SQUAMISH, British Columbia — The mayor of Squamish is asking British Columbia’s Minister of Transportation and Transit to convene consultations over Canadian National Railway’s plan to end operations on 214 miles of its former BC Rail line through Squamish.
In Canada, consultations are a formal process to gather information and opinions from affected parties and others with an interest in a topic to help inform government actions.
Squamish Mayor Armand Hurford, in an Aug. 22 letter to Minister Mike Farnsworth, asked Farnsworth to hold consultations with “affected municipalities, regional districts, and First Nations,” saying CN’s plans to discontinue operations on portions of its Squamish and Lilloeet subdivisions places at risk benefits of the rail service including economic development, regional mobility, and climate resilience. On the latter point, Hurford’s letter says, “The line proved critical during th 2021 floods, offering supply chain redundancy in challenging terrain — a necessity in building resilience to climate change.”
CN informed Squamish officials of the plan to “decommission” the line — which it lhas eased from the province since 2003 — in a July 11 letter, saying the route does not have sufficient traffic. Among operations that could be affected is Rocky Mountaineer’s “Rainforest to Gold Rush” excursion between North Vancouver and Jasper, Alberta [see “CN seeks to end lease …,” Trains.com, July 22, 2025].
The Squamish Chief newspaper first reported both CN’s plan and the mayor’s request, which was included with the agenda for a District Council meeting scheduled for today (Sept. 2, 2025). The letter was provided to the council for informational purposes; no action is scheduled as part of the meeting agenda.
How much time is left? Is safe to buy a RM ticket for next year?
This is what they got when the province hastily and possibly illegally rushed to offload the line. CN immediately diverted the majority of traffic, and the former BCR has been on borrowed time ever since. Governments divest public assets, and Wall Street’s big corporations suck them dry.