WATCH: The Canadian Pacific Railway says trains will roll through the reclaimed Arbutus corridor in the coming weeks. Letters have been sent to people living along the rail line — warning them to stay away from the tracks as work progresses. Catherine Urquhart reports.
With the removal work along the Arbutus Rail Corridor complete, get ready to start seeing rail cars being stored and moved along the tracks in the coming weeks.
In a statement released today, Canadian Pacific Rail said they will start transporting and storing rail cars and asks the public for their cooperation by staying off the railway corridor for safety reasons. The rail company sites it is illegal to walk, drive or cycle on or alongside the railway line.
Reinstating the tracks for rail use has been a long time coming since the City of Vancouver and CP Rail have been fighting over how the 11-kilometre stretch of rail and green space would be used. The city wanted the corridor to remain a greenway but when the two parties could not agree on a price.
The City however is opposed to the reactivation of the trains along the Arbutus corridor. In a statement by Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson, he said, “the City of Vancouver has a wide variety of significant public safety concerns about CP’s course of action, and City staff have thoroughly communicated those concerns to Transport Canada.”
Robertson went on to say, “the track in question was abandoned, unused, and unmaintained by CP for 15 years. The population density along the track is significant, there is a lack of upgraded crossing infrastructure on a short corridor with nearly fifty level crossings that include every major east-west arterial in Vancouver.”
READ MORE: Rail company wants tracks on Arbutus Corridor cleared of property
Ironically Robertson says “we continue to be available to CP should they wish to return to talks with the City on the future of the corridor.” However when CP putting an asking price of $100 million for the land, the City countered with a $20 million offer. CP Rail then began to clear the corridor in August 2014.
The city and CP Rail then 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.
“Vancouver will not be bullied, and we will not accept seeing our neighbourhoods and families along the corridor having their safety put at risk,” Robertson said.
“The City will continue to review our options in response to every action taken on the corridor.”
In a B.C. Supreme Court ruling in January 2015, Chief Justice Christopher Hinkson denied the application saying the city cannot claim any property interest in the corridor.
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