The provincial government announced its newest round of funding for short-line railroads, which serve a number of rural communities across Saskatchewan. In Estevan, the closest one is Long Creek Railroad, which operates west of the city towards Tribune.
Adriaan Lievaart, the board chairman for the railroad, says they've had a slower year so far.
"This year has been a little quieter than normal, mainly due to the drought that we had last year, and a lot of the grain is a little lightweight to go to the millers, and most of our grains go to mills south of us here."
Some disruption has also come up thanks to the tariff situation with the US, as Lievaart says it's caused farmers to have doubts in the market.
For Long Creek Railroad, they receive $45,000 from the provincial government, though that's part of a stipulation that the railroad puts in $45,000 of their own money. That's higher than last year's investment, which came in at $25,000.
While that may seem like a lot at first, Lievaart says they've got plenty of track to work on.
"To put it in perspective, on our 41 miles of track, we have about 3,200 ties per mile. A hardwood tie is about $100 a piece now. So $45,000 would fix up a couple of short 3-4 miles of track. So in the big picture, it's a small portion, but we certainly thank the government for that contribution."
The province says that money can be used for track upgrades and expansion, improved crossing surfaces and sightlines, bridge maintenance, track rehabilitation, and other projects.
For Long Creek Railroad, their plans are ongoing to repair a few bridges on their line.
"We put in approximately 400 to 800 ties per year to keep up with our safety standards and make sure that we pass all our track inspections," said Lievaart, "So basically, we're just doing maintenance down the 41 miles."
With some more moisture hitting the ground so far this summer compared to last year, Lievaart says he's hoping for more activity in the southeast.
"We certainly hope that with the recent moisture we've had, that we're off to a wonderful start, and I just want to wish that all the producers in the southeast part and all over Saskatchewan have a banner year, and everyone wins, and the farmers get a great crop."
Lievaat thanked the provincial government for the support that helps keep Saskatchewan's railroads running.