Everything about Hudson Bay Railway totally explained
Hudson Bay Railway (HBRY) is a
Canadian regional
railway operating over 1300
kilometres (810
miles) of trackage in northern
Manitoba.
HBRY was formed in July
1997 to purchase former
Canadian National Railway (CN) trackage running north from CN trackage at
The Pas, MB on two branches, one to
Flin Flon, MB and on to
Lynn Lake, MB, the other to
Thompson, MB and on to the port of
Churchill, MB on
Hudson Bay. Operations began on
August 20,
1997 and the company is owned by railroad holding company
OmniTRAX.
At the same time, OmniTRAX also took over the operation and marketing of the
Port of Churchill from the federal government's
Department of Transport. Previous owner CN had limited tonnage on these lines as a result of the light rail and poor track base; however OmniTrax has been able to successfully operate heavier rail cars and longer trains in recent years without difficulty, resulting in increased business to the Port of Churchill and from various mines and pulp mills.
HBRY is a vital transportation link in northern Manitoba, hauling ores and concentrates, copper, zinc, logs, kraft paper, lumber, and petroleum products.
VIA Rail also operates remote services on HBRY using its
Hudson Bay passenger train between
Winnipeg, MB and Churchill.
Major customers for HBRY include
Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting,
Tolko Manitoba,
CVRD Inco,
Gardwine North,
Stitcco Energy, and the
Canadian Wheat Board.
History
The original Hudson Bay Railway line was built in stages north from
The Pas after a railway bridge was constructed over the
Saskatchewan River in
1910-
1911 by the
Canadian Northern Railway (CNoR). It was meant to go to a major new shipping harbour on Hudson Bay. Although initial surveys were done to both ports of Churchill and
Port Nelson, it was decided to proceed to Port Nelson in 1912. But when the harbour project in Port Nelson was abandoned, construction on the railway came to an end.
Following the CNoR bankruptcy in 1918 and creation of
Canadian National Railways (CNR), the federal government undertook to complete the Hudson Bay Railway; this time to Churchill. Political interference, financing difficulties, and engineering challenges by the large amount of
muskeg and frequent rock outcrops on the
Canadian Shield led to inevitable delays. The line to tidewater was completed March 29, 1929.
CNR subsequently built resource railways from The Pas to Flin Flon, opening in
1928, followed by an extension on this line from
Cranberry Portage, Manitoba, to Lynn Lake, opening November 9,
1953.
On
July 27,
2005, heavy rains washed out part of the railroad between
The Pas and
Pukatawagan; all service over the line, including
VIA Rail trains 290 and 291, was suspended while repairs took place. Service was restored on
August 2,
2005, two days ahead of initial expectations.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Hudson Bay Railway'.
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