Canadian Pacific and City of Vancouver start rail removal along Arbutus Corridor next week

After years of negotiations and brinkmanship, the City of Vancouver and Canadian Pacific Rail will finally start transforming the Arbutus Corridor into a greenway.

Next week the city and CP Rail will begin to remove the train rails, ties and rail bed materials along the 42-acre corridor.

CP Rail, which is responsible for rail removal along the corridor with the exception of street crossings, will start at the north end and work at a rate of removing one kilometre of track per week.

Work on the rail removal will involve heavy equipment and be done between 7 a.m. to 8 p.m Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays and holidays.

The city will be responsible for removing the rails at street crossings. The removal of the rails, ties and rail bed materials will need to be completed before the City of Vancouver can start construction on the new greenway.

The city and the railway have been in negotiations of the future of the rail line that runs through some of the most valuable property in North America for years.

READ MORE: City of Vancouver challenges CP Rail’s claim on Arbutus Corridor

Talks intensified when CP indicated it wanted to restore the line that had not been used since 2001.

In 2014, CP crews started clearing away community gardens in preparation for train traffic. In March 2016, Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson made the announcement the city had bought the Arbutus Corridor for $55 million. At the time, Robertson estimated the cost to turn the rail right of way into a greenway to be between $25 to $30 million.

According to the city, all the rail removal work will be completed by the end of 2016 and during the summer there will be information sessions and public consultation on the plans for the public along the Arbutus Corridor.

Construction on the new plan is slated to begin in the fall.

~ with files from Ted Field