This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(December 2019) |
Overview | |
---|---|
Headquarters | Wabush, Newfoundland and Labrador |
Reporting mark | WLRS |
Locale | Newfoundland and Labrador Québec |
Dates of operation | 2011– |
Western Labrador Rail Services, Inc.( reporting mark WLRS) is a rail operation of Genesee & Wyoming Canada, Inc. created in 2010 by the combination of three short line railways: Arnaud Railway, Bloom Lake Railway, and Wabush Lake Railway. The operation provides rail transportation services to mining companies operating in the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and Québec, Canada.
Consolidated Thompson Iron Mines opened the Bloom Lake Mine, just west of Labrador City, Newfoundland. The 31 km (19 mi) Bloom Lake Railway was commissioned to transport iron ore from the mine to a connection with the Wabush Lake Railway. The Bloom Lake Railway was constructed between 2006 and 2010. All of the railway, except the first 2 km (1.2 mi), are located in Labrador.
The Wabush Lake Railway began acting as a middle man, taking the Bloom Lake Railway trains, and transporting them to Wabush Junction for the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway to transport to the Chemin de fer Arnaud. The Arnaud then takes the trains to the Consolidated Thompson's dock at Pointe-Noire, Quebec.
Consolidated Thompson was purchased by Cliffs Natural Resources. In 2011, Genesee & Wyoming began control of all of these operations on behalf of Cliffs under the name Western Labrador Rail Services. These operations form an isolated railroad network, as it does not interchange with any other rail lines on the North American network. On April 11, 2016, Québec Iron Ore, Inc. (a subsidiary of Champion Iron Limited and Resources Québec) purchased the Bloom Lake Mining Complex and Bloom Lake Railway infrastructure from Cliffs Natural Resources. [1] The Bloom Lake Railway continues to be operated under contract by WLRS.
Sept-Îles is a city in the Côte-Nord region of eastern Quebec, Canada. It is among the northernmost locales with a paved connection to the rest of Quebec's road network. The population was 25,686 as of the Canada 2011 Census. The town is called Uashat, meaning "bay," in the Innu language.
The Newfoundland Railway operated on the island of Newfoundland from 1898 to 1988. With a total track length of 906 miles (1,458 km), it was the longest 3 ft 6 in narrow-gauge railway system in North America.
The Cartier Railway is a privately owned railway that operates 260 miles (418 km) of track in the Canadian province of Québec.
The Chemin de fer Arnaud, now Chemin de fer Arnaud Quebec is a private Canadian short line railway owned by Société ferroviaire et portuaire de Pointe-Noire (SFPPN) operating in the province of Quebec.
The Wabush Lake Railway is a short line railway operating in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
Labrador City is a town in western Labrador, near the Quebec border. With a population of 7,220 as of 2016, it is the second-largest population centre in Labrador, behind Happy Valley-Goose Bay. Neighbouring Labrador City is Wabush, a smaller town with a population of approximately 1,906 as of 2016. Together, the "twin towns" are known as Labrador West.
Labrador West refers to a region in western Labrador in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador containing the twin towns of Labrador City and Wabush. The area is located in the southwest corner of Labrador, near the Quebec border and has been described as "a dichotomy of pristine wilderness and industrial development."
Quebec's Route 389 connects Route 138 adjacent to Baie-Comeau with the Newfoundland and Labrador border, connecting with the Trans-Labrador Highway to Wabush and Labrador City, and beyond to Goose Bay. On its way it skirts the eastern shore of Manicouagan Reservoir.
Iron Ore Company of Canada is a Canadian-based producer of iron ore. The company was founded in 1949 from a partnership of Canadian and American M.A. Hanna Company. It is now owned by a new consortium, including the Mitsubishi and Rio Tinto corporations. Rio Tinto is the majority shareholder in the venture, with 58.7% of the joint stock as of October 2013. Mitsubishi controlled 26.2% of the investment as of March 2013.
Wabush is a small town in the western tip of Labrador, bordering Quebec, known for transportation and iron ore operations.
Koolyanobbing is located 54 km (34 mi) north-northeast of the town of Southern Cross, Western Australia. A subsidiary of Cleveland-Cliffs of Cleveland, Ohio mines Iron ore here. The ore is railed to the port at Esperance for export. Current operations commenced in 1993. The current owner and operator of the lease is Mineral Resources who took over from Cleveland-Cliffs in July 2018. MRL currently mine the ore and transport it to the port of Esperance
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.
Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (G&W) is an American short line railroad holding company, that owns or maintains an interest in 122 railroads in the United States, Canada, Belgium, Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom and formerly Australia. It operates more than 13,000 miles (21,000 km) of owned and leased track. G&W owns or leases 116 freight railroads organized in locally managed operating regions with 7,300 employees serving 3,000 customers. The company had its roots in the Class III Genesee and Wyoming Railroad, which began in 1899.
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Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., formerly Cliffs Natural Resources, is a Cleveland, Ohio-based company that specializes in the mining, beneficiation, and pelletizing of iron ore, as well as steelmaking, including stamping and tooling. It is the largest flat-rolled steel producer in North America.
The Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway is a private Canadian regional railway that stretches 414 kilometres (257 mi) through the wilderness of northeastern Quebec and western Labrador. It connects Labrador City, Labrador, with the port of Sept-Îles, Quebec, on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River. QNS&L is owned by Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC), and is a common carrier.
The Menihek Hydroelectric Generating Station is a conventional hydroelectric generating station at Menihek Lake in Labrador. The dam and powerhouse are located in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, 40 km (25 mi) south of the isolated town of Schefferville, Quebec and two First Nations communities: Matimekosh-Lac-John and Kawawachikamach. The generating station, two 69 kV power lines and the distribution networks in each community form an independent electricity network, off the main North American grid.
The Bloom Lake Railway is a privately owned Canadian short line railway operating in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec.
Richard Quesnel is a Canadian entrepreneur and mining engineer, currently president and chief executive officer of Colt Middle East, and a member of the board of directors of Sama Resources.
The Knob Lake and Timmins Railway is an industrial railway owned by Genesee & Wyoming. It provides rail services between Schefferville, Quebec, and iron mines located approximately 13 mi (21 km) to the northwest, straddling the border between Quebec and Labrador. It interchanges with Tshiuetin Rail Transportation in Schefferville.