Churchill residents rejoice as rail service gets back on track
1st rail cars in over a year arrived in northern community Wednesday night
Residents of Churchill have taken to the streets to celebrate after the federal government announced full passenger and freight rail service should be restored to the northern Manitoba communityby the end of the month.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement at the Port ofChurchillthis morning, as hundreds of residents gathered for a street party to celebrate the arrival last night of the first train intoChurchillin 18 months.
"Churchill, as Canada's only Arcticdeep water port, issomethingI'm very optimistic about," Trudeau said.
"Supporting the North is of fundamental importance to the future of Canada."
Theannouncementis part of a $117-million commitment the federal government is making to resurrect both the rail line and Canada's only deep water Arctic port.
For the last 20 years, the port has struggled in the face short shipping seasons, changing agricultural markets and indifferent ownership.
Many here say the deal is critical to save the northern community and others in the Arctic that rely on it.
"It's a really good day,whenwe heard the train whistles going, it felt just like the good old days," said millwright KimKushniryk, who works on and off at the port.
She's looking forward to finally having steady work when next year's shipping season starts.
"Food and fuel has gone up, everything has gone up and up wages never increased," Kushniryksaid.
Churchill has been without rail service since May 2017, when record flooding washed out portions of the approximately 400-kilometretrack leading to Hudson Bay in 20 different places. That madethe town of 800 on the Manitoba shore of Hudson Bay a fly-in only community.
Denver-based ownerOmni-Traxbalked at paying repairs, originally estimated at $60 million, and held out for a sale.
Negotiations dragged on for months as Churchill residents dealt with rising living expenses, food costs soared, and at times Churchill had the highest gasoline prices in all of Canada.
The impact was felt far beyond Churchill in Arcticcommunities that a rely on the rail as critical supply line.
The loss of the train also meant many people unable to afford the $1,000-plus flight to Winnipeg were left stranded in Churchill.
AdamMorrishand his wife KelseyMontaniwere at the street party holding their one-year-old sonTeagan, who was wearing a T-shirtsaying "Know I'm here" a sloganChurchillembraced when the rail went out.
"It was too expensive for us to try to leave," explainedMorrish, who said they have racked up a lot of debt in the last 18 months.
"It was a big setback, the cost of food doubled if nottripled."
Montanisaidthe return of the rail will make it viable to stay.
"This means so so much for us and the future for him," she saidpointingto her son.
"We have been here five years. We have no plans on leaving. We hope with this port and the rail, everything goes great."
20thcentury vision reimagined
While Ottawa is putting up money, the rail and port will be run by Arctic Gateway Group, a coalition of local rail-line communities, area First Nations, Saskatchewan grain and pulse traderAGTFood and Ingredients andTorontoholding company Fairfax Financial.
The rail line and port were first built in the1920sover frustrations that rail companies and eastern ports in Thunder Bay and Montreal were exploiting Western farmers.Churchill and its shorter northern shipping routes offered an alternate way to Europe.
Arctic Gateway saida warming North and longer shipping seasons make that nearly century-old vision more viable than ever.
"This community is going to become a very important part of the economic future of Canada," said Arctic Gateway presidentMuradAl-Katib.
"We need to recognize as a country that robust demand inforeignmarkets will make us need to use all our ports. We think a natural resources corridor for Western Canada is important."
The plan for now is to import and export mainly agriculture products, grains, pulse crops, and fertilizers.
As it did in the early20thcentury, Arctic Gateway saidthe rail and port may once again be a solution in a21stcentury Western Canada commodities controversy shipping oil.
In 2013, the previous Manitoba government rejected a proposal to ship crude throughthe North.The current government hasn't commented on reconsidering the idea.
Repairs 'substantially complete'
Arctic Gateway Group saidrepairs are "substantiallycomplete."
In some of northern Manitoba's most remoteterrain,crews repaired 29 washouts, shored up the rail bed and made structural repairs to culverts and bridges all while while racingagainstthe onset of winter. They managed to get the work done 30 days ahead of schedule.
"We are certainly ready on our phase 1," saidAl-Katib.
"The track is ready to handle full loads right now. We'll start small, services will get bigger and bigger."
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