A pair of rail systems operating inside west-central Saskatchewan are receiving a chunk of change from the government.
Saskatchewan Highways Minister David Marit announced the below allocations of $1 million towards rail infrastructure investments in the province back on Tuesday, representing an 88 per cent ($470,000) raise from last year's budget, the local recipients in bold below.
- Big Sky Rail (Delisle, Eston, Elrose region) $167,541.
- Carlton Trail Railway (Saskatoon to Prince Albert area) $71,391.
- Great Sandhills Railway (Swift Current to Leader area) $82,945.
- Great Western Railway (Assiniboia, Shaunavon, Coronach area) $250,073.
- Last Mountain Railway (Regina to Davidson) $56,122.
- Long Creek Railroad (west of Estevan) $45,000.
- Northern Lights Rail (west of Melfort) $45,000.
- Red Coat Road and Rail (Ogema area) $47,456.
- Southern Rails Cooperative (south of Moose Jaw) $45,000.
- Stewart Southern Railway (southwest of Regina to Stoughton) $54,471.
- Thunder Rail (Arborfield area) $45,000.
- Torch River Rail (Nipawin to Choiceland area) $45,000.
- Wheatland Rail (Cudworth, Wakaw area) $45,000.
Recognizing the key role movement by rail plays in our province, Marit shared the following statement.
"Short line railways are an integral link that help move our commodities to markets around the world. They support Saskatchewan's export-based economy that sustains our quality of life. Short lines are a safe and efficient way to move bulk commodities, which reduces wear and tear on Saskatchewan highways."
Western Canadian Short Line Railway Association Director of Communications and Government Relations Rachel Mackenzie thanked the Minstry for the support, citing rising material costs over the past three years making it harder to maintain railways every mile when it comes to safety and performance standards.
"The Saskatchewan railway improvement program now provides more funding per mile to support the maintenance and improvement of this valuable trade-enabling infrastructure. This increase of almost 90 per cent to the program will go a long way to further supporting the value that short line railways bring to the supply chain." shared Mackenzie further into the release.
Grants from the province are to cover 50 per cent of eligible project costs, the allocations being sorted by how much track a rail owns. Those operating less than 80 KM of track can receive at least $45,000, while larger networks follow a proportion-based method.
The provinces short line railways operate a total of 2,123 KM of track in Saskatchewan.