2904 replies to this topic

[Victoria Watcher]

Halalt First Nation also seeking return of land used for rail corridor

 

 

 

The Halalt First Nation near Chemainus is seeking the return of land taken from its reserve for the E&N railway in the early 1900s.

 

It earlier went to the Supreme Court of B.C. asking for land taken for the now closed railway. That suit remains active.

The nation is now considering the implications of Island corridor announcements on Tuesday by the federal and provincial governments.

 

They said that the Snaw-Naw-As First Nation at Nanoose is getting back 10 acres of Island corridor land running through its reserve and the province is putting in $18 million for consultation.

 

Vancouver Island residents were waiting to hear whether a proposed modern railway system would be backed by senior governments or if it might be used instead as a trail.

 

 

https://www.timescol...orridor-6708101

[Victoria Watcher]

$1B rail and barge network proposed for Island; would help relieve congestion at Vancouver terminals

 

Under Island Rail Corp.’s ambitious proposal, it would offer local, national and international rail freight service and serve local passengers and tourists up and down the Island

 

 

A new company is proposing a partnership with governments and First Nations to establish a $1-billion modern freight rail service between ports in Port Alberni and Nanaimo, supported by barges carrying cargo to the Lower Mainland.

 

__________________

 

Cargo would come into Port Alberni and be loaded onto rail cars. From there, the freight would be ­carried by rail to ­Nanaimo, where 50 cars, with two stacked containers each, could go straight onto a barge to the mainland, Hayden said.

 

The service would help ease congestion at the busy port in Vancouver.

 

Hayden said when the company spoke to potential freight customers on the Island, “the interest was phenomenal.”

 

“We did manage to chase the economics and come up with a viable option to make the ­project work financially.”

 

Island Rail Corp., ­headquartered in Victoria, is also exploring the possibility of bringing cargo from Mexico to Port Alberni and establishing new businesses there, Hayden said.

 

Along with the mid-Island freight service, it’s looking at carrying freight up and down the Island as well as running passenger service for locals and tourists. Parallel hiking and ­biking pathways would be ­incorporated, the company said.

 

 

 

https://www.timescol...rminals-6714512

 

 

Its first goal is to see land returned to First Nations and then an agreement would have to be reached with First Nations as a partner, he said. It’s not known how long that might take.

 

From that point, it would take about 30 months to get the ­railway operating, he said.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 17 March 2023 - 04:05 AM.

[Sparky]

^ I hope they don't forget to calculate in the wait time in Vancouver to unload said barge. The reason that freighters are anchoring out off of Vancouver Island is that the unloading platform is full. Dropping off your load (destined for Vancouver) will not reduce the fullness of it all...it will only make the shipment more expensive. 

 

Drop your load in Port Alberni...put it on a train to Nanaimo...load that train it onto a barge...float it across the Salish Sea by tugboat...and ultimately unload it in Vancouver (Allah willing). Don't forget we have to bring the train back to Port Alberni so we can do this again. Now there is a cost effective plan for you.

 

Is this the meaning of fate?

 

Oh sorry I thought you said freight.

[Mike K.]

We’ve talked about this very plan for a long time.

One supposes you could store the containers at the Alberni Inlet port and in Nanaimo until room is available at the PoV, then you barge them over, and bring back loaded containers for export. You can also move export containers over without bringing loaded containers to the PoV.

And because you’re moving smaller volumes, it might be easier for the PoV to handle them than when a ship with 500 containers rolls up.

[dasmo]

The key in that plan was the return to the First Nations. They are not under the purview of the provincial government. Get it out of the control of the ICF and the provincial government. Much easier to make something happen. 

 

Clever. I understand now. It has to die in order to be reborn.  

Edited by dasmo, 17 March 2023 - 09:42 AM.