Removal work resumes Tuesday on Arbutus Rail Corridor: CP Rail

A few weeks after the City of Vancouver lost their battle in B.C. Supreme over the Arbutus Rail Corridor, CP Rail has announced removal work will begin again Tuesday.

Letters delivered to residents and schools in the Westside community said the clean up would include brush cutting and removal of “encroachments” along the corridor with the work beginning at West 70th Avenue and continuing northward.

The letter also states the work will take approximately four weeks and will be followed with any infrastructure upgrades.

“It is neither safe nor legal for anyone to use CP’s land along the Arbutus corridor as a commuter route (walking, running, cycling), for storing personal goods, or for gardening (planting or removal),” the CP Rail letter said.

For years, city officials have been fighting with Canadian Pacific Rail over how the 11-kilometre stretch of rail and green space will be used. The city wanted the corridor to remain a greenway but when the two parties could not agree on a price, CP Rail began to clear the corridor in August.

READ MORE: Rail company wants tracks on Arbutus Corridor cleared of property

The city and CP Rail attempted to negotiate again but talks eventually broke down and the city eventually filed an injunction in October 2014 to block any further attempt by CP to re-activate its dormant rail line; which transects the tony Westside community.

At January’s B.C. Supreme Court ruling, Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson denied the application saying the city cannot claim any property interest in the corridor.

A statement from the City of Vancouver says the fight is not over yet:

“The City is continuing to review its options in light of the court’s decision. We are preparing an application to the Canadian Transportation Agency regarding our concerns about any reactivation of trains by CP along the Arbutus Corridor.”