The broken rail line to Churchill has the new owner and it is being repaired very actively to return the opportunity to move from the city and to it.
The flood in 2017 washed out more than 20 sections of the railway located in northern Manitoba. The railway was the only way how provision could get to Churchill. Accordingly, the costs of delivery and product transportation have increased significantly over the past year because it can be done only by ship.
The town of Churchill’s passenger rail service will resume within the week.
Churchill Mayor Mike Spence made the announcement Monday night, saying VIA Rail has scheduled the first passenger train in 18 months to depart Winnipeg on Dec. 2 and arrive in Churchill December 4th.
Recently, the province stated that the railway was sold and Arctic Gateway Group is the new owner. Arctic Gateway Group is a private-public partnership that consists of several large enterprises.
The former owner of this railway made an official statement and said that he would not conduct repair works because in his opinion the expenses would exceed income in the result. He also added that the railway practically had not brought any income for many years.
The new owner said that he planned to complete all repairs before the onset of winter cold and before low temperatures. However, the work is carried out very slowly, and at the moment he cannot predict the exact date when the railroad starts its work again after the break.
Last Saturday, November 24th the first freight train to arrive in Churchill, Manitoba, in a year and a half rolled into town according to Churchill’s mayor.
The first train made its way into the town on October 1st and was greeted by an emotional crowd. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the trip to northern Manitoba to help celebrate the finish of the rail lines.
Since the flooding, the only way to enter or leave Churchill has been by air. Spence said residents have been “overly patient” and are excited for the first freight train as well as the highly anticipated passenger train.
“Everybody is pretty happy about that but everybody is looking forward to the first passenger train in,” Spence said.
Everyone in the community is hopeful it will bring new life into the city and it will become much easier to come and leave the city to travel and visit distant family members for the upcoming winter holidays.