Arctic Gateway obtains more funding for Hudson Bay Railway, Churchill port projects

Canadian federal and Manitoba provincial officials last week announced a joint investment of up to CA$60 million for the Arctic Gateway Group to use to finish work on the Hudson Bay Railway and start redevelopment at the Port of Churchill.

The projects will benefit the communities and sectors of the economy that depend on the Arctic Gateway Group's operations, federal and provincial officials said in a news release.

The Arctic Gateway Group is a partnership of 41 First Nation and Bayline communities in Manitoba. The Hudson Bay Railway — which is owned and operated by the group — provides passenger- and freight-rail services.

The investment will build on the federal and provincial governments' previous commitments to restore rail service to Churchill and surrounding communities. The Hudson Bay Railway serves remote and Indigenous communities and links the Port of Churchill as the only deep-water Arctic port connected to the North American surface transportation network.

Over the past two years, repair and maintenance work on the railroad involved replacing 166,000 ties, resurfacing 2 million feet of track, upgrading and fixing over 10 bridges, and installing ballast on 23% of the track between The Pas and Churchill, Manitoba.