8 May 2009
Valley Passenger Rail Rights to Expire
The Interurban Railway Line once carried passengers from
Chilliwack to New Westminster, and advocates for improved
public transit say it could again.
Langley British Columbia - Passenger rail rights
along the BC Hydro rail line in the Fraser Valley should not be allowed to lapse when a 21-year contract expires this
summer, says Langley Township Mayor Rick Green.
In an in-camera meeting Monday, council authorized staff to send a letter to BC Hydro requesting its immediate response.
It wants an assurance that Hydro will renew the agreement - before 29 Aug 2009 - reserving the Crown corporation's right
to operate passenger trains on the old interurban line.
Letters will also be sent to all municipalities and cities south of the Fraser, requesting support for the renewal.
Council passed the motion at the mayor's request, after Green obtained a copy of a master agreement between BC Hydro and the Canadian
Pacific Railway (CPR), concerning the sale by Hydro of tracks and equipment along the "Pratt-Livingstone
Corridor" to the CPR.
The corridor is that portion of the former interurban line between 180 Street in Surrey and 232 Street in Langley, and is used for
coal and container trains going to and from Roberts Bank.
The master agreement, signed on 29 Aug 1988, links other agreements between BC Hydro and the CPR, one of which reserved
certain rights to BC Hydro to operate trains, including passenger trains, over the Pratt-Livingstone Corridor. The
corridor runs through Langley Township and the City of Langley.
Green said he had begun making inquiries about agreements between Hydro and the CPR after a four-year-old legal opinion
from Township solicitors was released from in-camera last month, indicating CPR had authority to operate its freight
service on the BC Hydro corridor, and stating there are no provisions to limit those rights, terminate, or renegotiate them.
There is however the existing passenger rail service contract language. Green would not say Wednesday where he obtained the agreement,
and other council members say they did not see the full agreement when they were asked to endorse a letter to Hydro.
Councillor Jordan Bateman said it is a "no-brainer" that both Hydro and CPR would want to renew the agreement.
Councillor Charlie Fox said he would have liked to see the entire agreement before endorsing a request that it be renewed, on the
off-chance that it contains anything that could interfere with the Township's own interests, but council had to take
Green on faith.
Green said he was advised by the Township solicitor that certain elements of the agreement are sensitive and should not be released,
other than to the two principals.
He is concerned however that if the master agreement is not renewed, those passenger service rights might be lost.
"I got a legal opinion about the content (of the master agreement) from the Township solicitor," Green said on Wednesday.
"I sent it to BC Hydro and talked to three people (there)... He said two of them had not been aware of the agreement... (but)
They said, Yes, we intend to renew it."
Green said he wants assurances that they will, and letters have also been sent to all candidates in the 12 May 2009
election in the two local constituencies, asking for their support for the renewal of the agreement.
"It is a very significant document, a very significant item in the agreement... (because) it protects the right to passenger
service," said Green.
Green said it was not a given that the agreement between Hydro and the CPR would be renewed, but he "would be very hard pressed
to believe that they would not renew it."
Both local incumbent Liberal candidates and Kathleen Stephany, the NDP provincial candidate in Langley constituency, said Wednesday
that they would support renewal of the master agreement.
In a press release, Stephany says that the agreement ensured that 33 percent of the rail traffic capacity is preserved for Crown use,
with CPR allowed to use 66 percent of rail capacity.
"The NDP will stand behind planning for a comprehensive light rail transit system serving the South Fraser region... closely
integrated with the bus and SkyTrain systems," Stephany said.
"Because we stand for a comprehensive light rail transit system for the South Fraser region, we will be very interested in any
options that become available to us, including Crown use of the interurban corridor and the Canadian Pacific Railway rails through
Langley," Stephany said.
Mary Polak, the incumbent and Liberal candidate for Langley, said the old interurban route remains very important to the people of the
South Fraser, despite BC Hydro no longer being in the rail business.
"Two decades ago, the government of the day protected the public's right to this corridor. We are committed to doing the
same," Polak said in a media release.
And Rich Coleman, incumbent and Liberal candidate in Fort Langley-Aldergrove, noted the importance of maintaining transit
infrastructure options.
A major Fraser Valley transit study, initiated by the current provincial government is expected to be completed by the end of this
year, and Coleman said he looking forward to the recommendations.
"Light rail could be an important component of the south Fraser's transportation system going forward, but we must do our due
diligence, work on business plans, and ensure it will be successful for the people of Langley, Surrey, Abbotsford, and beyond,"
Coleman said.
"Having BC Hydro renew this agreement is important, and Mary (Polak) and I will take this issue to the BC Hydro Board of
Directors, and the Minister responsible," Coleman promised.
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