1317i

INTERNATIONAL SUPPLEMENT TO BLN 1317 24 NOVEMBER 2018

BRANCH LINE NEWS

INTERNATIONAL

This newsletter covers the World outside the British Isles from information
supplied by members.

Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Compilers or of the Society.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS TEAM:-
International Editor (to whom all email and postal contributions should be sent):
Paul Griffin, 7 School Bell Mews, Church Lane, Stoneleigh, COVENTRY, CV8 3ZZ
Email: [email protected]
Deputy International Editor: Derek Woodward, 68 Church Street, Matlock, DERBY, DE4 3BY

________________________________________________________

The picture shows a train in the Chemins de fer du Jura platform at Glovelier that came into use in 2012. Previously passenger trains used the
track in the foreground to start and terminate on the station forecourt. This line continues most of the way to the goods yard south of the
station. On the day this photograph was taken, 28 October 2018, no CJ trains were running because the line to Saignelégier was blocked by
snow.

EUROPE

[453] Austria – EU doesn’t want Russian gauge into Austria
In February 2018, the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) and the Russian Railways (RZD) signed a
cooperation agreement which seeks to extend the Russian gauge railway which runs from Ukraine to
Košice in Eastern Slovakia, to an intermodal hub at Parndorf, on the outskirts of Wien. Feasibility
studies are complete, and the next step is to seek permits for construction in Slovakia. Russian media

reports that funding is at the finalisation stage, and construction should commence by the end of this
year. All this has not been received with favour by the EU. The project would in effect benefit only a
few companies, rather than the railway sector as a whole, which is in clear breach of the rules of the
single European rail transport market. The EU would prefer gauge changing solutions across the
network because these would benefit all member states. It remains to be seen whether the project
can go ahead without EU support.

[454] Azerbaijan/Georgia/Turkey - Passenger services set to start next year
Azerbaijan’s national railway ADY has announced that passenger services on the Baku – Tbilisi – Kars
route are to be launched in the third quarter of 2019. This is a year's delay on the planned introduction
date of late 2018. Delivery of the first set of rolling stock will start only in the first quarter of 2019, with
the second to follow. The announcement on 30 October marked the first anniversary of the line's
official inauguration. So far it has carried about 3000 containers.

[455] Estonia – Lelle to Pärnu to close until 2026
If you need Lelle to Pärnu then you have until 9 December to get it. After that the line will close.
According to statements made by operator Edelaraudtee some 18 months ago, €17 million would have
to be invested to maintain a train connection as some 10,000 sleepers needed replacing, and even
then the expected top speed on the old tracks dating back to the Soviet era would be no more than 80
km/h. It is claimed that the line will reopen once the Rail Baltica line is finished and becomes
operational in 2026. However, news reports claim that the replacement bus service will actually be
better, with more services, faster journey times and stops in villages which are much more convenient
that the distant railway station. In which case why bother to reopen the railway?

[456] France - Paris Gare du Nord
The Gare du Nord was rebuilt in the 1860s, including the magnificent frontage to the Rue de
Dunkerque. That features the names of various towns and cities in France and further afield, with a
statue representing each. Most of these are places to which one could plausibly depart from the Gare
du Nord, but there are some exceptions. Given that La Compagnie des chemins de fer de l'Est was
well-established by 1860, it is interesting that the Nord claimed to be the railway for Frankfurt and
Wien. It would have been a somewhat indirect journey from the Gare du Nord to either of these
places, probably via Liège. The line from Paris St Lazare to Rouen was completed in 1843, but the Nord
claimed Rouen as its own twenty years later. The company did reach Rouen via Beauvais and
Abancourt, but that was hardly convenient for a journey from Paris.

This photograph shows the main frontage to the Gare du Nord. The figures along the top of the roof represent (left to right): Francfort,
Amsterdam, Varsovie, Bruxelles, Paris (most prominent position, of course), Londres, Vienne, Berlin and Cologne. The smaller figures, lower
down, represent French towns and are (left to right): Boulogne, Compiègne, St Quentin, Cambrai, Beauvais, Lille, Amiens, Rouen, Arras, Laon,
Calais, Valenciennes, Douai and Dunkerque.

