As per CN's three year plan, all of its operations in Ottawa will be discontinued. This means that Ottawa will be added to the ever-growing list of cities with absolutely no freight rail service. Costumers left behind from the closure include Rideau Bulk, SynAgri, Kott Lumber, Nylene Canada and Ivaco Rolling Mills.
Good news if you are a trucker, but otherwise, it is quite unfortunate.
Further reading:
https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cn.ca/-/media/Files/About-CN/Company-Information/three-year-network-plan-progress-en.pdf%3Fla%3Den%26hash%3D61EE9F6593FFE6E60567A0CCA11DEE20997F4DE1&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwi58cLysuvoAhXJB50JHVm0ArQQFjABegQIBxAB&usg=AOvVaw1l1ZNHXnRSWToPS8D9eNSc
https://capitalcurrent.ca/city-of-ottawa-exploring-purchase-of-two-abandoned-south-end-railway-lines/
https://thereview.ca/2018/10/22/want-to-own-a-rail-line-hawkesbury-vankleek-hill-glen-robert-loop-might-be-up-for-grabs/
Regrettable. The undoing and unraveling.
" So long and thanks for all the fish "
Really? A metro area of a million+ doesn't ship or receive enough traffic to support a rail line?
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
I'm going to wait and see what some of the rest of the Canadians have to say about this.
All I see is mention of a spur that has made far below break-even for years, that no private operating company wants to take over, and that (if I understand the present situation correctly) the affected provincial authorities want no part of either.
The thing that came to mind was the West Side freight line in Manhattan, certainly one of the last providers of 'carload' freight as far down as St. John's Park on the High Line. Plenty of 'traffic' on that line in my childhood; now its 'first best use' is as an Amtrak connection out of Penn Station, but with little if any service south of there.
What is the current situation for intermodal merchandise freight service to the Ottawa metro area?
Some things to keep in mind.
Modern Ottawa is a government town. Not much heavy industry. Historically it was the centre of the Ottawa valley's massive lumber, pulp and paper industry, but that has been decimated in recent years.
The city is no longer on a main rail line, CN and CP both have abandoned their direct routes between Montreal and Sudbury. This track was already a shortline for some time before CN bought it back.
Ottawa is about 125 miles from Montreal, and the consumer goods market there will be served by both railways from their Montreal-area intermodal terminals.
And finally, placing a rail line on the "intent to discontinue" list is a first step in a three year long regulatory process. Once put on the list CN has to wait a year before doing anything, then they have to offer it for sale for a year, and finally it must be offered at the scrap value price to local governments.
I'm not happy about this either, but none of this has happened overnight, or in a vacuum.
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
If I understand the information he linked, which contains a number of dates and bylines, correctly, most of the three-year process was started before 2018, and I think what prompted him to actually post here is a decision by the provincial authorities that they're unwilling to contribute the 'fair market value' of scrapping the line and then assuming responsibility to keep it in operation.
It was difficult for me to understand how a private entity would succeed drumming up enough business to keep it open, or to operate it as anything much more than a shoestring deferred-maintenance sort of thing...
SD70DudeSome things to keep in mind. Modern Ottawa is a government town. Not much heavy industry. Historically it was the centre of the Ottawa valley's massive lumber, pulp and paper industry, but that has been decimated in recent years. The city is no longer on a main rail line, CN and CP both have abandoned their direct routes between Montreal and Sudbury. This track was already a shortline for some time before CN bought it back. Ottawa is about 125 miles from Montreal, and the consumer goods market there will be served by both railways from their Montreal-area intermodal terminals. And finally, placing a rail line on the "intent to discontinue" list is a first step in a three year long regulatory process. Once put on the list CN has to wait a year before doing anything, then they have to offer it for sale for a year, and finally it must be offered at the scrap value price to local governments. I'm not happy about this either, but none of this has happened overnight, or in a vacuum.
Is Ottawa still the Capital of Canada? Does VIA serve Ottawa?
Since the only industry in Washington DC is government, I guess CSX should close up shop since it is the only carrier serving the District!
Not having the capital of a country not served by rail is a rather drastic statement.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
VIA has a busy service in and out of Ottawa. In fact, they own the track, having bought it when CN and CP tried to abandon it some years ago.
The line in question here does not host VIA service.
The map in the Capital Current link also shows the lines VIA uses and owns (Smith's Falls and Alexandria Subs).
SD70DudeCN and CP both have abandoned their direct routes between Montreal and Sudbury
Just want to give CN and CP congratulations for adding an additional 150+ miles to their transcontinental journies by forcing everything through Toronto. A real good way to cut down on transit times and make your service truck competitive.
But seriously, the lack of a bypass for Toronto in the event of an emergency is a huge weakness in Canada's rail network, but one that was entirely self inflicted.
