8 July 2009
BC Hydro Wants to Stay on Tracks
Vancouver British Columbia - BC Hydro is trying to
renew a two decade-old agreement that permits them to operate passenger rail service free of charge in part of the Fraser
Valley.
The section of rail is known as the Pratt-Livingstone Corridor, and runs from Cloverdale to Langley.
It is part of a longer interurban rail line that runs from the New Westminster bridge, through Surrey, Cloverdale, Walnut Grove, and
Langley, and then on to Abbotsford.
The corridor, which runs from 184th Street in Surrey, to 232nd Street in Langley, was previously owned and operated by BC Hydro until
1988, when BC Hydro sold the tracks and the equipment to CP Rail.
BC Hydro still owns the land that the tracks are on, and in the 1988 agreement, BC Hydro reserved the right to operate a railway,
including passenger trains, on the tracks at no cost.
This is in contrast to the Westcoast express, for example, which pays to use CP's infrastructure.
The agreement that allows BC Hydro the right for passenger service was set to expire at the end of next month, with the option of
another 21 year renewal.
On 30 Jun 2009, BC Hydro sent a letter to CP Rail requesting the 21 year renewal, after receiving pressure from the mayor
of Langley and several advocacy groups.
"We support the preservation of passenger rights and it doesn't cost us anything. It could have a future use or future
value," said BC Hydro spokesperson Dag Sharman.
The renewal is not an automatic go, though.
CP Rail is currently in the process of reviewing the agreement, and has not come to a decision how they will proceed.
"Any time you enter into an agreement you need to renew the agreement; whether to renew, or not to renew, modify..." said
Mike LoVecchio, senior manager of media relations for CP Rail. "The agreement is still in place until August. We've got time to
make decisions."
LoVecchio emphasized that BC Hydro hadn't offered passenger service on the corridor since the 1950's, and that CP Rail has never been
approached by any other group seeking to operate passenger trains on those tracks.
Sharman confirmed that BC Hydro has no plans to do so in the near future, either.
There is a possibility that the tracks could be put to use, however.
Last fall, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure launched a $400,000 Strategic Review of Transit in the Fraser Valley that
would look at transit options connecting the Fraser Valley to Metro Vancouver.
The feasibility of light passenger rail is being considered in the study, said the ministry's communications director, Dave Crebo; but
only from a "regional perspective," connecting the valley to Vancouver, not connecting cities within the valley to each
other.
When asked if the Pratt-Livingstone Corridor would be considered an option, Crebo said it is too early to speculate on
the results of the study. "There are a lot of unanswered questions. It's too early to say right now," he said.
As of yet, Sharman says BC Hydro has received no pressure from CP Rail to give up the right to passenger service.
CP Rail has not contacted the Ministry of Transportation regarding the corridor either, according to Crebo.
CP Rail expects to make a decision about how to proceed by 29 Aug 2009, when the original agreement expires.
If the agreement is renewed, BC Hydro would have the option to seek another renewal in 2030.
Christine McLaren.
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