[457] France/Switzerland - Belfort to Delle and Bienne to re-open on 9 December
As we have previously reported, this international line, newly re-built and electrified will open again in
December 2018. On 12 October representatives of Bourgogne Franche Comté Region, SNCF Réseau,
SBB and the canton of Jura Suisse met with the regional press at the small village of Morvillars, 5 km
from Belfort-Montbeliard TGV station. The purpose of the "press point" was to announce the final
adjustments to the timetable of the new line and various other details. The choice of the meeting
place was not accidental. Morvillars is one of the three new stops between Delle and the TGV station.
Earlier this year, the mayor discovered by chance that the village had been excluded from the
provisional timetable. Considering that a new platform had been built at Morvillars station with a car
park for 60 vehicles, in preparation for the new service, it is clear that the mayor was less than
pleased. The project is not simple. The different participants at the meeting were motivated by
different objectives not necessarily compatible. For the Swiss Jura canton the intention was to obtain
regular access to the French TGV network. For SBB, the challenge was to achieve that objective in the
most efficient and economical way. A solution had been devised by using the turn around time at
Delle. At present, the Swiss train arrives at Delle every hour at +40 and departs again at +19, a gap of
39 minutes. It was calculated that the Swiss train could continue to Belfort TGV station arriving at +55.
After 8 minutes, the Swiss train could depart at + 03 and reach Delle at +18 and depart across the
border at +20. This solution would not require any extra trains. However, there were two difficulties.
Theoretical calculations showed that the Swiss train would only have time to stop twice between Delle
and the TGV station, but there are three new halts. Hence, the last stop at Morvillars was eliminated

without actually informing the village, which protested vigorously. During this summer, actual tests on
the line show that the Swiss train could, in fact, make the three stops in the time available. SNCF and
SBB have therefore concluded that they can operate for the first six months as a trial period with stops
at Morvillars. There will be 7 return services, daily, by the Swiss train between Delle and Belfort TGV
station. Additionally, 7 more services will operate on certain dates. The other difficulty is that, from
the beginning of the project, the Swiss trains were excluded from operating to Belfort Ville, the town
centre station. The reason for this is not known. It recently became apparent that an extra train set
would be necessary if the Swiss trains continued for a further 10 minutes to Belfort-Ville. Thus, in
order to complete the service along the new line, Bourgogne Franche-Comté TER will operate 10
shuttle services between Belfort-Ville and Belfort TGV and six return services from Belfort-Ville to
Delle. We will report on the final timetable, later, when it is published. So what do we not know yet?
Tariffs are an unknown subject 5 weeks before opening. The full official timetable including Saturdays
and Sundays and exceptions to the usual schedule. A full timetable that shows the schedule on both
sides of the border, and who drives the Swiss trains in France? French drivers or Swiss drivers?
Courtesy of the French Railways Society

[458] France – Paris Trams update
Tramway T1
Ile-de-France Mobilties has launched an invitation to bid for the supply of 115 new trams for tram line
T1 that currently links Noisy-le-Sec to Gennevilliers via St Denis. This tramway was opened in 1992 and
is currently 16.7 km in length with 36 stops and a journey time of 68 minutes. There are 35 first
generation Alstom trams (Tram Français Standard - TFS). These are no longer appropriate for the
traffic which has grown to 215,000 passengers daily. There are current projects to extend the T1
tramway westwards towards Courbevoie and eastwards to Val-de-Fontany (RER A). The easterly
extension has been stalled by the municipality of Noisy-le-Sec for over ten years, although agreement
has now been reached (to the original plan!) work has not yet started due to financial problems. The
planned order for 115 new trams will cover the needs for the extended T1 which will then be operated
in two sections to the east and west of Bobigny. Due to physical restrictions at the stops, the new
trams will have a maximum length of 33m and a width of 2.40m. Capacity will be 15% more than the
TFS trams. The new trams will have low level access, large windows, video protection and information
screens.
Tramway T3b
The extension of Tramway T3b from Porte de la Chapelle to Porte d'Asnières will be opened on 24
November. It has taken 4 years to construct the 4.7 km. of double track tram line along the Boulevard
des Maréchaux around the north of Paris. A number of road underpasses had to be filled in and delays
occurred due to asbestos problems. There will be 8 new stops: Porte de Poissoniers, Porte de
Clignancourt (M4), Porte de Montmartre, Porte de St Ouen (M13), Balzac, Porte de Pouchet, Porte de
Clichy (M13, RER C) and Porte d'Asnières (temporary terminus pending further extension).
14 new trams are needed and it is expected that 89,000 passengers a day will travel on the new
extension. T3b starts from Porte de Vincennes, which is the terminus of line T3a from Pont du
Garigliano. Courtesy of the French Railways Society

