Rail is the future; the future is now!
When Canadian railway deregulation in the 1990s allowed Canada’s larger Class I railways to offer “running rights” to private rail operators, or to abandon outright secondary or non-profitable lines, the stage was set for a burgeoning new industry, the short line railway operator!
Due to a general lack of resources, Class I railways (CN and CP) were finding it increasingly difficult to ‘super serve’ smaller regional clients within their networks and remain competitive. Shipping by road was essentially the only option thus a new wrinkle was added to local or regional logistics requirements.
Emerging short line railways filled the gap. In some cases, the short line railway might own the track / infrastructure, in other cases, as previously noted, the short line railway would enter into a “running rights” agreement with the track owner. Either way, shippers could continue to connect to their prime national and international markets with rail as a logistics option. However, with the world recession surfacing in late 2008, Class I railways started showing signs of pulling back and liquidating physical rail assets; in many cases right down to the last bolt and tie.
CN has placed the Beachburg Subdivision (Ottawa west to Pembroke) on its abandonment list. There are dozens of industries in Pontiac and Renfrew counties requiring continued rail service for their very survival and the hundreds if not thousands of jobs directly or indirectly connected to it. Rail is the catalyst for economic rejuvenation and growth in Pontiac and Renfrew Counties.
