Proposed Next Steps: 

1.       Immediate study of feasibility – The City, Province, and Federal representatives initiate a study of the full removal of rails and yards from Winnipeg to finally allow for a fully informed discussion and intelligent planning.

2.       Immediately resolve impeded healthcare access due to Arlington bridge closure by prioritizing the reopening of emergency services at Seven Oaks Hospital.  This will also alleviate the pressure placed on Health Sciences Center. 

 3.      Reopen Arlington Bridge to pedestrian and cyclists if safety allows

Background:
The closure of the Arlington Bridge is only the most recent event that has many Winnipeg residents contemplating the removal of the CP rail yards that have divided Winnipeg for so long. These discussions have been going on intermittently for decades, and relocation of the rail yards was raised in the 2022 municipal election and again in the 2023 provincial election. Both Mayor Scott Gillingham and Premier Wab Kinew have expressed support for a feasibility study.

Those who object to rail relocation cite such obstacles as cost, potential job losses, and the length of time required to complete the removal as reasons to oppose rail relocation. The December 1, 2023 editorial in Winnipeg Free Press describes the City of Winnipeg’s decision to close the Arlington Bridge indefinitely as “an opportunity” amid a crisis. Despite some significant logistical challenges, the editorial rightly emphasizes the potential of rail relocation to “heal a geographical scar that has created an economic, cultural and political divide that has kept the North End separated from much of the prosperity the rest of the city has enjoyed for more than a century.” It provide an opportunity to address the housing crisis through “massive infill development”, helping to curtail urban sprawl and creating mixed income neighbourhood close to existing amenities. 

While the importance of healing the North/South divide cannot be underestimated, rail yard relocation is not just conceptual for the rest of Winnipeg.  The downtown CPR yard is far from the only concern.  With a total of about 75% of Winnipeggers living within 800 meters of a rail line, rail line relocation is a health, safety, environmental and land use issue for the majority of the City. 

Further, what too often gets missed in the conversation is:

1.       Feasibility study:

i)  A feasibility study is just that, a study of what the cost and benefits could be for Winnipeg.  It is not a commitment to the actual removal. 

ii) The federal government will pay for HALF of the feasibility study so the City and Province could share the remainder of the cost. A similar rail relocation study in Saskatoon completed in 2020 had an approved budget of $737,000.  The final study came in under budget at $465,000. Assuming similar costs for Winnipeg, the cost to the Province and City would be in the range of $232,500.

2.       The cost to replace the Arlington Bridge vs the cost of rail relocation:

i)  The current price tag to replace the Arlington Bridge is estimated to be well over $350 million. Not only will it take several years to complete but it will also lock Winnipeg into another century of political, cultural, and socioeconomic division.

ii)  While the cost of rail location will not be determined without a feasibility study and is likely to exceed the cost of replacing the bridge, the long-term benefits of infill housing expanding the tax base as opposed to urban sprawl that increases the need for city services such as sewer and transit expansion must also be factored into the cost benefit analysis.

3.       CentrePort offers a more efficient multi-modal integrated alternative to the existing rail yards.  It combines proximity to Richardson Airport, and many key trucking companies with links to East and West coast markets.  It can also link by rail to Churchill’s shipping port for shorter routes to Europe. 

4.       Job loss concerns:

i)  Job loss by closure of CPR yard should be replaced with expanded opportunities at CentrePort.

ii)  Job loss should rail companies choose to move out of Manitoba if ‘forced’ to move rail lines.  Manitoba has a central time zone, a lower cost of living, and access to an existing skilled labour force as well as the training institutions to accommodate a young and expanding labour force.

5.       Safety:  There are 240 railyard crossings within city limits. The existing rail lines and crossings affect city development and planning. They also constitute a safety concern. 

i)  April 30th, 2022, train and motor vehicle collision at the Letellier Crossing

ii) January 15th, 2023, train and motor vehicle collision on Beaverhill Boulevard

6.       Safety:  Massive volumes of hazardous materials routinely travel through densely populated Winnipeg neighbourhoods. Derailments and spills can and have happened. 

i)  Most recently:  April 21, 2023, 12 Canadian Pacific cars carrying undiluted bitumen slipped off the tracks on a CPR overpass above McPhillips Street between Logan and Jarvis.

7.       Safety:  The environmental impacts of the noise, particulate, and diesel pollution are a constant burden on the health of those living in Winnipeg’s downtown and core areas. The benefits of removing these sources of pollution should not be underestimated.

8.       Proof of Concept:  We already have an excellent example of the impact of rail yard removal on our city. The Forks, a formerly polluted and publicly inaccessible industrial space, has become a vibrant cultural and recreational hub in the heart of downtown Winnipeg where there was once nothing but rails, semi-derelict buildings, and heaps of cinders.  The Forks is now a vibrant public space and is a central tourist attraction.