Rail cars wait for pickup in Winnipeg, Sunday, March 23, 2014. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods)
The Manitoba government is launching a 90-day feasibility study to explore moving freight rail traffic out of Winnipeg’s urban core.
Premier Wab Kinew announced Wednesday that former federal transport minister Lloyd Axworthy will chair the study, which builds on the Winnipeg Rail Relocation and Renewal Study he led starting in 2024.
“Lloyd Axworthy has spent his career seeing possibilities for Winnipeg and creating opportunities to realize those visions, which is why we chose him to lead this study,” Kinew said during a news conference at the University of Winnipeg.
The consultation will explore a potential rail route along Manitoba Hydro‘s southern transmission corridor, connecting east to west along the Perimeter Highway. The land is Crown-owned, cleared and serviced. Backers say routing freight traffic around the urban core would boost efficiency and cut down on interactions with residential neighbourhoods, while opening land for housing, green space, transportation and economic development.
The study will examine three main questions: how rail operations could be accommodated while protecting Manitoba Hydro infrastructure, the potential relocation costs for government partners and railway companies, and whether the plan is operationally and commercially practical for railways.
“This is an opportunity to think ahead about the kind of city we want Winnipeg to become,” Axworthy said. “We have a chance to plan for growth in a way that brings communities together, protects the land around us and leaves future generations a stronger, more connected city.”
The study will work with CN, CPKC and BNSF. Municipal and Indigenous governments, CentrePort Canada, the business community, and rail customers and shippers will also weigh in on costs, benefits, operational needs and investment opportunities.
The study will also look at the potential for a Perimeter Highway greenbelt alongside the proposed rail and hydro corridor, which could protect infrastructure from future development while preserving agricultural land, supporting ecological corridors and creating space for trails, recreation and Indigenous stewardship.
More information on the rail relocation study can be found on the province’s website.
Winnipeg Southern Rail Bypass (GOV.MB.CA)
Watch Wednesday’s news conference:
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