Keewatin Railway | |
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Locale | Manitoba, Canada |
Terminus | The Pas Pukatawagan |
Commercial operations | |
Built by | Hudson Bay Railway |
Original gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
Preserved operations | |
Reporting mark | KRC |
Stations | 14 |
Length | 99 mi (159 km) |
April 1, 2006 | Reopened |
Website | |
www |
The Keewatin Railway Company is a First Nations-owned shortline railroad that operates in northern Manitoba, between The Pas, and Pukatawagan. This is Canada's second First Nations railway, the first being Labrador and Northern Quebec's Tshiuetin Rail Transportation.
The railway company currently operates a line formerly owned by Hudson Bay Railway, and used by Via Rail passenger trains. Via Rail previously operated a twice-weekly passenger rail service between The Pas and Pukatawagan through an operating agreement with Hudson Bay Railway Company. This passenger service continues under a new operating agreement between Keewatin Railway Company and Via Rail , which still operates twice-weekly passenger trains (Numbers 290/291) through an agreement with the new company. [1] These are mixed trains. [2]
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The rail line was originally the 185-mile (310 km-long) Sherridon Subdivision, between Sheritt Junction and Lynn Lake. This was part of the Hudson Bay Railway (HBRY) system, and Via Rail had operated trains between The Pas and Pukatawagan under an agreement with HBRY, but had suspended them from July 27 and August 2, 2005, because the Hudson Bay Railway line had become unsafe due to recent heavy rains in the area loosening the railbed.
On April 1, 2006, the Hudson Bay Railway sold the Sherridon Subdivision to the three first nations in the area, who now own and operate the railway. The First Nations-owned railway company received $4.9 million dollars in grants from the Government of Canada, $1.25 million from the Government of Manitoba and $500,000 from three First Nations communities (the Mathaias Colomb Indian Band, Tataskweyak Cree Nation, and the War Lake First Nation, who jointly own and operate the railway to this day) for the railway line purchase. The Federal Government has also given the three tribes up to $3.2 million for start-up fees and investments, which include the purchase of locomotives, railway equipment, transitional services, office equipment, and infrastructure work (maintenance) on the rail line. This funding comes from the Regional and Remote Passenger Rail Services Contribution Program administered by Transport Canada.
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Lynn Lake is a town in the northwest region of Manitoba, Canada, approximately 1,071 km (665 mi) from Winnipeg. The town is the fourth-largest town in Manitoba in terms of land area. It is centred on the original urban community of Lynn Lake. The town was named after Lynn Smith, chief engineer of Sherritt Gordon Mines Ltd. There are many outfitters in the Lynn Lake area, offering services for most wilderness experiences, including sport fishing and bear and moose hunting.
The Algoma Central Railway is a railway in Northern Ontario, Canada, that operates between Sault Ste. Marie and Hearst. It used to have a branch line to Wawa. The area served by the railway is sparsely populated, with few roads.
Hudson Bay Railway is a Canadian short line railway operating over 1,300 kilometres (810 mi) of track in northeastern Saskatchewan and northern Manitoba.
Tshiuetin Rail Transportation Inc. is a rail company that owns and operates a 217-kilometre (135 mi) Canadian regional railway that stretches through the wilderness of western Labrador and northeastern Quebec. It connects Emeril, Labrador with Schefferville, Quebec on the interprovincial boundary. The company also operates a 356-kilometre (221 mi) railway that connects Sept-Îles, Quebec to Emeril. The company is the first railway in North America owned and operated by Indigenous peoples, specifically by the Innu Nation of Matimekush-Lac John, the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach, and the Innu Takuaikan Uashat Mak Mani-Utenam.
The Huron Central Railway is a railway operating in northern Ontario, Canada. It is operated by Genesee & Wyoming Canada, the Canadian subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming.
Pukatawagan is a First Nations community about 210 km (130 mi) north of The Pas in Manitoba. It is part of the Mathias Colomb First Nation. It can be reached by train from The Pas by a branch of the Keewatin Railway Company, a passenger service provided by Via Rail. An ice road is utilized after the lakes have frozen. The Pukatawagan Airport, located east of town, is used by Missinippi Airways.
Sherridon, Manitoba is an unincorporated community in Manitoba, Canada.
The Winnipeg–Churchill train is a semiweekly passenger train operated by Via Rail between Winnipeg and Churchill, Manitoba. It is the only dry-land connection between Churchill and the rest of Canada.
The Pas station is a railway station in The Pas, Manitoba, Canada. The station is served by Via Rail's Winnipeg–Churchill train and the Keewatin Railway train to Pukatawagan, which is also operated by Via.
The Société du chemin de fer de la Gaspésie is a Canadian short line railway located in eastern Quebec operating 202.2 mi (325.4 km) of track from its interchange with Canadian National Railway (CN) at Matapédia in the west to the end of the line at Gaspé in the east, along the south coast of the Gaspé Peninsula.
Prospector station is a station in Prospector, Manitoba, Canada 10 km from The Pas, near the intersection of Manitoba Highway 10 and Manitoba Provincial Road 287 just inside Clearwater Lake Provincial Park. The station is served by Via Rail's "The Pas-Pukatawagan" line for the Keewatin Railway twice per week in each direction.
Root Lake station is a station in Manitoba, Canada, located between Root Lake and Clearwater Lake Provincial Park along Manitoba Highway 10. The station is served by Via Rail's The Pas-Pukatawagan line for the Keewatin Railway twice per week in each direction.
Wanless station is a station in Wanless, Manitoba, Canada. The station is served by Via Rail's "The Pas-Pukatawagan" line for the Keewatin Railway twice per week in each direction. Wanless is part of the Rural Municipality of Kelsey.
Atik station is a station in Manitoba, Canada located between Barbe Lake and Kawia Lake along Manitoba Highway 10. The station is served by Via Rail's "The Pas-Pukatawagan" line for the Keewatin Railway twice per week in each direction.
Simonhouse station is a stop located in the wilderness within Wekusko Falls Provincial Park, in Manitoba, Canada. The station is served by Via Rail's "The Pas-Pukatawagan" line for the Keewatin Railway twice per week in each direction.
Cranberry Portage station is a station located in Cranberry Portage in Manitoba, Canada which is west of Grass River Provincial Park in north-central Manitoba. The station is served by Via Rail's "The Pas-Pukatawagan" line for the Keewatin Railway twice per week in each direction.
The Mathias Colomb Cree Nation (MCCN) —also known as Mathias Colomb First Nation, Mathias Colomb (Cree) First Nation, and Pukatawagan/Mathias Colomb Cree Nation—is a remote First Nations community in northern Manitoba, located 210 km (130 mi) north of The Pas and 819 km (509 mi) northwest of Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Arctic Gateway Group LP is a limited partnership that owns and operates the Port of Churchill and the Hudson Bay Railway, which connects The Pas to Churchill, Manitoba. It was originally formed as a public-private partnership; with a fifty percent share held by Missinippi Rail, a consortium of northern Manitoba First Nations and local governments, and the private share split between Toronto-based Fairfax Financial Holdings and Regina-based grains company AGT Food and Ingredients. Fairfax and AGT transferred their shares of Arctic Gateway to OneNorth in March 2021, meaning that Arctic Gateway is completely owned by the local governments and Indigenous partners.