Anyone who’s ever tried to catch a train at the CN Chappell Yards in Saskatoon can be forgiven for thinking Via Rail doesn’t really want their business.
The bare-bones ‘station’ is open for only four hours a day on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. And those hours rarely coincide with the highly-random Via Rail arrivals and departures.
The vast majority of the estimated 9,000 travellers annually on Via Rail’s Canadian ‘service’ that operates on CN’s Main Line are from out of province, and they’re passing through Saskatchewan during night-time hours on their way to BC or Toronto.
But the Mayors of Yorkton, Warman, Lloydminster, North Battleford and Vegreville want to change all that.
The communities are located along CN’s Prairie North Line, and the Mayors are supportive of a proposal that would see Via Rail’s passenger service re-routed from CN’s Main Line to CN’s Prairie North Line between Melville and Edmonton.
The Mayors believe the change would improve Via Rail service, boost ridership and provide new economic opportunities for urban centres and Indigenous communities along the line.
The proposal, which originated with a North Battleford-based organization called Prairie North Rail Passenger Train Inc. (PNRPTI), was presented to Saskatoon City Councillors at a Governance and Priorities Committee meeting at Saskatoon City Hall on Tuesday, December 12.
Warman Mayor Gary Philipchuk spoke at the meeting, along with Lloydminster Mayor Gerald Aalbers, North Battleford Mayor David Gillan, and Yorkton Mayor Mitch Hipplsey. PNRPTI committee member Richard Gibbons also made a presentation.
In an interview December 12, Philipchuk said his support for the proposal is contingent on the City of Saskatoon coming on side as well. He believes relocating passenger train service to Warman, a short 10-minute drive from Saskatoon, would be more convenient for Saskatoon residents. It would also encourage more tourism in Saskatoon because of its close proximity to Wanuskewin Heritage Park.
“Ultimately we want something that is good for the whole region,” said Philipchuk. “We are looking for the support of all communities in the Saskatoon region.”
The proposal involves re-routing Via Rail service to the CN Prairie North Line, connecting Yorkton, Canora, Humboldt, Warman, The Saskatoon Region, the Battlefords and Lloydminster; as well as Vermilion and Vegreville, before rejoining the CN main line at Edmonton.
The Mayors said in their presentation that moving Via Rail to the Prairie North Line within the Saskatoon North Partnership for Growth (P4G) area, will connect more Indigenous and rural communities, while providing greater access to potential passengers,
They pointed out the proposed change would help improve Via Rail’s on-time performance, which is measured as arriving within 60 minutes of the scheduled arrival. On time performance results of the Canadian show the passenger rail company dropped from 84% in 2009 to 8% in 2017.
“The opportunity to help grow Indigenous and Non-Indigenous tourism businesses is key to helping grow our economy for the prairies, and having Via Rail travel with foreign tourists to the areas rich in Indigenous history and culture is the first step,” said Aalbers.
The CN main line carries the bulk of the company’s freight trains, and passenger trains are sidetracked to allow freights priority. Via Rail attributes 85% of its passenger train delays to freight traffic. The Canadian routinely waits on sidings to allow large freight trains to pass, with wait times lasting up to several hours. The greater the volume of freight traffic, the longer the delays for Via Rail passenger trains.
Philipchuk said the amount of freight traffic on CN’s main line is likely to increase once BHP Billiton’s new potash mine comes on stream.
“In the long term there will be more demand on that line, and that will translate into even worse Via Rail service than there is already,” said Philipchuk. “The fact is, the Via Rail system is broken, and this proposal offers a positive solution that could fix it and bring a lot of benefit to the region.
“I think it’s a proposal worth pursuing.”
Passenger train service in Saskatchewan was common during the first half of the 20th century. In 1955, both CN and CP Rail began transcontinental passenger train service; with CN’s ‘Super Continental’ service utilizing the CN Prairie North Line from Saskatoon through North Battleford and Lloydminster. In 1978, Via Rail, a federal crown corporation, assumed responsibility for the CP Rail passenger service. In 1981, CN discontinued its passenger service.
In 1990, Via Rail moved from CPR trackage to the CN main line, with two passenger trains twice a week. Westbound trains leave Toronto on Wednesdays and Sundays, and eastbound trains leave Vancouver on Mondays and Fridays. The cross-Canada trip takes about four days.