The E&N on Vancouver Island has received $7.5 million from the Canadian government to match the $7.5 million from the BC Government to revitalize the line. They hope to start work as soon as possible, with passenger service hopefully back within 18 months.
Some not so accurate info here:http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/04/10/bc-vancouver-island-railway.html
This is good news; hopefully it will also include some work on the Port Alberni line, especially if the coal mine near Courtney is a go and they ship from PA.
This is outstandingly good news. The V.I. railfan community is over the moon today and all who love the E&N are delighted by this announcement.
To be honest, I had all but given up hope and was preparing myself for the final closure of the line. But this announcement of track rehab and resumption of passenger service means that the line has a future, and indications are that the operator will now actively be soliciting additional freight customers which will be the backbone of the railway’s continued viability.
The Island Corridor Foundation, which owns the line, and its operator, Southern Railway of Vancouver Island (a division of Southern Railway of BC, one of the Washington Group companies) have clearly been working very hard to convince the federal and provincial governments to invest in what is now generally recognized as an important transportation link for the communities of Vancouver Island, and one with a viable future.
Once again, the E&N has been saved by a determined effort on the part of many members of the community as Vancouver Islanders refuse to let “their” railway die.
The link to the CBC story also said something about commuter service to Victoria. I remember recently reading that the bridge that brought the railroad into downtown Victoria was going to be rebuilt without the rails. Has anything changed with that?
The bridge is being dismantled, or the railway portion of it is out of commission and being disassembled. There is currently no provision or plan to provide that function in the new construction. A shame, and short-sighted, but a budget is a budget…I guess.
The fact is that the passenger portion of the business is a loss and must be heavily subsidized. It is not heavily used, and there seems to be a lot of antipathy about it in the hinterland. Of course there are many fans, and the users are glad of its service, but the distances and schedule are not conducive at present for useful commuter service or for rapid transit if that were ever in the offing.
As traffic density rises over the Malahat over time, and that will come as surely as the sunrise on May 5, 3016, there will come a reckoning of some kind at which rail will get a new cachet it does not currently enjoy.
Crandell
Not sure I agree with your assessment about “antipathy in the hinterland”, Crandell. My take is that certainly in recent years the people of Victoria have been largely indifferent to the service, but there has been more awareness and patronage in the smaller communities up-Island. But as I don’t live on the Island any more, that could just be wishful thinking, and I know that in recent years VIA has not encouraged local traffic.
You’re certainly right that the passenger schedule has never been set up to provide anything other than a tourist train service from Victoria. Given that, I have always been surprised how many people have actually used the train. The pm trip to Victoria has provided a useful service for some, I guess.
Part of the plan to revitalize the line is that the passenger service will now be based in Nanaimo, and will provide two round trips a day between Victoria and Nanaimo, as well as one round trip daily between Courtenay and Nanaimo. There is also talk of more frequent service between Duncan or Langford and Victoria. Don’t know who is going to pay for all of this, though, and there some who would like VIA to hand the service over to local management. Passenger service will continue for sure, but it’s not going to be business as usual, and I think everyone agrees that will be a good thing.
The key to viability will be a revived freight service. There does seem to be potential, and SRY has a good track record attracting customers, but bad track and car shortages have impaired their recent efforts on the Island. Coal to Port Alberni is a possibility, but a long shot in my view, and the railway will have to provide ferry service more than the current once a week if it hopes to attract interchange traffic.
SRY seems to be committed to the line, and is in business to make money. That’s the basis for my optimism.
A couple of things:
First, the access into Victoria. The rail portion of the Johnson Street Bridge was removed in March as the new bridge basically will go where the rail bridge was. The new design does not include rail, but the city has committed to retaining the rail corridor in the event that commuter rail does come to Victoria. More on the bridge can be found on its official web site: http://www.johnsonstreetbridge.com/
As for the line to Port Alberni, it is in rather sad shape, with the wooden trestles along Cameron Lake now rated at 5 tons. However, if the coal project goes ahead, the logical place to ship it would be the deep sea port in Port Alberni. However they estimate that 200 loaded B train trucks (ie 400 round trips) per day would be required. Anyone who has driven Highway 4, especially around Cameron Lake, knows that adding 16 B train trucks per hour on that road would simple drive it to a near standstill.
There is significant opposition to the coal port idea in PA, but the majority of that opposition is based on the truck traffic, both on Highway 4 and in-town. Have it come by rail, and it looks like it would be positively received here. And if the mine commits to rail, then it becomes viable to renew the Alberni sub. if no mine traffic, may as well turn the rail line into the new highway. Not many people know, but the original road into PA ran on the other side of Cameron Lake but was move to its current position when the E&N needed the far side for the rail line and its better grades. No rail there, then put the highway back.