CALGARY — Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) announced it is offering for sale a low-density railway branchline in southern Alberta, in accordance with discontinuance procedures of the Canada Transportation Act (CTA), reports a company press release.
CPR is offering for sale to the shortline railway market a 158-km (98-mile) branchline, known as the Lomond Subdivision, between Vauxhall and a point just south of Blackie, Alta.
Traffic on this line has been steadily decreasing in recent years, with very few carloads in 2001.
Advertisements published by CPR this week in local and national newspapers said that in accordance with CTA guidelines, parties interested in acquiring the line for railway operations must make their interests known to the railway in writing by March 19, 2002.
CPR first announced this railway line was a candidate for discontinuance with the update of its three-year network plan in May, 2000.
The railway must meet certain conditions before it can discontinue service on a line. First, it must offer line discontinuance candidates for sale to the private sector. If there is no interest in the marketplace, the railway must then offer the line to the federal (under certain circumstances), provincial and municipal governments.
Unless expressions of interest in the Lomond Subdivision are received by March 19, and an agreement to purchase is reached within six months of that date, CPR may offer the line for sale at net salvage value to the provincial and adjacent municipal governments.
All changes to the railway’s rationalization plans are made public as they occur, or through periodic updates to the railway’s three-year network plan. Network plans and updates will be published on the railway’s Website at: www.cpr.ca
Calgary-based CPR has a 22,500-km (14,000-mile) network and serves the principal centres of Canada, from Montreal to Vancouver, as well as the U.S. Northeast and Midwest. CPR’s track provides a direct link between Chicago and the East and West coasts. Alliances with other carriers extend CPR’s market reach beyond its own network and into the major business centres of Mexico.