By Jeff Stagl, Managing Editor
There are 26 short lines in western Canada, including 13 in the province of Saskatchewan.
About 7% of outbound carloads originate on a short line in the region, such as agricultural products, fuel and chemical shipments. The small railroads operate 24% of the rail lines in Saskatchewan, running through 18% of the urban areas and 26% of the rural municipalities.
Short lines play a vital in role in helping to take trucks off roads, boost the economy, develop industrial projects, support jobs and provide environmental and other benefits in the region — a message the Western Canadian Short Line Railway Association (WCSLRA) is trying harder to spread to shippers and other stakeholders.
A non-profit organization, the association represents and champions the interests of 18 short lines in western Canada. Its members are Battle River Railway, Big Sky Rail, Carlton Trail Railway, Fife Lake Railway Ltd., Forty Mile Rail, Great Sandhills Railway Ltd., Great Western Railway, Hudson Bay Railway, Last Mountain Railway, Long Creek Railroad Co. Inc., Northern Lights Rail, Oyen Regional Railway, Red Coat Road & Rail, Southern Rails Cooperative Ltd., Stewart Southern Railway, Thunder Rail, Torch River Rail and Wheatland Railway.
The WCSLRA recently launched a marketing program aimed at better promoting members and helping them become savvier at promoting themselves. In December, the association learned it will receive a CA$506,800 grant from federal agency Prairies Economic Development Canada to help the fund the CA$1 million, multiyear program.
Since 2015, WCSLRA President Andrew Glastetter has served as the GM of the Great Western Railway, which manages about 400 miles of former CP track in Saskatchewan. Western Canadian Short Line Railway Association In development for the past several years, the program involves two approaches: improving the WCSLRA’s website and developing a brand for the organization; and helping member short lines create, enhance or refine their digital presence to better promote their services, and bolster their social media and branding skills.
Many of the short lines — which are agricultural-based — have no digital budget, says WCSLRA President Andrew Glastetter. Some of them have no website or just a minimal one-page site and many don’t embrace social media, adds Glastetter, the Great Western Railway’s general manager since 2015.
“Short lines are good at moving cars, but not so good at things in the digital space. We can offer this marketing support,” he says. “We need to toot our own horn and get the word out about how reliable we are and how much we contribute [to the region]. Short lines are an important part of the overall supply chain in western Canada.”
Through the program, the WCSLRA plans to offer business development and marketing workshops, support for print and digital marketing campaigns, and stakeholder networking sessions. The program is anticipated to last about three years.
The association expects to hire a vendor by January’s end or soon afterward to help with digital efforts at the WCSLRA and at member railroads. The vendor will help the association determine the digital needs of each member, Glastetter says.
Some of the larger railroads already have a web presence but could use help to upgrade or modernize their websites while others have old sites that haven’t been changed in many years, he says.
An association member, the 41-mile Long Creek Railroad Co. Inc. operates between Estevan and Tribune, Saskatchewan. Western Canadian Short Line Railway Association “The idea is to highlight what short lines can do and build up their online presence. We want to show how the boutique switching from short lines is different from the Class Is,” says Glastetter.
So far, some members are welcoming the support offered by the marketing program, but others are hesitant, he admits.
“They have an old-school mentality and want to see how it goes,” Glastetter says.
In addition to the Prairies Economic Development Canada grant, funding for the program will be provided by the association and its members.
“We have tried to keep dues low, so have not had a program like this before,” Glastetter says.
After the program runs its course in three years or so, WCSLRA leaders plan to discuss how we to take the effort to the next level.
“We want to determine if there is other funding support available and figure out a tie-in to this program,” Glastetter says.
