30 March 2010

Option to Acquire Railway Falls on Federal Government

Sicamous council is hoping to see CP
Rail's defunct Grindrod to Sicamous line
turned into a public trail, and the
Armstrong to Grindrod line maintained
as a railway.

Sicamous British Columbia - The push to transform local rails into a trail continues to gain momentum.
 
With no agreements coming from the private sector for the acquisition of CP Rail's Armstrong to Sicamous line, CP is now obligated to let the federal government make an offer.
 
Having expressed interest in seeing the Grindrod-to-Sicamous portion of the line used as a cycling/walking corridor between the two communities, the District of Sicamous has been asked by MP Colin Mayes to forward a letter to Federal Transport Minister John Baird, encouraging the federal government to proceed with the acquisition.
 
"I will continue to work for this request as I believe it is a great opportunity to develop these type of recreational options for the valley," says Mayes.
 
Other government bodies, including the Columbia Shuswap Regional District and, most recently, the City of Vernon, are urging the federal government to acquire the CP rail line so that it will be maintained as a transportation corridor, with the desire to see the Grindrod to Armstrong portion once again used as a railroad.
 
Okanagan Valley Railway stopped operating on the 13-kilometre, CP line last summer. Since then, Grindrod's Sure Crop Feeds, Rogers Foods in Spallumcheen, and Okanagan Fertilizer in Enderby had to depend on transport trucks, increasing their operating costs.
 
Unless a purchaser for the line can be found, there is a concern CP will apply to the Canadian Transportation Agency to abandon the track.
 
"The permanent loss of the shortline railway creates spin-off challenges for agricultural producers in the area, many of whom receive feed, fertilizer, and other materials essential for their operation from businesses affected by the railway closure," said Tate Bengston, Enderby Chamber of Commerce executive director, in a letter to Vernon council.
 
The District of Sicamous will be writing a letter in support of maintaining a rail system servicing the Grindrod-to-Armstrong portion of the line.
 
If the federal government does not proceed with acquiring the line, district administrator Alan Harris said the option would then go to the B.C. government. And if the province doesn't want it, Sicamous would be able to make an offer.
 
"That would be an in-camera discussion, but having said that, the district has the ability, if it so desired, to apply to acquire that line from Grindrod to Sicamous," said Harris.
 
Lachlan Labere.