[459] France - Train à Vapeur du Beauvaisis (MTVS) reaches Rotangy
MTVS members at Crèvecoeur-le-Grand (Oise) achieved their main objective for 2018 when they laid
track into Rotangy halt in September, completing an extension of the new line for 1.4 km from the
level crossing. In October, a crossing loop was under construction beyond the halt. Both sets of points
have been brought from the depot along the line and laid in place. Three jobs currently remain to be
completed; filling the track bed for the second line of the loop, laying the track to complete the loop
and ballasting all the newly laid track (about 700 tons of ballast are needed)
Installation of automatic barriers on the level crossing must be carried out by outside contractors.
Once all these final jobs have been completed, the rail authority (STRMG) will then have to come and
certify the new section of the line for transport of the public. That process will take up to five months.
It is thus hoped that the 2019 season will start in May next year with trains operating to Rotangy and
back (7 km round trip). The return leg will have the locomotive in front of the train.
Courtesy of the French Railways Society

[460] France - Project to modernise Lyon Part-Dieu station
One of the major interchange stations on the national rail network, Lyon Part Dieu, is due for a lengthy
modernisation that will include creation of an additional platform (making 12 in all) and a new
passenger hall under the tracks. The station was opened in 1983, replacing the historic Lyon Brotteaux
nearby. A vast new development of the area called Part Dieu includes hotels, offices and a shopping
centre. The station was originally designed for 35,000 passengers a day. 35 years later, 175,000
passengers pass through daily. The need for increased capacity is obvious. The project will last 3-4
years and, from 9 December 2018, 10% of the trains usually serving Lyon Part Dieu will be cancelled or
diverted. All types of trains and destinations are affected, TGV's, TER, intercités.
In the absence of timetables, users will become aware of these changes when they buy a ticket or
season ticket. SNCF advises that all TGV services in the south east region will become Duplex TGV's
thus keeping the same number of seats on offer, but with fewer trains (and bigger gaps in the
frequency). Courtesy of the French Railways Society

[461] Germany - Joachimstal to Templin reopening to passenger services
Joachimstal has been the end of a branch from Britz since [Eberswalde] – Britz – Joachimstal – Templin
services were cut back in December 2006. The 27.5km section from Joachimstal to Templin has only
been used for occasional timber trains in recent years, but from December 2018 Hanseatic Eisenbahn
will operate seven train pairs daily for a three year trial period. The targets set seem very modest –
300 passengers on weekdays and 200 at weekends

[462] Germany - München S4 services to be extended to Wasserburg am Inn
The München to Rosenheim line has an S-bahn service as far as Grafing bahnhof, with services
continuing along the link line to Wasserburg am Inn as far as Ebersberg where passengers for
Wasserburg change to a DMU for the 19km journey. Wasserburg am Inn is on the Mühldorf to
Rosenheim line. An agreement has been signed between Bayern Land and DB Regio subsidiary
Südostbayernbahn to electrify Ebersberg to Wasserburg am Inn by 2026, thereby extending S4 services
from München to Wasserburg am Inn.

[463] Germany - New curve serving München Flughafen opening in December
Construction of a 2.3km double-track curve (the Neufahrner Gegenkurve) connecting München
Flughafen with the München to Regensburg line south of Pulling began in October 2014 and the line is
currently being commissioned. From 9 December DB Regio will operate the new überregionalen
Flughafenexpress (ÜFEX) service between München Flughafen and Regensburg over the new curve.

