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On April 1, a newly formed Canadian non-profit organization plans to begin offering railway training programs in a working environment.

The Canadian Heartland Training Railway (CHTR) will use a 21-mile, Central Western Railway Corp.-owned branch line in Stettler, Alberta, to provide hands-on courses for railway conductor trainees enrolled at the Railway Association of Canada's Institute of Railway Technology.

CHTR also plans to use the line — which RailAmerica Inc. subsidiary Central Western Railway began operating in 1986, becoming Canada's first modern-era short line — to qualify locomotive engineers and conduct industrial switching training programs.

"We will work in partnership with the industry, educational institutions and others to prepare new employees to meet the upcoming employment needs of the Canadian railway industry," said CHTR President Joseph Bracken in a prepared statement.