CANADA: Genesee & Wyoming Inc has launched Red Deer Railway Ltd, its first railway in western Canada.
GWI acquired the assets and other rights from Canadian Pacific Kansas City as part of the transaction which saw CPKC and CSX acquire lines operated by G&W’s Meridian & Bigbee Railroad in Mississippi and Alabama to create a direct interchange between the Class I railways.
RDR runs from Jackson to Homeglen in Alberta, and uses operating rights over CPKC from Red Deer to Chigwell and Prentiss. There is a direct interchange with CPKC in Red Deer, and wagon storage and transloading facilities. It has 10 employees and serves customers in the energy industry.
‘Shippers in the booming Alberta Industrial Heartland can now rely on the safe and efficient first and last-mile service that G&W’s railroads in Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Québec have earned a reputation for’, said Rick McLellan, President of G&W’s Canada operations, when RDR was officially launched on December 2. ‘RDR can tailor our service package and operations plans based on the individual needs of area businesses along our 43 mile [69 km] route.’
