UXBRIDGE, Ontario — After nearly 30 years of operation, the York-Durham Heritage Railway is shutting down for good. The railroad said it is ceasing operations immediately and has filed for insolvency protection. The announcement came just days after President and CEO John Perks resigned.
The railroad opened Sept. 14, 1996 and operated on 12 miles of track owned by Ontario Metrolinx — subleased from the towns of Uxbridge and Stoffville. The Uxbridge depot and yard was leased from the city.
In December 2023, the railroad said it would leave Uxbridge after the town failed to renew the railroad’s lease. The city claimed the railroad repeatedly failed to obtain necessary permits and comply with city codes, including providing insufficient notice of road closures. The city also wanted the railroad to move four unsightly long out-of-service coaches stored in the yard. Those coaches were scrapped in December.
Another possible reason for the shutdown was that over time the railroad switched from a mainly volunteer entity to one using paid positions. The railroad admitted on Facebook that its paid labor business model was not working, particularly after events that shut down the railroad, including the COVID-19 pandemic and a tornado that struck the area in May 2022.
According to reports submitted to the Canadian government as a charitable organization, at the end of 2022 the railroad had nine full-time and 88 part-time employees. Total revenues were $2,421,039. However, expenses — including compensation — were $3,002,009.
On Jan. 8, the railway announced it was returning to a volunteer model but apparently it was too little, too late. York-Durham said it would be putting all its equipment up for sale including three Alco diesels, several lightweight coaches and depowered Rail Diesel Cars.
A sad end to what was once a very strong volunteer run railway.
The headline caught my eye! I actually rode a train from Durham to York. A real train, didn’t know there was a heritage railway.
Then I read the article. Ontario, not England. So it turns out I didn’t miss anything.
Another riveting comment, Charles. Thanks for sharing.