Rail line to be revived.

It’s a small community on the shore of Hudson Bay, currently with a population of perhaps 1,000 souls.

Washed out in 2017, the town has been without rail access as the owners and government argue about whose responsibility it is to pay for restoration.

Now it’s been sold to a new owner and there’s hope it will be re-opened.

The major spring flooding in 2017 in northern Manitoba caused major damage and the US owner said it couldn’t afford to repair the line leading to a year-long dispute about who should pay to restore service to the community, the owner or the federal government. (Omnitrax)

When a railway was completed in 1929, the once tiny and remote trading post of Churchill Manitoba became Canada’s only active Arctic seaport and an important staging place for western grain shipments overseas.

It was the site of a military training centre as well in the 1940’s through to 1980, and for a few years was also the site of important research into the atmosphere.  In recent years it had become an destination for polar bear and whale watching bringing in a significant economic boost from tourist dollars.

The port of Churchill Manitoba depended on the rail line to bring in supplies, and shipments of grain to its port.. Without the railway, the town’s economy has suffered greatly and many residents had to leave (google maps)

Because of it’s remoteness, the way to get there was either by an expensive plane ride, by a long sea route for the summer months, and by the all-important railway line.

Polar bear near Churchill Manitoba waits on land for the sea to freeze. Polar bear watching was a major attraction bring in needed tourist dollars, but without the rail line  tourism dropped. (Alex-Beatty – Churchill Northern Studies Centre)

The federally-owned railway was sold to a commercial American operation, Denver-based Omintrax, in 1997 as part of a policy of privatisation of public assets and operations.

The grain shipments started to dry up in 2012, and the Americans shut down the port in 2016.

Severe weather washed out large portions of the line in 2017, and the town has been, relatively speaking, cut off since then.

Image of the rail line and empty VIA Rail station on July 4, 2018. The American-owned line has been sold to a Canadian consortium raising hope for the town’s survival. (John Woods- Canadian Press)

After a year of back and forth negotiations among residents in the region, the town, the American company and various levels of government, the rail line has now been sold to a consortium of new owners under the banner Arctic Gateway Group,

The group includes several small communities along the rail line and Indigenous groups.

Grand Chief Arlen Dumas of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs said, “The deal is historic for a number of reasons, foremost of which is that it will return stable and predictable rail service to the north. A 50% ownership stake for the communities and board appointments commensurate with this interest, have been secured by Missinippi Rail LP. Participating communities will enjoy preferential employment and contracting opportunities consistent with modern agreements concerning business in our territories. This is a strong deal for our northern First Nation communities and a strong departure from the status quo of uncertainty over the future operation of these critical pieces of infrastructure. I am proud of our people and look forward to the successes that this project will enable”.

The sale includes the railway line, the port facilities and the tank farm. (CBC)

The lack of a rail line has meant lost jobs and outmigration from the town, along with much higher costs for necessities, and a great reduction in tourism.