CANADA: The federal and provincial governments have announced up to C$60m of funding for capital works on the Hudson Bay Railway, which provides year-round all-weather access to the port of Churchill and remote communities in northern Manitoba.
The 1 000 km railway from The Pas to Churchill is owned and operated by the Arctic Gateway Group partnership of 41 First Nation and Bayline communities, which took over from OmniTRAX in 2018 after the line suffered severe flood damage the previous year.
The latest investment announcement builds on previous commitments to ensure services can be sustained; over the last two construction seasons work has been undertaken on 610 km of track and 10 bridges.
‘The port of Churchill makes Manitoba a maritime province, and both the port and the rail line offer so much potential when it comes to international trade, energy exports and building out the supply chains that create good jobs in northern Manitoba’, said Premier of Manitoba Wab Kinew on February 23. ‘Our team fought to repair the rail line because we understand it is the backbone of the northern economy and a vital connection to food and fuel for the families that live there.’
