In a June 30 press release, CN Railway’s spin doctors announced, among other things, that following a request by the Western Premiers, they will suspend further steps to abandon the Mantario-White Bear-Elrose rail lines in West Central Saskatchewan.
“These initiatives underscore CN’s resolve to work fairly and openly with groups seeking to buy prairie branchlines that are surplus to CN’s needs,” says CN president and chief executive officer Paul Tellier.
The reality, however, is just the opposite. This spring CN began to dismantle our line by removing the west half of the Y at Wartime, where the Kyle spur joins. CN has also torn up and removed the east half of the Y at Alsask.
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In my opinion, this is an illegal action that is counter to the abandonment process as set out by the Canadian Transportation Act. Having these Ys removed will limit the ability of a future operator to send cars west from the Matador Subdivision, and cars east from the Mantario Subdivision. …
Farmers in this area take exception to CN bragging about co-operation. We are well aware of CN’s ongoing resistance to producer car service. WCRR and individual farmers, as a last resort, had to file no less than five different complaints with the CTA during the last year and a half….
We must make sure our politicians and the CTA are aware of these actions by CN and we must demand that the damage they have done to this rail line be repaired.
– Doug Bone,
Elrose, Sask.
