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Yesterday, the province of British Columbia announced plans to provide $7.5 million for the E&N Railway to help restore passenger-rail service on Vancouver Island.

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure will contribute up to $500,000 for an engineering inspection on the condition of 40 rail bridges and trestles on the 140-mile line between Victoria and Courtenay. The remaining $7 million will help the Island Corridor Foundation (ICF), which owns the E&N Railway, repair track; the ICF has identified $15 million worth of necessary repairs. The provincial funding is conditional upon the final bridge inspection and the ICF matching the other $7.5 million that’s needed to ensure all track repairs are completed, provincial officials said in a prepared statement.

The ICF also plans to prepare a long-term plan that will determine how passenger-rail service can reach its potential on the island, including ways to attract more ridership.

Southern Railway of Vancouver Island, which is contracted by the ICF to operate the railway, suspended passenger-rail service earlier this spring after it determined the line “was no longer safe and funding was not available to make repairs,” provincial officials said. Track inspections found decaying wood ties, worn or loose bolts, and overgrown vegetation. However, the line continues to be used for freight-rail service.

VIA Rail Canada Inc. owns the line’s passenger-rail equipment and provides ticketing services.