Railway history of the Island Corridor
Island CorridorSummit Lake on the Port Alberni Subdivision with Mount Arrowsmith in the background. |
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Headquarters | Nanaimo, British Columbia |
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Locale | Vancouver Island, British Columbia |
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Dates of operation | Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway 1884-1905 Canadian Pacific Railway 1905-2018 RailAmerica 2018-2006 Southern Railway of Vancouver Island (under contract with the Island Corridor Foundation) 2006-present– |
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Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
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Length | 293 km (182 mi) |
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Victoria Subdivision
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Port Alberni Subdivision
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39.5
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Port Alberni Terminal
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38.0
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Port Alberni Yard
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37.0
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Alberni
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Roger Creek
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Kitsuksis Creek
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End of Track
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139.9
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35.9
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Farris
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35.6
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Solly
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Courtenay
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139.7
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18.4
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Bainbridge
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Royston
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135.8
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Mile 29.9
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Trent River
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Mile 28.9
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Washer Creek
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28.1
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Bostock
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Union Bay
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130.2
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26.1
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Tebo
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Hindoo Creek
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Mile 25.0
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Buckley Bay Road
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24.6
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Stokes
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Buckley Bay
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126.2
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Loon Lake West
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Tsable River
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21.9
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Arrowsmith
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Fanny Bay
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124.7
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Loon Lake East
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Mill Creek
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Summit Lake
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Coal Creek
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21.1
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Locharkaig
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Waterloo Creek
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Mile 20.2
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Mud Bay
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121.0
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Mile 18.8
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Rosewall Creek
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18.4
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Apenes
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Cook Creek
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Mile 18.1
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Cook Creek
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Mountain Creek
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Bowser
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114.5
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Mile 14.6
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Nile Creek
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Mile 14.0
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Big Qualicum River
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Mile 13.8
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Dunsmuir
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110.2
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Mile 13.7
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Dashwood
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105.0
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12.7
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Cameron Lake
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Little Qualicum River
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Little Qualicum River
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Qualicum Beach
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101.8
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Lockwood Creek
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French Creek
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French Creek
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4.4
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Coombs
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Wye Junction
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Parksville
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095.2
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0.0
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Port Alberni Subdivision
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Englishman River
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Craig
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091.9
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Bryn
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089.7
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Nanoose Creek
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Nanoose Bay
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086.7
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Bonnel Creek
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Jayem
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084.4
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Green Lake
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Doumont Road
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Wellington
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077.5
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Wellcox Spur
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Northfield
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075.0
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Millstone River
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3.0
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Wellcox Yard
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Nanaimo
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072.5
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Chase River
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Chase River
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Wye Junction
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Stockett
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070.0
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0.0
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Wellcox Spur
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Starks
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069.2
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South Wellington
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067.2
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Nanaimo River
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Cassidy
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064.8
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Haslam Creek
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Storms
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063.0
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Brenton
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061.6
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Bush Creek
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Ladysmith
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058.4
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Blaineys
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056.0
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Saltair
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054.5
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Chemainus
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051.2
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Chemainus River
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Osborn Bay
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047.5
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Westholme
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046.8
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Mile 46.8
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Whitehouse Creek
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Mount Sicker
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046.2
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Tyee
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044.4
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Somenos
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042.7
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Hayward
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041.6
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Duncan
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039.7
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Cowichan River
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Koksilah
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038.1
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Koksilah River
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Mile 37.6
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Koksilah Road
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Cowichan
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035.5
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Hillbank
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034.1
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Cobble Hill
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031.2
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Northgate Road
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Shawnigan Creek
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Shawnigan Creek
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Shawnigan Creek
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Shawnigan
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027.8
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Shawnigan Lake Road
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Strathcona Lodge
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026.2
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Last Spike
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Cliffside
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025.0
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Fitzgerald
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021.9
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Malahat
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020.0
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Mile 18.2
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17 Mile Post
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017.0
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Malahat Tunnel
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Arbutus Canyon
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Niagara Canyon
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Niagara
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013.7
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Goldstream
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010.7
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Langford
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007.9
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E&N Trail
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E&N Trail
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Six Mile Road
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Brydon Road
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Island Highway
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Adams Place
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Palmer
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004.8
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Helmcken Road
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Island Highway
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Esquimalt
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003.7
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Admirals
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002.5
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Hereward Road
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Russells
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000.8
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E&N Roundhouse
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000.7
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2012 End of Track
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000.3
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000.0
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Victoria Subdivision
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The Island Corridor, previously the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway (E&N Railway), is a railway operation on Vancouver Island. It is owned by the Island Corridor Foundation, a registered charity. The railway line is 225 kilometres (140 mi) in length from Victoria to Courtenay, known as the Victoria Subdivision, with a branch line from Parksville to Port Alberni, known as the Port Alberni Subdivision, of 64 kilometres (40 mi), for a total 289 kilometres (180 mi) of mainline track. In 2006, the Island Corridor Foundation acquired the railway's ownership from RailAmerica and Canadian Pacific Railway.
Passenger service has been "temporarily suspended" since 2011 due to poor infrastructure condition that resulted from deferred maintenance.[1]