Two GE 70-tonners lead Pacific Great Eastern’s daily passenger train north from Squamish, B.C., in about 1950, several years before the line was extended down to North Vancouver and Rail Diesel Cars replaced the secondhand stock seen here. Linn H. Westcott photo […]
CALGARY — While Canadian Pacific workers in Canada have authorized a strike that could have begun as soon as tonight, their union has yet to provide the 72-hour notice necessary before walking out. Canadian agriculture and industry remain concerned about the potential impact of a walkout, and the railroad says on its website that a […]
MONTREAL — Without fanfare, VIA Rail Canada this week began allowing passengers on the Canadian and other trains to again sit under glass in dome car seats and have access to onboard lounge facilities. Both had been off limits as a result of health restrictions imposed by the carrier and various provinces since March 2020. […]
Canadian Pacific trains were involved in two derailments on Saturday, one in Saskatchewan and one in Minnesota. An unknown number of cars were involved in the derailment of a train carrying corn near Drinkwater, Sask., but at least 20 cars are visible on their sides or otherwise off the track in a video posted to […]
MONTREAL — The Canadian government will seek “world-class knowledge and private sector expertise” for VIA Rail Canada’s proposal to build passenger-only trackage for parts of its Quebec City-Toronto corridor rather than directly financing the project, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announced Wednesday. Proposal dates to 2015 First unveiled by then-VIA CEO Yves Desjardins-Siciliano in 2015, the […]
This perspective drawing shows Canadian Pacific’s two routes over Kicking Horse Pass on the west slope of the Continental Divide. The original route with a 4.5 percent grade opened in 1886; it was replaced in 1909 by a line with two spiral tunnels, still in use today. Classic Trains coll. […]
ELMIRA, Ontario — A rare GMD1 locomotive donated by Canadian National to the Waterloo Central Railway in April 2021 has emerged in new paint. The former CN No. 1437 made its first appearance on the heritage railway on March 5, 2022, as WCR No. 1012. “It’s all because of the volunteers; they did an amazing […]
SASKATOON, Saskatchewan — Fertilizer firm Nutrien is asking the Canadian government to block a potential Canadian Pacific strike, saying an interruption to rail service could lead to smaller crop harvests, Bloomberg reports. Teamster Canada Rail Coalition members voted in favor of a strike against CP, the union announced earlier this week [see “Teamsters Canava vote …,” […]
CALGARY, Alberta — Members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference have approved a possible strike against Canadian Pacific, the union reported to members after a strike vote concluded on Feb. 28. Union officials said 3,062 ballots were sent out to members. While it did not report the number of ballots returned, 96.7% of those voting […]
OTTAWA — The consortium that built and operates Ottawa’s problem-plagued light rail Confederation Line has claimed the city launched the service before it was ready and without consulting with the builders, according to a court document filed in a dispute between the city and contractor. The CBC reports Rideau Transit Group CEO Nicolas Truchon makes […]
GATINEAU, Quebec — Rail accidents increased in Canada in 2021, while still remaining below the five-year average for such incidents, according to preliminary statistics released Monday by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. Air transportation and pipelines also saw increases, while marine accidents decreased. The TSB suggested in a press release that the increases likely […]
Winter hit Southern Ontario hard over the Feb. 19-20 weekend. A widespread blizzard whipped up snow for hundreds of miles, accumulating on rights of way and proving especially difficult on Canadian National and Southern Ontario Railway branch lines in Southwestern Ontario. CN’s north mainline is an internal short line, operated by crews formerly of the […]