Map courtesy of europeanrailwayatlas.com

[464] Germany – The difficulties of getting a ticket to Ankum
Our correspondent cannot remember seeing this reported before so he thought he would alert
members to the opportunity and describe the steps necessary to achieve it. Having spotted the trains
on the Fuchstalbahn even before it appeared in BLNI and having a free weekend 20/21 October he
started looking for complementary opportunities for Saturday 20 October to fit with the Fuchstalbahn
on the Sunday. He soon discovered that the Hasetalbahn was running on its last operating day this
year at 14:50 from Essen (not the one associated with Krupps!) to Meppen over a 51km private freight
line with steam trains in Summer, although half of them do not do the full length of the line. This
nearly closed a couple of years ago due to state of track after a derailment but thankfully has been
repaired. Then he found an outfit he had never heard of before. Weser Ems Express run occasional

railcar excursions and actually had one on 20 October from Ankum to Bremen. This did not sound very
exciting so he initially dismissed it until he got home and looked on a map and realised Ankum is the
terminus of a 6km private freight branch from Bersenbrück (just 2 stops from Essen) and the timings
would fit perfectly with the Hasetalbahn. So he decided to go to Ankum and try and ride this train one
way to Bersenbrück only. Happily bus 650 runs approx. hourly from Bersenbrück bahnhof and drops
off immediately outside the still extant Ankum bahnhof connecting with trains between Münster and
Oldenburg which cross at Bersenbrück. The website(www.weser-ems-express.de) specifically says
tickets need to be bought in advance and are not usually available on the train and will be checked on
boarding and seats allocated by staff so he decided that he had better try and buy a ticket rather than
being refused entry. The 29.90 euro fare was a bit steep for 6km (trips vary in price) but then how
many British railtours have we all paid £90+ to get bits of track much shorter than this! Then the
frustrations began - you cannot just buy a ticket - first you have to open an account (in German of
course). This proved tediously difficult but it worked on the fifth attempt. Then he tried to buy the
ticket and hit a brick wall: while filling in personal details it demanded a PLZ (German post code) and
refused to accept a British code or to leave the box blank. So he had to give up. Two weeks later he
tried again, but by now he had now booked a room in Bremen. Would using their PLZ work? Yes! So
now he could proceed to the payment page, but no option to pay by credit card only bank transfer.
Then he noticed a link to “Fahrkarte” which he clicked and found it had produced a printable ticket pdf
before he had paid for it! So he decided to just show up with the ticket and attempt to pay cash. On
the day, after all this palaver, nobody checked tickets or allocated seats for the (barely in double
numbers) passengers on the single railcar and when he tried to show his ticket and pay for it and
explained his purpose of only riding the line he was charged the princely sum of 3 Euros. Result! He
suggests that anyone trying to do this this line in future just turns up on the day. The next
opportunities are Christmas market trains on 8/9/15 and 16 December. Ankum station has a siding
with an 0-6-0 fireless steam locomotive and 3 vintage coaches which appear to be under restoration. A
kick back siding goes off between industrial buildings to what must be the out of sight freight facility -
probably grain silos. Incidentally the Oldenburg to Münster line has four consecutive stations with
occasional rare track opportunities. Can members think of anywhere else that equals or surpasses
this? Bersenbrück has the Ankum excursions, Quackenbrück has a draisine operation to Fürstenau,
Essen has the Hasetalbahn and Cloppenburg has a preservation society offering (annoyingly rare) trips
down the 26km branch to Friesoythe. He proceeded to travel overnight to München on IC479 diverted
via the Altenbeken avoider but the return on Sunday night on ICE990 which should also have gone this
way did not.

