Railroad track arrival fuels Churchill worry

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This article was published 30/09/2017 (2940 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — The mysterious arrival of railroad tracks in Churchill has intensified rumours that Via Rail will ship its stranded train cars to Montreal, 18 weeks after losing its rail lifeline to the south.

“We’re in a quandary,” said Dave Daley, president of the Churchill Chamber of Commerce, who is among those planning to form a barricade if the company tries to send its five passenger cars and two locomotives down south on anything other than rail.

“We want people to know how displeased we are as Churchillians,” Daley said, citing the single-digit temperatures and lack of information on federal talks to change the rail line’s ownership.

For weeks, residents have heard that Via Rail plans to place the tracks on the boat that the province is using to send propane to the northern town of 900 people so it survives the winter, costing $6 million. The boat is scheduled to arrive Oct. 8.

The town’s last shipment, which arrived two weeks ago, brought a few hundred metres of railroad tracks that were offloaded at the port, furthering those rumours. It’s unclear who sent the tracks and what they’ll be used for.

Via Rail wouldn’t say whether that option is on the table. “A final decision has still not been taken,” spokeswoman Mylène Bélanger wrote.

The federal minister handling the issue, Winnipeg South Centre MP Jim Carr, didn’t say on Friday whether he’s aware of such plans.

“There’s reason to have some optimism that we’re moving at a good pace,” Carr said on Thursday.

Former senior bureaucrat Wayne Wouters is continuing negotiations to transfer the rail line and port from Omnitrax to two northern Manitoba groups.

“He reports to me that the progress has been good and every day there’s more success,” Carr said.

Churchill Mayor Mike Spence was tight-lipped when asked whether he’s heard that the rail cars are bound for the bay.

“Every effort is being made by the Town of Churchill to resolve the fact that repairs have not begun,” he wrote.

Daly said frustration is growing now that officials have passed the early-September deadline to start construction on the line. An independent engineering assessment said work would need to start by that time to get the line operating by the November freeze-up.

Officials have resisted, saying the rail line won’t be fixed by the end of the year.

“Come out and say, ‘your tracks aren’t going to get fixed until after winter. Let us know what’s going on, so we can plan,’” Daly said.

Life will get harder in Churchill. Fuel is expected to soon jump to $2.33 a litre, more than a third of the current price. When Omnitrax accidentally posted that price in July, it sparked outrage and cynicism in the town, which is grappling with high food prices, unemployment and families moving away since the rail line became unoperational in the spring due to flooding.

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca