CP Rail agrees to temporarily cease work on Arbutus Corridor

Following months of strife, CP Rail has reached an interim agreement with the City of Vancouver to halt its work with demolishing community gardens and structures that occupy its Arbutus Corridor private property.

The railway corporation has agreed to stop its work to reactivate the 45-acre, 11-km railway until the City of Vancouver’s injunction filed in B.C. Supreme Court is heard. The case will reach the court on December 9.

However, minor work will be performed by BC Hydro on trees that require pruning between King Edward Avenue and Marpole to protect power lines along the corridor. In addition, the Metro Vancouver Regional District has had water main work at West 60th, which requires a mall span of tracks to be replaced.

The municipal government submitted its injunction application on October 3 in an effort to halt CP Rail’s activities along the Corridor on a constitutional basis. Work on clearing the Corridor began in mid-August after the deadline had passed for gardeners to remove their community garden structures.

CP Rail has maintained that it will pursue the full market value of the Arbutus Corridor, which would mean selling the railway for its residential and commercial development potential. However, current city zoning limits the Corridor’s use to a greenway and car-free transportation purposes.

The municipal government has offered $20-million for the land, but CP is requesting a minimum of $100-million. The company says the Corridor is worth more than $400 million, but it is “prepared to accept far less in order to reach an agreement” as it recognizes the importance of the right-of-way to Vancouverites.

Feature Image: @Bammer via Twitter