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10/9/2023
Canadian Minister of Transport Pablo Rodriguez announced the signing of two contribution agreements to launch the first calls for tender involving the construction of the Lac-Megantic rail bypass project.
The Canadian government and the city of Lac-Megantic, Quebec, have signed an agreement that allows the city to begin preparations for construction of the bypass, which includes the reconstruction of city-owned municipal infrastructure and its relocation to the industrial park. The city will oversee planning and implementation of the work, according to a Transport Canada press release.
The government also signed a contribution agreement with Central Maine & Quebec Railway Inc. (CMQR), a subsidiary of Canadian Pacific Kansas City, for the construction of the bypass project. The agreement outlines the terms and fundamental principles under which the railway operator will carry out the project. It will also enable the launch of the tendering process to contract a firm to carry out the work.
Rodriguez announced the agreements last week during his first visit to Lac-Megantic since he became transport minister earlier this year. The city is the site of the 2013 rail disaster in which a Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway (MMA) crude-oil train, which had been parked in Nantes at the top of a slope, rolled down the hill before derailing at a high rate of speed in Lac-Megantic. The derailment led to an explosion and fire that killed 47 people and destroyed Lac-Megantic's downtown.
The MMA filed for bankruptcy in 2014 and the CMQR became what remained of the railroad.
The 8-mile rail bypass is being built to provide security for Lac-Megantic while ensuring local businesses can continue to access rail transportation.