Vol. 12 Number 2 Feb 3, 1982

CP Rail has received conditional approval by the Canadian Transport Commission to proceed with its planned $500 million tunnel project through Rogers Pass.

Interim approval to go ahead with the project was given by the CTC's railway transport committee following three days of public hearings in Revelstoke, B.C.

Full approval of the project to expand the railway's double-tracking capacity in the West is subject to the railway meeting certain environmental and construction conditions that will be contained and explained in the committee's written decision to be issued soon, said the committee.

Meanwhile, R.S. Allison, executive vice-president CP Rail, has reiterated the company's position that the railway will only proceed with the Rogers Pass project if a way can be found for CP Rail to be compensated for multi-million-dollar losses it incurs annually moving export grain traffic.

The Rogers Pass project would be the biggest single rail-building project since Canadian Pacific completed the transcontinental railway 100 years ago.

The work will include driving two tunnels with a total length of about 10 miles, building 11 bridges, and laying 21 miles of new main line track through the Selkirk Mountains of eastern B.C. It will take four years to complete and provide jobs for up to 800 workers.

The project is part of a 10 year, $7 billion capital investment program planned by CP Rail for replacement, improvement, and expansion of its rail plant and equipment to meet transportation demand during this decade.