(The Vancouver Sun posted the following article by Charlie Anderson on its website on April 27.)
VANCOUVER — Canadian National Railways has denied reports that it plans to tear up the rail track between North Vancouver and Whistler and convert it to a road.
News reports late last week quoted a government source as saying CN floated the proposal as part of its bid to take over operations of government-owned B.C. Rail.
“That’s incorrect. CN has not submitted any bids for B.C. Rail,” said spokesman Mark Hallman. “It’s a bit of a tempest in a teapot.
“We would be interested once the government tabled its request for proposals, but we’re not there yet.”
Hallman said the story stemmed from a brainstorming session last year held while the government was seeking ideas on how to solve its Whistler access problem for the 2010 Olympic bid.
“We just simply said, as a suggestion, that there might be some consideration given to be able to move that track . . . convert the road bed to a two-lane southbound [highway] and run northbound on Highway 99.”
But Hallman said that was a “blue sky” thought advanced as a public-service suggestion.
Premier Gordon Campbell has promised that the rail beds and rights of way will remain public.
Hallman also held out the prospect that the railway might revive passenger service, which B.C. Rail curtailed last fall.
Meantime, the B.C. Federation of Labour wants to know why the government withheld the railway’s latest profit figure from a group of mayors during a meeting this week to discuss the future of the Crown-owned railway.
Federation president Jim Sinclair claimed Friday the mayors were not told the railway made $17 million in the first quarter, up from last year, because the Liberals want to privatize the line.
“The Liberals are giving it away,” said Sinclair.