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By Graham Bruce
When Native and municipal leaders came together to protect and acquire the E&N Railway corridor they understood the complexity of the task at hand.
In forming the Island Corridor Foundation they created a structure that could accept the land transfer from CPR and work to achieve eight objectives one of which is ‘to contribute to safe and environmentally sound passenger and freight rail services along the Railroad’.
The ICF realized the necessity to have a capable short line rail operator to manage railroad operations. To their credit the ICF was able to engage Southern
Continue reading Railway Facts And A Professional Plan Are Important
Times Colonist – November 7, 2011
NANAIMO — View Royal Mayor Graham Hill is among those concerned about the future of rail on Vancouver Island, after Via Rail’s Dayliners left Nanaimo on a barge headed for Eastern Canada Saturday.
“I am a bit concerned about the signal that this sends,” Hill said during the weekend after travelling to Nanaimo to witness the removal of the two passenger cars.
However, he’s also hopeful about the return of a better service with much-improved Dayliners next year.
When Via suspended its operations between Courtenay and Victoria in March due to poor
Continue reading Removal of VIA Dayliners concerns View Royal Mayor
The bridge and trestle inspection team has begun its assessment of the 48 structures along the Island railroad. The field work will be completed by December of 2011. The Island Corridor Foundation had requested this review be undertaken before work began on the $15 million rail infrastructure. The B.C. government has approved a $7.5 million contribution and the ICF is awaiting word from the federal government for a matching amount. The $500,000 inspection will report on the state of repair, the life of each structure and the weight loading.
Pilot project the only way to gauge support for up-Island train service
BY GRAHAM BRUCE, TIMES COLONIST
SEPTEMBER 28, 2011
A recent report about commuter rail service between the Cowichan Valley, the Western Communities and Victoria is an unfinished study.
The limited study into establishing a pilot commuter service between Cowichan, Langford and Victoria was initiated by the Island Corridor Foundation with B.C. Transit. Due to a freedom-of-information request, the report was released unfinished without comment by the foundation.
The report is primarily a collection of baseline details that will be used for a more rigorous assessment in
Continue reading Commuter Rail Study Unfinished Work
Times Colonist, June 28, 2011 By Bill Cleverly Premier Christy Clark pledged Tuesday to help get the E&N Rail line back on track by announcing $7.5 million in provincial funding toward track improvements. But the money is conditional. An inspection of bridges along the line must be completed and the federal government must give similar funding. “I am delighted to announce that the province will provide $7.5 million in funding to the Island Corridor Foundation,” Clark told a gathering of Vancouver Island mayors and other elected officials in Nanaimo. “Now $500,000 of that will allow the foundation to complete
Continue reading B.C. government pledges funds to E&N Rail line
Andre Sullivan of the Young Professionals of Nanaimo speaks of the campaign to restore the Nanaimo Station. The Young Professionals raised $450,000 to rebuild the station that was razed by fire in 2007.
Via Rail has promised three refurbished cars when service restarts. Graham Bruce, executive director of the Island Corridor Foundation explains plans for rail service to guests at Nanaimo relocation ceremony.
May 9th 2011
Media Advisory
On the
Continue reading VIA Passenger Train to Nanaimo – A New Beginning or the End of Rail?
AVICC Press Release
Tuesday May 3, 2011
The decision of whether rail will continue to exist on Vancouver Island is a step closer with the BC Minister of Transportation Blair Lekstrom telling Island mayors he will get an answer to the Island Corridor Foundation $15 million rail infrastructure request submitted to the federal and provincial governments last October.
“The minister told us this would require a treasury board submission for the $7.5 million provincial contribution”, said Association of Vancouver Island & Coastal Communities president, Joe Stanhope, “and he would get us a quick reply”.
Island mayors and representatives of
Continue reading Minister Promises Island Rail Answer
AVICC Press Release
Monday April 11, 2011
Island Mayors want a meeting with Premier Christie Clark and Transportation Minister Blair Lekstrom to discuss the loss of the VIA passenger service and the potential shutdown of railroad transportation on Vancouver Island.
An emergency resolution was unanimously passed Sunday at the Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities annual convention at Sydney in the wake of last week’s shutdown of the passenger service.
AVICC president, Joe Stanhope said the $15 million rail infrastructure application submitted last October to the federal and provincial governments is absolutely critical to maintaining railroad service on
Continue reading Island Mayors Request Meeting with Premier
By Graham Bruce
On the 125th anniversary of rail operating on Vancouver Island it will be decided whether rail will continue to operate or be shut down.
In October of 2010 the owners of the railway corridor, the Island Corridor Foundation, (ICF), a Foundation of regional districts & First Nations, presented the federal and provincial governments with a $15 million infrastructure investment request to secure the future of Island rail.
As things stand today without a commitment for the $15 million investment by late spring of 2011, ICF will have to develop a plan for an orderly shutdown of
Continue reading Will Rail Survive on Vancouver Island?
Globe and Mail – Published Friday, Dec. 10, 2010 8:04PM EST BRENNAN CLARKE
As a long-time veteran of the Colwood Crawl, Don Swagar expects a certain amount of rush-hour congestion during the morning commute from his home in the Western Communities to his job in downtown Victoria.
But this fall, the gridlock on the Trans-Canada Highway outside the provincial capital has been far worse than anything he’s experienced in almost 20 years of making the trip.
“There’s been a lot more traffic in the last year and a half, and since the beginning of September, it’s the worst
Continue reading Victoria commuters pin hopes on rail plan
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