BC government provides $18 million to plan Vancouver Island rail corridor

The former Via Rail station in downtown Victoria, demolished in 2013, formed the southernmost end of the Vancouver Island rail corridor. (Google Maps)

The Government of British Columbia is providing $18 million to conduct long-term planning for the future of the Vancouver Island rail corridor.

This is a north-south rail corridor that stretches along the eastern side of Vancouver Island, running a total distance of about 225 km between Victoria and Courtenay.

In recent years, there have been renewed discussions over reactivating the Island rail corridor for both freight and passenger uses, including a 2020 feasibility report commissioned by the provincial government that estimated a cost of over $700 million to bring the railway up to standard for inter-city passenger service. Currently, much of the railway is in a very poor state of repair due to decades of neglect.

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In September 2021, the British Columbia Court of Appeal also asked the federal government to decide by March 14, 2023, on whether it would permit the restoration of the railway corridor or allow a segment of land to vest in Canada for the use and benefit of the Snaw-Naw-As First Nation, with its subject lands under rail corridor dispute located north of Nanaimo.

As part of today’s announcement, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, in a joint statement with BC’s Minister of Transportation Rob Fleming, said a decision has been made to perform “a reversion of the land bisecting the Snaw-Naw-As First Nation reserve as the first step in the process of developing a shared vision for the future of the corridor with First Nations.”

Existing condition of Island Rail Corridor. (WSP Canada/Government of BC)

This decision to return a small segment of the Island rail corridor to the Snaw-Naw-As First Nation comes as a compromise for reconciliation, while also preserving the one-of-a-kind railway corridor across Vancouver Island for transportation uses.

“We recognize how important this corridor is and we would like to see it preserved as much as possible. If the corridor is broken up and built over, it will be lost forever, and future generations will likely be unable to assemble a continuous transportation corridor of land like this again,” reads a separate statement by Fleming.

“The Province also firmly believes that any potential future use of the corridor, whether it involves rail restoration or not, must involve First Nations participation and perspectives. Consideration for how the Island rail corridor might be used in the future, and commitment to reconciliation, are inseparable.”

It is noted that Vancouver Island’s population will exceed one million residents by the early 2030s, and with such growth, the corridor needs to be retained for the movement of people and goods.

Fleming also suggested that the corridor is part of the strategy to be more resilient to climate change impacts, as it would enable redundancy in the overall transportation system.

vancouver island rail corridor route map

Map of the Vancouver Island railway corridor. (WSP Canada/Government of BC)

The provincial funding for the rail corridor’s planning effort will allow the involvement of First Nations and regional districts, including assessing concerns such as flooding, access, noise, or safety where the corridor crosses First Nations land.

“There were many voices in favour of the restoration of rail infrastructure. Projected population growth, potential risks to critical infrastructure, including from extreme weather events brought by climate change, and wider economic and environmental policy objectives make this corridor of strategic transportation importance to the province,” reads the joint statement.

“At the same time, those First Nations living along the line raised concerns about the impact restored rail service would have on their communities and have reiterated the importance of being involved in decision-making around the future of the corridor.”

The corridor was previously known as the Esquimalt and Nanaimo (E&N) Railway, and its initial segments date back to the late 1800s.

In 2003, the Island Corridor Foundation, a non-profit society, was created by First Nations and regional districts along the corridor to preserve the railway for transportation uses. After much negotiations, in 2006, Canadian Pacific donated the entire north-south rail corridor to the foundation, while Rail America donated the short west-east segment it owned between Port Alberni and Nanaimo.

Throughout most of its history, the railway corridor was owned by Canadian Pacific, which provided Via Rail with the responsibility of operating the passenger service starting in 1979. Via Rail’s remaining passenger rail services ended in 2011 due to the poor condition of the railway.

The southernmost terminus station for Via Rail was located at the northwest corner of the intersection of Pandora Avenue and Wharf Street in downtown Victoria, near the eastern end of the Johnston Street Bridge. This station and railway segment across Victoria Inner Harbour no longer exists, as the footprint was used for the construction of the new replacement Johnston Street Bridge project, which reached completion in 2018, and adjacent redevelopments.

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