabilitation of the railway and development at the port [see “Hudson Bay Railway receives …,” Trains News Wire, Feb. 5, 2025]. The Ca$125 million announced Friday for the railway includes the previously announced Ca$43 million, funded under the Remote Passenger Rail Program, reflecting the VIA Rail Canada operation to Churchill. The Ca$50 million for the port will be administered by Prairies Economic Development Canada.
