Winnipeg’s Rail Yard Relocation Project wants feasibility study

A group of Winnipeg residents who want to move rail lines out of the city are optimistic after meeting with the mayor Thursday morning.

Members of the Rail Yard Relocation Project met with Brian Bowman to discuss the possibility of the city doing a feasibility study.

Lawyer Charles Huband co-chairs the project. He said the meeting went well, but some questions still need answering.

“I think I can fairly say that we are of one mind that the yards need to be developed and that it would be a good idea to proceed ahead,” Huband said.

“Where there is difficulty is knowing who’s going to pay for a feasibility study.”

The project’s other co-chair, Sel Burrows, said they’re hoping the federal government will step up to the plate.

“One of the things our committee has committed itself to is working with the federal government around seeing if they can allocate the money for what we call a feasibility study, which is absolutely crucial before anything else is done,” Burrows said.

READ MORE: Community activist wants the city to consider moving rail yard

He said he doesn’t know how much the study would cost, but a previous estimate pegged the figure at several hundred thousand dollars.

“You can’t have a rational discussion if you don’t know how much something is going to cost,” Burrows said, noting that previous talk of moving the rail yard was never tied to any dollar amount.

“People talk about it being a brown site, that it’s polluted. Well of course it is,” he continued.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "People talk about it being a brown site, that it's polluted. Well of course it is," he continued.

“But so is the Forks. That was the CNR yards in Winnipeg, and boy, they figured out how to deal with the brown site grounds there. But that’s what a feasibility study will tell us.”

Burrows said in past cases like this, the federal government has paid for half of the total amount for relocating rail yards elsewhere. He said Mayor Bowman has asked the committee to gauge the federal government’s interest in doing so for Winnipeg.

“One of the things we do know is that once it’s redeveloped, that will bring in a huge amount more tax money to the city than the CPR is paying at the present time,” Burrows said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "One of the things we do know is that once it's redeveloped, that will bring in a huge amount more tax money to the city than the CPR is paying at the present time," Burrows said.

Burrows said they would like to see money for the feasibility study allocated within the year, and wants to see the study begin in 2019. He estimates it would take several years to complete, which is why he and his fellow committee members want to get the ball rolling sooner rather than later.