Rail freight service to Churchill cut in half

Rail freight service to Churchill has been cut from two days a week, to one.

A Winnipeg shipping company that regularly sends freight to Churchill tells Global News it learned Tuesday morning of the cuts.

Freight will now run from Thompson to Churchill on Tuesdays only, instead of its regular Wednesday and Saturday runs.

The MLA from Flin Flon, Tom Lindsay, said sources have told him OmniTRAX will be slashing its regular services in half starting July 29.

It comes just days after dozens of employees with the Port of Churchill were handed pink slips.

READ MORE: Port of Churchill layoffs “are devastating to the community” says town mayor

OmniTRAX, which runs the rail line and the port, told employees Monday it will no longer be shipping grain this season. But it has not commented publicly about the closure and whether there will be any further layoffs.

In a news release Lindsay called it a “disaster” for Northern Manitoba. Ten per cent of Churchill residents work at the port. Several communities south of Churchill rely on the rail to get goods shipped in and out.

“The loss of freight shipments adds insult to injury and will almost certainly drive up food prices and limit access to necessary supplies,” Lindsay said.

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