Railway study could cost up to $600,000

The City of Saskatoon is one step closer to studying how to deal with disruptive railway crossings.

The administration recommends city council approve a contract worth nearly $600,000 to have Calgary-based HDR Corporation examine the possibilities.

Railway delays in the city have long been a contentious issue. They have been identified as a major obstacle to plans for bus rapid transit; a study by the Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority found Saskatoon businesses lose 52,668 hours of work time per year — the equivalent of $2.5 million — because of traffic delays caused by trains.

City council has toyed with the ideas of either constructing bridges or underpasses at problematic railway crossings or moving the rail lines outside city limits. Canadian National and Canadian Pacific have shown no interest in moving their tracks.

If council approves awarding the contract this month, HDR Corporation will launch the first phase of its study. For $221,616, it will develop detailed cost-benefit analyses of both grade separations and rail line relocation.

According to a report from the city administration, if the first phase recommends relocation, the second phase — if the city chooses to pursue it — will look at how to work with the rail companies and the federal government to make this happen.

If grade separation is recommended, HDR Corporation will create detailed plans of how the separations would work and provide confident construction estimates. That phase would cost $378,000.