BC Rail

British Columbia Railway Company
BC Rail
Overview
Parent companyBC Transportation Financing Authority (Government of British Columbia)
HeadquartersNorth Vancouver, British Columbia
Reporting markBCOL, BCIT (formerly PGE)
LocaleBritish Columbia
Dates of operationFebruary 27, 1912 (1912-02-27)–present
SuccessorCanadian National Railway (under operating lease)
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Electrification1984 (Tumbler Ridge Subdivision)
Length2,320 km (1,440 mi)
Other
Websitehttps://www.bcrco.com/
Pacific Great Eastern Railway
mile
altitude
in feet
466
Prince George
1,400
425
Strathnaver
1,862
409
Abhau
2,300
384
Quesnel
1,500
363
Australian
1,852
358
Alexandria
2,000
314
Williams Lake
1,900
273
Lac La Hache
2,700
252
Canim Lake
3,400
246
Lone Butte
3,700
236
Flying U
3,700
214
Chasm
3,500
203
Clinton
3,152
196
Kelly Lake
3,500
176
Pavilion
2,100
173
Glen Fraser
1,400
157
Lillooet
800
154
Craig Lodge
800
142
Shalalth
800
Seton Lake Tunnel
14 mile (0.4 km) long
138
Seton Portage
800
130
Marne
800
123
D'Arcy
800
120
Devine
900
116
Birken
1,500
104
Spetch
1,000
99
Mount Currie
700
94
Pemberton
700
79
Parkhurst
2,200
74
Alta Lake (Whistler)
2,100
59
Garibaldi
1,100
46
Cheekye
200
44
Brackendale
40
39
Squamish
2
31
Britannia Beach
2
26
Porteau
2
11
Horseshoe Bay
100
Horseshoe Bay Tunnel
4,568 ft (1,392 m) long
5
Caulfeild
50
2
Ambleside
1
0
North Vancouver
Pemberton Avenue
2

The British Columbia Railway Company (reporting mark BCOL, BCIT), commonly known as BC Rail, is a railway in the Canadian province of British Columbia.

Chartered as a private company in 1912 as the Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE), it was acquired by the provincial government in 1918. In 1972 it was renamed to the British Columbia Railway, and in 1984 it took on the BC Rail branding. From 1978 to 2000, BC Rail was highly profitable, posting profits in every year throughout that period.[1]

Until 2004 it operated as the third-largest railway in Canada, providing freight, passenger, and excursion rail services throughout BC on 2,320 km (1,440 mi) of mainline track. It also ran the Royal Hudson services, as well as the premier of British Columbia's private train.

It was designated a Class II Railway until 2004. In 2004, the freight operations (including a vast amount of land, buildings, and all rolling stock) of BC Rail were leased to Canadian National Railway (CN) for an initial period of 60 years, with the exception of the Deltaport Spur, for the price of $550 million.[2]

BC Rail remains an operating Crown corporation today. It retains ownership of the entire rail bed stretching from Prince George to North Vancouver, as well as ownership of all assets leased to CN.[3] BC Rail retains significant real estate investments throughout BC, and a 40 km (25 mi) stretch of track from Roberts Bank Superport in Delta to Langley.[3] The planned sale of this 40 km (25 mi) stretch was cancelled after the initial BC Rail scandal.

  1. ^ McMartin, Will (2010-05-24). "How Libs Made BC Rail's True Value a Fake Train Wreck". Opinion. The Tyee. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  2. ^ The Vancouver Sun http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=106ef17b-3f69-4946-8132-4ce69f85d065&k=60220. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)[dead link]
  3. ^ a b "Revitilization Agreement Between British Columbia Railway and the BC Rail Partnership" (PDF). 9 July 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-03-05. Retrieved 2010-12-29.