Financier, ag firm exit consortium for Churchill, Manitoba, railway and port
Two major corporations have given away their stake in the railway and port serving remote Churchill, Manitoba, but the local group overseeing both say their region will be better served by having full control. The Winnipeg Free Press reports Toronto financing firm Fairfax and AGT Foods, a Saskatchewan grain firm, have given up a combined 50% share in Arctic Gateway Group, the consortium which took over the Hudson Bay Railway and Port of Churchill from OmniTRAX in 2018 [see “Hudson Bay Railway sale completed …,” Trains News Wire, Sept. 4, 2018]. Repairs to the railway, which suffered a washout in 2017 that cut off land transportation to Churchill, have proven more expensive than anticipated, and along with the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic have led Arctic Gateway to ask the Canadian government for a bailout. In a statement on behalf of its two Manitoba ministers, the cabinet of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau thanked the corporations for their work as part of the consortium, saying, “The long-term viability of this important national project is stronger today because of their contributions.”
New rail ferries will increase capacity of Gulf Coast-Mexico service up to 40%
A joint venture of subsidiaries of Genesee & Wyoming and marine services firm SEACOR holdings will launch two new rail ferries operating between the U.S. Gulf Coast and Mexico. CG Railway will begin operation of the first of the two new vessels, each capable of carrying 135 railcars, in the second quarter of 2021, with the second expected to begin operation in the third quarter. They will replace two 115-car ferries which have been operating between Mobile, Ala., and Coatzacoalcos, Mexico, since 2001, transporting more than 200,000 railcars in more than 1,400 sailings. The new ferries are expected to be capable of a top speed of 14 knots, twice that of the current vesses. The current ships make the trip in five days, or half the time of a trip by rail, and the combination of increased speed and capacity is expected to increase annual carload capacity by 40%, and will also have environmental benefits, according to CG Railway President Hoffman Lijeron. ““These innovative new vessels are purpose-built to provide increased reliability, speed and fuel efficiency and will materially expand the number of annual railcar spaces we can offer customers,” Lijeron said in a press release. “Their capacity, efficient hull design, articulated rudders and modern, slow-speed engines will significantly reduce the vessels’ environmental footprint. In fact, compared with a traditional all-rail route from Mobile to Mexico City, shipping via the new CGR vessels and Ferromex is expected to provide a 44% reduction in CO2 emissions per ton-mile versus the all-rail route.”
Alaska Railroad revises summer passenger schedule, reducing operations
The Alaska Railroad has announced a revised schedule for summer passenger service, reducing frequency for one train and shortening the season for all summer toutes. The Anchorage Press reports the Denali Star, which has traditionally operated in both directions daily between Anchorage, Talkeetna, Denali, and Fairbacks), will now operate in both directions only on Sundays, with service in one direction on other days. Between May 29 and Sept. 5, the train will operate northbound only on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and southbound only on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Two other trains, the Coastal Classic between Anchorage and Seward, and the Glacier Discovery between Anchorage, Whittier, and Spencer Glacier, will make daily round trips between May 29 and Sept. 6. Visit the railroad website for more information.
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