PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. — Denver-based Omnitrax is looking to buy or operate B.C. Rail and attract back much of the freight that moved to trucks when the railway halted its intermodal service earlier this year, Today’s Trucking reported.
The provincially-owned company also announced recently it will be discontinuing passenger service.
Despite a government assertion that it would not sell the railway, Omnitrax will hold meetings this week with local business and community leaders in order to get an indication of support for the plan. B.C. Rail had been seeking an operator for the 300-km stretch between Fort St. John and Fort Nelson since the beginning of the year. It seems Omnitrax is the last of three original candidates that is still interested in operating the line.
Omnitrax president Gary Rennick, a former Canadian National Railway executive, told local media he is quite confident his company will be successful in making B.C. Rail profitable once again. He said he is interested in running passenger service and will be very active in trying to get truck traffic onto rail. —with files from Canadian Press