6 February 2009
Effort Continues to Establish Train Link
Weyburn Saskatchewan - A three-year campaign
to establish a shortline railway between Bengough and Weyburn is continuing, despite a series of setbacks.
Maurice Koszman, the secretary of the fledgling Wey-West Rail company that hopes to establish the
110-kilometre shortline railway, said that line can hopefully be in operation in less than two years.
"We're hoping by 1 Aug 2010," Koszman said in a telephone interview.
The proposed line, on CP Rail tracks that have not been used for several years, would primarly be used to haul grain, Koszman said.
But other products could also potentially be shipped on it as well, he added.
Buying that strip of track and putting it to use could save farmers along the line (in communities like Bengough, Radville, and
Ceylon) up to $1,000 each in fees they now pay annually to ship grain by truck, Koszman said.
Wear and tear on area highways, most notably Highway 13, would also be reduced, Koszman said.
And there would also be environmental benefits to shipping grain by trains instead of by fuel-guzzling trucks, Koszman
said.
About three or four new jobs would also be created if the shortline rail service is established, he said.
But Koszman said efforts to get Wey-West Rail actually chugging down the tracks have been delayed by several problems,
including an inability to reach an agreement with CP Rail about how much it should get paid to sell the rail line and to thus give up
on obtaining salvage from materials on the track.
The Canadian Transportation Agency was asked to determine a fair salvage amount, but its recommendations failed to resolve the
dispute, Koszman said.
Several issues related to the dispute have been referred to the Federal Court of Appeal, which could hear the case later this year, he
said.
Shortline rail lines have been beneficial in many locations, Koszman said, adding that the Bengough-to-Weyburn line has
the potential to be yet another success story.
"I just want people to know about it," Koszman said.
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