Railroad subsidy needs to continue
Amount miniscule in size when compared to government support for other projects
The province is now threatening to remove the subsidy that it has been providing to the owners (Genesee & Wyoming Inc.) of Cape Breton Island’s railroad for the last two years.
This is not funding to support train operations. Rather, it is money intended to maintain the rail line in at least a dormant state so that it could be brought back to life at some future time.
The amount of the subsidy is just over $700,000 annually which will certainly not bankrupt the province and pales in comparison to this year’s total provincial transportation budget. It is miniscule in size when compared to the support the province has provided/promised for other projects and undertakings whether deemed worthy or not for taxpayer support.
The subsidy is important in that it keeps the rails in place, the infrastructure intact and the right of way secure at a very small cost for the taxpayer. If the subsidy is withdrawn the railroad’s owners will probably abandon the line, tear up the rails and leave town. Or maybe they may leave the remains for the province to clean up at great cost
If abandoned, the railroad lands will convert to recreational uses, be sold to private buyers or be disposed of in a multitude of other ways. The chance to regain access to the property again for an operating railroad in the future would only happen at extremely high cost and with great resistance. In other words, it will just never happen. That is why the maintenance funding from the province is so important now as there are those who believe there is a future for the trains on the island.
That future depends on provincial government support and without it the railroad will fold. All longtime rail supporters understand the importance of the railroad for the island’s growth and its overall well-being. At the same time, we see the provinces interest in the railroad in decline or just possibly it was never there anyway.
Since the threat of closure four years ago there has never been any real show of concern by the province. At the “save the trains” rallies there were never any words of encouragement, marketing efforts were poor at best and the province did not follow up and move forward on a major lead that could have saved the line. The vibes I get now is that cabinet has probably already made the decision that the railroad will close.
At the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board abandonment hearings several years ago, the railroad’s owners estimated it would cost $30 million to bring the line up to operating standard. If the railroad closes this is money that the province will never have to spend. At least not on a railroad in Cape Breton anyway.
With the railroad dead, Cape Breton’s only overland connection to the rest of Canada will be a 1950s designed- and-built, overcrowded and overburdened cross-island Trans-Canada Highway.
If the railroad must close that money should be spent to upgrade the Trans-Canada Highway on the island. At least the railroad will be gone but it’s legacy will always be with us in a much-improved highway. Long Live the railroad.
It is ironic that news of government support for the railroad probably ending next March was revealed on May 14. On May 14, 1955, the first train crossed the causeway signaling the beginning of a bright future for the railroad. Now the date marks the beginning of the end for railroading on Cape Breton Island.
In closing, I ask Minister of Business, Trade and Service Nova Scotia Geoff MacLellan to find $700,000 somewhere for at least another few years
“Since the threat of closure four years ago there has never been any real show of concern by the province.”