There are two segments here. One is the 25 mile long branch from Glen Robertson (on VIA's Alexandria Sub), well to the east of Ottawa, that goes to Hawkesbury and then L'Orignal. A number of years back there was a small industrial area in Hawkesbury, with a handful of rail served operations. The end of the line was at a mini-mill steel operation. It had been spun off to the Ottawa Central quite a few years back, and then CN reacquired it as a possibly unwelcome part of a larger package. I have no idea what traffic is like now.
The second segment is in Ottawa itself, and includes Walkley Yard. It presumably connects to the Renfrew Spur, which last I heard was limping along with minimal traffic. As others mentioned, Ottawa itself no longer provides much in the way of rail freight, at least of the type today's railways want to handle.
John
ttrraaffiicc SD70Dude CN and CP both have abandoned their direct routes between Montreal and Sudbury Just want to give CN and CP congratulations for adding an additional 150+ miles to their transcontinental journies by forcing everything through Toronto. A real good way to cut down on transit times and make your service truck competitive. But seriously, the lack of a bypass for Toronto in the event of an emergency is a huge weakness in Canada's rail network, but one that was entirely self inflicted.
SD70Dude CN and CP both have abandoned their direct routes between Montreal and Sudbury
You're right. And I thought the same things as those lines were spun off and abandoned.
I wonder if CN and CP ever considered saving one of the lines for joint operation. Did the government worry about the loss of this important line?
MidlandMikeDid the government worry about the loss of this important line?
No, not at all. Canada's rail network is in horrible shape, and the government isn't concerned about it at all. The fact that they would allow mainlines like those through the Ottawa Valley be abandoned without consideration of the consequences is indicative of how little the Canadian government cares about critical infrastructure. It is the reason why we are currently in the situation we are with lines like the Cayuga subdivision, BC Rail, CN in Ottawa, and Huron Central.
It is hard to have any positive outlook for the Canadian rail industry when repeatedly and deliberately, the Canadian government and class 1 rail companies have taken steps to severely undermine it's competitiveness.
It wouldn't be much of a stretch to say that the rail in Canada has no future.
Thank You.
P S. After the War often went up to Ottawa on the CPR to the downtown station, but that's another story.
MidlandMike I wonder if CN and CP ever considered saving one of the lines for joint operation.
I wonder if CN and CP ever considered saving one of the lines for joint operation.
They tried that back in the 1990s, before the remaining lines were sold to shortlines.
I believe most of the CN lines between Pembroke and Capreol were abandoned, with remaining through traffic diverted onto the CP line, which was subsequently sold to Railink, becoming the Ottawa Valley Railway. CN and CP retained trackage rights for through trains.
This survived as a through route until about 2009, when CP decided to reroute its few remaining through trains to go via Toronto. CN had done the same some years earlier.
With almost zero local traffic left between Mattawa and Smiths Falls, the rails were removed along this stretch in 2011-2012.
Like I said before, I don't like any of this. In fact, I agree with the OP that this was a great strategic mistake on the part of both CN and CP. But I recognize the economic forces that led to the decisions.
It is also worth noting that both railways ceased viewing the Ottawa Valley route as important years before Hunter Harrison took control of them.
The Ontario government should have bought the Beachburg Sub when it was put up for abandonment in the late 2000s, and made it part of Ontario Northland.
What is the status of the QGRY line to Gatineau? Opportunity there to assume some operations from across the river?
CMQ_9017 What is the status of the QGRY line to Gatineau? Opportunity there to assume some operations from across the river?
Possibly, but CP is looking to (re)acquiring the QGRY to get back to Quebec City. It would be funny if the GGRY took control of the line only for it to be sold to CP.
On a family vacation in 1959, starting from Garrett, IN we drove up across the Mackinac Bridge onto the Soo. Next day was to be from the Soo to Ottawa (my dad mis read the map and thought it was closer than it really was. Recall we stopped at some small town 'diner' for lunch. Dad ordered a BLT - the lettuce and tomato were as expected, the bacon was raw strips (is that a Canadian thing?). We also drove through Sudbury - from the appearance, I thought we had landed on the Moon - the desolation of vegitation being done in by the gases being released into the atmosphere from the smelters in the area. Wherever the wind blew, things were killed.
Below picture is of me in front of the House of Parliament in Ottawa.
I seem to recall there was quite a bit of rail traffic that was moving in the valley behind Parliament - I could be mistaken as that was 61 years ago.
When my grandfather was still active, we'd go fishing every year on the Cabonga Reservoir, when there were still 35" or bigger pike to be had, before it was opened up as the Parc de la Verendrye and I was told the locals effectively fished it out. We got there by way of Maniwaki, and before that crossing the river at Hull, which I remember as being alive with trains in the mid-'60s.
I don't remember actually seeing anything on rails as we got north into the Gatineau (I think it's the Val D'Or region) so even then traffic might have been low.
I guess I was lucky that in the late 80s I rode the Montreal section of the Canadian while it was still on the CP route, thru the Ottawa Valley.
In case anyone cares, "L'Orignal" translates to 'The Moose."
Balt-- Sudbury has a great deal of outcrop naturally . Glaciers scroured them to a polish and left numerous striations . Multiple times. There was a thin layer of Laurentide drift left as overburden from the waters of melting glaciers.