[465] Romania - Romanian Narrow Gauge update. 3. The Arieş valley and Criscior
It was the Arieş valley railway that once ran from Turda, southeast of Cluj Napoca, to Abrud that
provided the most newsworthy material. This 93km line closed in 1997, although most remained in
situ. In 2006, at the request of the Alba County Council, Abrud to Vidolm was declared a historic
monument and in 2014, the entire line received this status. The railway follows the Arieş valley as far
as Câmpeni, where it heads up the Abrud valley to the terminus station at Abrud village. The railway
runs close by the road all the way up the Arieş valley, crossing the road many times. When it could be
seen the tracks were completely overgrown, with trees up to 10 metres high poking between the
sleepers. So it was something of a surprise to find a party of workers busily restoring the railway bridge
between Poşaga and Sălciua, and the tour coach stopped whilst enquiries were made. The central span

of the bridge had been jacked up at some point by the locals to allow high vehicles to go underneath
and this was being lowered again so trains could pass. A section of the railway had been cleared of
vegetation and more was being removed. The foreman said that it was hoped trains would start
running within a month. This seems like good news, but the situation is a little more complex than it
seems. The local newspapers were full of the story in May 2017 when it was announced that a private
investor would be returning trains to the Arieş valley after 20 years. The plan was to open the section
between Lunca Arieşului and Baia de Arieş – a distance of 23 km, with a longer route between Buru
and Lupsa (52km) the following year (which would be 2018). The ‘investor’ is a man named Cristian
Răspopa, and he is a very shady character indeed. This is the man who bought the former Targu Mures
narrow gauge system with the promise of a major tourist operation and then quietly asset stripped the
railway, removing and selling 100km of rails and cutting up the turntables for scrap. The small museum
operation at Sovata was established, but that was it. It seems likely he has similar plans for the Arieş
valley. The end section of the Arieş valley line runs from Câmpeni to Abrud, and this section has been
restored for tourist trains operated by Georg Hosevar, the Austrian businessman who owns the
Crișcior workshops, of which more anon. This 10km section of line opened to tourist trains in 2010, but
has run into significant problems in Roşia Montană which is a Roma (Gypsy) village in the middle of the
restored section.

Map courtesy of europeanrailwayatlas.com

The PTG charter was an ex-MAV class 764 steam loco with three open coaches. The steam engine had
arrived at Abrud by low loader and transferred to the rails already in steam ready for the arrival of the
PTG group. The river the line follows is grossly contaminated by toxic metals from mine workings as
the valley is the site of one of Europe’s only gold mines, though the mine is not currently operating. As
the charter entered the Roma village, Roma children jumped on the train, sitting in seats, hanging off

the sides and standing in front of passengers to wave at their friends. A few years ago someone
destroyed part of an embankment in this area which meant that years museum services could only
travel a few kilometres. The Roma left the train at the end of the village, and the train continued to
Câmpeni without further incident. A chain shunt was used here to get the loco on the other end of the
stock. This involves the loco using a steel rope to pull the carriages over the points into the other track
of the loop and means only one set of points is required. It would never be allowed in most countries.
In 2018 only three trains have operated between Abrud and Câmpeni, and one of these was a draisine.
The problem is the Roma, who are widely despised throughout eastern Europe, such that having Roma
children jumping onto the train is not well received by Romanian tourists and has led to some very
aggressive scenes. Appeals to the local authorities to resolve the Roma situation have not resulted in
any action and it is quite possible that the PTG charter may have been the last train. A decision on the
future of the line will be made next year, but the line is losing money and Georg Hosevar, when
questioned at Crișcior, was plainly pessimistic.
The final railway visited was the narrow gauge line from Crișcior to Brad. The standard gauge branch
line from Arad to Brad used to continue to Deva and was used to transport coal to Crișcior. Brad to
Deva is now closed and abandoned. The coal was transhipped at Brad and transported by the narrow
gauge line up the valley to Crișcior where there was a large power plant which generated not only
electricity, but also hot water which was sent by elevated and heavily insulated pipes down the valley,
alongside the railway, to Brad for use in the district heating system.
Today the former mine workshops in the shadow of the power plant are locomotive and rolling stock
workshops owned by Georg Hosevar and they repair and refurbish narrow gauge trains from all over
Europe, including the UK. The narrow gauge starts at the workshops and runs down the valley to Brad.
This year tourist trains ran on Saturdays and Sundays from 30 June to 9 September, leaving Crișcior at
13:00 and 15:00, and Brad at 14:00 and 16:00.
The line ends outside the CFR station at Brad, now the terminus of the branch from Arad. Again, a
chain shunt was used to release the steam loco before the return journey which ended at the site
gates – a more convenient coach pick-up point than the works itself.

