Category: CB Rail

Will the Orangedale whistle blow again?

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By Ted Bartlett

Overgrown by weeds, railway tracks pass the old fashioned red train station at Orangedale Nova Scotia
Weeds cover the rails at Orangedale station on August 28, 2015

“The stationmaster is long since gone,” lamented the Rankin Family.  Sadly, the last revenue train crawled past the legendary station at Orangedale some ten months ago.  And if the American owners of the Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway have their way, the next activity at Orangedale – and indeed along the entire 98 miles of track between St. Peter’s Junction and Sydney – would be the scrappers removing the rails.  But that must not be allowed to happen.

The original construction of this rail line was a public undertaking, and it operated for many years as part of the Intercolonial Railway, subsequently absorbed by the Crown corporation Canadian National.  CN sold the entire route from Truro to Sydney to a shortline operator in 1993, and there have been several changes of ownership since – during which time there has been considerable physical deterioration of the property as traffic volumes continued to fall for a variety of reasons.  In 2014 the current owner, Genesee and Wyoming, announced its intent to abandon the Sydney Subdivision, declaring the operation uneconomic.  The company declined to accept renewal of a subsidy offered by the Nova Scotia government.

Last month the Province’s transportation department released a summary of three studies commissioned to investigate various aspects of the issue for the Minister’s Rail Advisory Committee.  These included an engineering assessment of the condition of the line and what investment might be required to return it to an acceptable standard; an examination of economic opportunities in Cape Breton, and how they relate to continued availability of rail service; and an analysis of commodities that had until recently been moving by rail and the implications of requiring them to move to highway transport.

Continue reading “Will the Orangedale whistle blow again?” →

Struggle to save Cape Breton line continues

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A vivid sunset over a rail yard, with orange locomotives visible next to a shed, and industrial buildings in the distance.
The sun sets on the CBNS yard in Sydney, a few months before rail service on the line came to a halt. Let’s hope the sun hasn’t set on the rail line for good. Photo: Tim Hayman

The celebrated Orangedale whistle has been silent for nearly eight months, and the rails across Cape Breton from St. Peter’s Junction to Sydney lie rusty and unused.  But optimism remains high that the 100 miles of track may yet be saved for future use.

The Minister’s Rail Advisory Committee – a group representing rail users, municipalities and the business community in general – was scheduled to meet on July 30 to hear the outcome of three reports commissioned by provincial Transportation Minister Geoff MacLellan.  Consultants were to examine the long-term implications of rail service in Cape Breton, and the economics of rail versus highway transportation.  An engineering study on the state of the long-neglected infrastructure was also included.

David Rae – dean of the Shannon School of Business at Cape Breton University and chair of the Scotia Rail Development Society – has been one of the prime movers behind the rail retention campaign.  He’s leaving CBU at the end of the summer to return to the UK, but promises that he’s still going to be very much involved.  Finding a successor to maintain the momentum behind the effort was one of the agenda items for a July 28th meeting in Sydney.

Dr. Rae remains optimistic that a solution will be found, and insists that rail is very important to Cape Breton’s future.  He points to the potential intermodal traffic that could and should be moving by rail – relieving pressure on the already overburdened highway network and enhancing road safety for all users.  He notes that the reopening of the Donkin coal mine will create a renewed need for trains, and adds that the port of Sydney really hasn’t much of a future without a rail link. Continue reading “Struggle to save Cape Breton line continues” →

Advocacy in Action

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The Cape Breton rail issue has occupied much of TAA’s attention in recent months. Several volunteers have devoted many long hours to the cause, participating in community events and appearing at a public hearing in Sydney.

Although the passenger rail outlook has greatly improved in recent months, we have been relentless in our efforts to maintain the momentum.  We believe that TAA has earned a measure of respect and credibility with the new management team at VIA Rail, and have had some very productive discussions with senior officers at the Crown corporation.  Our upcoming AGM will give members an excellent opportunity to meet VIA’s new general manager for the region.

We’ve also been involved with the statutory review of the Canada Transportation Act that’s currently underway.  Iain Dunlop and Michael Perry joined your president participating in a working session in Fredericton at the invitation of New Brunswick Transportation Minister Roger Melanson.  Our input hopefully will form part of a joint submission from the four Atlantic transportation ministers.  A key TAA recommendation was that the act should seek to maximize use of rail infrastructure to benefit all Canadians – in the safest possible manner.  Meanwhile, TAA director Clark Morris took the initiative to submit a personal brief to the review panel.  Information on the review process is available online at: http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/ctareview2014/discussion-paper.html.

Communication has been ongoing with elected representatives on the federal, provincial and municipal levels, as we seek to strengthen our voice on the myriad transportation issues confronting our region.  But the need to grow our membership base has never been more important.  More volunteers are urgently needed to fuel our efforts at reaching out to the general public.

– Ted Bartlett