Sudbury's incredible massive sulphide deposits were exposed and revealed when the CPR blasted thru outcrop as they built their main lines.
Prospectors came in swarms and blasted all the outcrop in the basin with giant water monitors , removing the thin overburden and the brush that struggled to grow there. This was a common method of removing overbuden and exposing rock. Still is .
The early years of smelting were pretty bad but that that did not last long. Very large and high smokestacks dispersed the emissions high in the atmosphere. Although built later in 1970 the superstack at 1250 feet was the tallest of them all.
In the centre of the basin is rich farmland located in a bowl, no outcrops, and is a major source of mixed crops, potatoes, dairy and horse breeding farms.
It is a common misconception that the barren nature of Sudbury was due to environmental problems caused by thoughtless men. This fact is reported ad nauseum.
There is a problem with heavy metals such as lead contamination despite the stacks. Modern day scrubbers and curtailed production have reached a point where the super stack is no longer needed.
Miningman Balt-- Sudbury has a great deal of outcrop naturally . Glaciers scroured them to a polish and left numerous striations . Multiple times. There was a thin layer of Laurentide drift left as overburden from the waters of melting glaciers.
Remember - my pass through the area was in 1959 - long before climate and pollution had come into the common vocabulary. I lived in Akron through much of the 1960's - the 'perfume' of the rubber companies let you know you were in Akron. Lived in Pittsburgh in the middle 50's - the light show one got to see as the B&O trains we traveled on for family visits back Baltimore were better than any of todays 'laser shows'; of course those shows created more pollution than lasers.
Back in the 'olden days' we thought the Earth could withstand any indignity we throw at it - and the Earth can; however, humankind is much more fragile than the Earth - will we create our own 'mass extinction'?
What I don't understand is why CN hasn't pulled out of Ottawa yet. They have given adequate notice, so why continue running 589? CN is pulling the trigger on the Cayuga sub, giving the customers their notice and moving quickly to abandon the track. Why not do it here?
Also, just want to point this out, but CN really is a trucker's best friend with all this business they are handing over.
ttrraaffiicc What I don't understand is why CN hasn't pulled out of Ottawa yet. They have given adequate notice, so why continue running 589? CN is pulling the trigger on the Cayuga sub, giving the customers their notice and moving quickly to abandon the track. Why not do it here?
Just speculating here, it may be that the Ottawa-area lines are still considered safe to run on, and have a bit of life left before extensive track maintenance is required.
The portion of the Cayuga Sub in question has multiple large bridges which have likely suffered from deferred maintenance for years.
ttrraaffiicc Also, just want to point this out, but CN really is a trucker's best friend with all this business they are handing over.
CN now owns TransX and H&R Transport, in addition to their own internal trucking division (CNTL), whose big rigs are painted just like the locomotives.
BaltACD I seem to recall there was quite a bit of rail traffic that was moving in the valley behind Parliament - I could be mistaken as that was 61 years ago.
You recall correctly, Ottawa Union Station was located on the east bank of the Rideau Canal, in view of the Parliament buildings. Tracks ran underneath the Chateau Laurier, on their way to CP's north shore lines via the Alexandra Bridge. The coach yards and mail/express/LCL handling facilities and team tracks were just south of Union Station.
Multiple large pulp/paper/lumber mills were clustered around Chaudiere Falls, just upstream of the Parliament buildings. One mill was immediately across the river.
All of this is gone now. The Union Station building is still there, but has not seen a train since 1966, when passenger operations were relocated to the current station, and all tracks in downtown Ottawa were removed.
This is what I was referring to in my earlier post about Ottawa not having much rail-suited freight anymore.
There has been minimal, if any freight activity west of the Thurso area since 2010, when Resolute Forest Products closed their large Gatineau plant. It later reopened, but at much reduced capacity.
The last train to use the Prince of Wales Bridge was in 2007, when Domtar closed their Gatineau mill. This was also the last operating mill at the Chaudiere Falls.
The bridge is now owned by the City of Ottawa, which has reversed course and now intends to turn it into a cycling/multi-use trail, instead of using it for a future LRT/Commuter rail line.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-gatineau-prince-of-wales-bridge-1.5296186
SD70DudeThe portion of the Cayuga Sub in question has multiple large bridges which have likely suffered from deferred maintenance for years.
Less than 5 years ago, CN invested almost a million dollars to rehab the Cayuga sub. It is in decent shape. The question is, if they are losing money on daily operations in Ottawa, why not leave? They could fulfill their service obligations by paying for trucking for the customers. The only explanation I can think of would be that CN wants to operate in Ottawa, but is looking to transfer ownership of the tracks to other parties to save on maintenance.
What is troubling though is that Ottawa still handles at least somewhere in the region of 1000 carloads per year. To just walk away from that business is troubling and shows that rail in Canada just isn't doing well.
1000 carloads a year is less than three carloads per day, hardly a major source of traffic.
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