Southern Railway to continue operating Vancouver Island corridor for three years (1/15/2009)
1/15/2024The Island Corridor Foundation (ICF) recently reached an interim three-year agreement with Southern Railway of Vancouver Island Ltd. (SVI) to continue serving as operator of Vancouver Island’s 180-mile freight- and passenger-rail corridor.
The non-profit foundation, which owns the corridor, has been negotiating a long-term service agreement with SVI, a subsidiary of Southern Railway of British Columbia Ltd. But after the B.C. province announced plans to spend $500,000 on a feasibility study to determine the costs and viability of upgrading the corridor, both sides agreed that a long-term pact should wait until the study is completed.
“This agreement with SVI is an important step in our on-going campaign to bring the Island Rail Corridor up to current standards and ensure that the benefits of rail will continue to flow for island businesses and residents,” said ICF Co-Chairman Mary Ashley in a prepared statement. “[However], without the commitment of provincial and federal government dollars for infrastructure upgrades, the long-term viability of rail on Vancouver Island is uncertain.”
Source: Progressive Railroading Daily News