WATCH: Economic benefit of Okanagan rail trail could be $10 mill in 10 years

LAKE COUNTRY, B.C. – With a week left for CN Rail to negotiate a private deal to sell an abandoned rail line between Kelowna and Vernon, a group pushing for it to become a public recreation corridor now has an economic assessment for their plan.

Brad Clements, organizer of the Okanagan Rail Trail Initiative, says the 50 km trail could generate $10 million dollars a year in economic spinoffs in 10 years.

“It shows that there is tremendous benefit to protecting the corridor in the event that it’s not operated as a railway. And we’ll know that in a week’s time,” says Clements.

The report shows the trail could attract 600,000 users per year by the fifth year.

Doris Maria Bregolisse reports.