CP advances plan to reactivate Arbutus rail corridor

Canadian Pacific announced late last week that it soon will begin transporting and storing rail cars on its reclaimed Arbutus corridor line in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Zoned by the city for transportation, the corridor runs from False Creek to the Fraser River in Vancouver and is the property of CP. The Class I has upgraded track and land and is working with Transport Canada on the "timely resumption of safe operations," CP officials said in a press release.

"This rail corridor is zoned by the city expressly for transportation, so that is what we must use it for," said Mark Wallace, CP vice president of corporate affairs. "The Arbutus corridor is a valuable but under-utilized asset for CP and it is our responsibility to use all our assets safely and efficiently."

CP officials have advised local residents, schools and businesses that the line will be used to store rail cars, which will help improve efficiency elsewhere in its rail network.

Vancouver officials are opposed to CP's plan, however. They recently expressed their concerns about public safety to Transport Canada, according to a report in Global News.