If you want to skip to my three main rail line notes, scroll down until you hit the big bold titles below.
I realize there are several different groups with competing interests in the fate of the Cape Breton rail line owned by Genesee & Wyoming. I'll take a breath, crack my knuckles, and just dump out all of the stuff that comes to mind. Here we go:
The Port of Sydney Development Corporation and the port marketers (HPDP, SHIP) want the rail line maintained as they consider it of key importance to developing a shipping container terminal. Other groups want to take control of the rail line to ensure its preservation. Some creative minded people want to think of the rail line in terms of how it could be used to support tourism. Others are concerned that it interferes with their land ownership, introduces excessive (crossing) fees, and causes delays in their investments in (and their enjoyment of) their properties. Government officials are torn between subsidizing a line that nobody uses to help keep it in place for any potential use - and are quite concerned that if they did otherwise it would cost them too many votes. The new Donkin mining operation may be interested in the line for coal export. The FTZ Zone is next to, if not fully, meaningless but its proponents (Mark Eyking, Business Cape Breton) would have us believe it isn't, so they'll tie it to export possibilities. And last I heard the rail line was still interfering with the intended traffic flow on Spar Road as it enters Whitney Pier (aka the "road to nowhere").
Which special interests did I miss?
Though the rail line has never been a big focus area for me, my personal concerns are primarily focused on any interference it causes. A line that has no traffic on it shouldn't be blocking passage of traffic on Spar Road. Likewise, homeowners that have to cross the tracks to get to their properties shouldn't have to deal with nonsense and excessive fees to make their local investments.
If anyone believes the container port terminal is really viable, then they certainly will advocate that the line is a necessity. So I also acknowledge what they suggest despite never having any sense of strong confidence in the port development itself. Why would I? Last week Mary Campbell of the Cape Breton Spectator wrote that port marketer Barry Sheehy has been off writing a history book about Abraham Lincoln's assassin's time hanging out in Montreal, and lots of detailed research on the related subject matter (zzzzz...). If Sheehy turns out to be the type of polymath who can operate at an expert-level in both the international shipping industry and professional authorship of books on the history of the American Civil War, I'm still more impressed by how he manages his time so well. Based on how long it takes me to put together my poorly written blog posts, by contrast writing a deeply researched history book for publication while simultaneously marketing (with exclusivity) a billion dollar port project is quite the accomplishment. I struggle to decide what's an appropriate level of cynicism on this matter.
If I go on any further with the above, you may not get to those notes I promised in the title. So without further ado:
1. Geoff MacLellan's one year deal is already almost half over?
The media is reporting that we've bought ourselves another year of avoiding the scrapping of the rail line. The Cape Breton Post's Nancy King (via the Chronicle Herald) tells us they "back-dated" the deal. So we have about 7 months remaining?
"But while the year-long agreement was announced Friday, it was back-dated to March, Minister of Business Geoff MacLellan said in an interview." - Chronicle Herald, Sept. 1st, 2017
2. Genesee & Wyoming wanted to terminate freight service due to lack of business after increasing rates 300%?
The Financial Post and other media outlets state:
"In January 2015 Genesee and Wyoming was given permission by the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board to discontinue freight service in the fall of that year, which the company did, citing a lack of business." - Financial Post, Sept. 1st, 2017
But the Cape Breton Post indicated several times that G&W actually increased their rates (by 300%) in October 2014 (source). The GM of East Coast Rope told the CB Post that G&W increased rates for them that would "cost an additional $18,000 per car to get the cars past Port Hawkesbury". Owner and manager of Eyking Farms, Chris Eyking, said he felt the increases weren't "reasonable". Specifically, he told the CB Post:
"They basically moved themselves out of position of doing anything with the line anyway. In essence, they basically priced themselves out of even providing the service." - Cape Breton Post, Jan. 15th, 2015
3. Is the rail line actually being "preserved" in any way by G&W?
Minister Geoff MacLellan says the newly announced 1-year preservation deal is backdated to March 2017. Has any actual maintenance or preservation happened since that time?
As I stated earlier, I haven't been closely tracking the status of the railway. However, common questions I hear out there in the ether are whether or not the line could support double stacked traffic (container port consideration), whether the lines are safe or maintained at all, and the condition of the various bridge crossings.
The new study that the Port of Sydney has commissioned from consultant firm Hatch will be assessing the state of the line and estimating costs for repair and upgrade. For now, I'll just share this drone video that shows several severe washouts of the rail line. And I'll pose a question to those in the know: Has this been repaired?
Would repair of these washouts be a part of what is included in MLA MacLellan's new preservation deal with G&W?
NOTE: The views expressed above are my own and do not represent lokol (goCapeBreton.com). Read more
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