[466] Serbia - Planning to spend money on the railways
Serbian Railways are looking for investors for several railway infrastructure projects to boost
passenger and freight movements, with Russian Railways being first choice. Projects include a new
signalling centre, continuing the reconstruction of the Bar railway and electrification of the Stara
Pazova to Novi Sad railway. Russia is already involved in the modernisation of the Serbian railway
infrastructure both as investor and contractor. In May 2013, Serbian Railways (ZS) and RZD
International, a subsidiary of RZD, signed an agreement for funding and modernisation of 370 km of
main lines across Serbia, including a 200-km section of the Beograd to Bar railway and electrification of
16 km of the Beograd to Pančevo line. Work started in March 2014 and most of the work has been
completed. A further loan has allowed work to commence on the Stara Pazova to Novi Sad railway,
which is part of the Beograd to Budapest high-speed line. More work is planned on regional railways
with 318 km of lines to be reconstructed in 2019, which is claimed to almost complete reconstruction
of the regional network. The longest line that will be modernised next year is the 108 km long Niš to
Zaječar railway. Other lines to be modernised include Lapovo to Kraljevo (84 km), Markovac to
Resavica (53 km), Subotica to Senta (38.5 km), Kumane to Banatsko Miloševo (28.5 km) and Kikinda to
MSK Kikinda (6 km).

[467] Spain - Torrelavega to Santander upgrade completed
Ten years ago work started to upgrade the line from Palencia to Santander in order to facilitate the
export of Renault cars manufactured in Palencia. This meant electrification of the 217 km line and
modifying stations and loops to take 750 metre-long trains. The final 30 km from Torrelavega to
Santander has now been completed, but a further project to double this section of line will now start.

[468] Spain – Granada Talgo starting
RENFE will introduce a daily direct service between Granada and Madrid from 26 November. Talgo
231/230 will depart from Granada at 07:35 and return from Madrid Chamartín at 16:58, calling at
Linares-Baeza en-route and introductory fares of €20 are available. This is due to ongoing delays with
route upgrade work between Antequera and Granada, which it is believed will not be completed until
June 2019. Indeed, it is now the only service shown between Madrid and Granada after 10 Dec - no
sign of the buses to Antequera SA and connecting AVEs.

[469] Switzerland – New viaduct built near Reichenau-Tamins
Just west of Reichenau-Tamins the Rhätische Bahn lines to Filisur and Disentis cross the Hinterrhein
river on a 151 metre long viaduct built in 1895. To increase capacity on these lines a second viaduct
has been constructed just to the south of the original one. It is 199 metres long – longer than the
original because it also it crosses not only the river but a major road. Electrification and signalling will
need to be completed before the viaduct is commissioned sometime in late 2019, ready for operation
in December 2019.

[470] Switzerland – The Gurtenbahn funicular visited
The Gurtenbahn, in the southern suburbs of Bern, is a funicular that climbs from Wabern to Gurten
Kulm, the summit of a hill overlooking the city. The lower station is very close to Wabern station on
the line to Thun via Belp. The funicular is 1,058 metres long and climbs 267 metres. There is a station
at the passing loop. The line opened in 1899 and saw various improvements over the years, before

being completely modernised in its centenary year. The service runs every five minutes from 07:00
until 23:45 (20:15 on Sundays). Various restaurants at the top provide the evening patronage. There is
also an extensive park at the top of the hill, which has a complex miniature railway, the
Kleineisenbahn.
[471] Switzerland - The Bern Kleineisenbahn
A member recently visited the Gurten funicular railway in Bern and discovered a miniature railway in
the park at the top. The railway is the Bern Kleineisenbahn and more information can be found at:
https://www.gurtenpark.ch/de-CH/Service-Pages/Kleineisenbahn
The line has a complex layout and one of the loops is steeply graded, with a rack section, though that
was not being used on the day. The little ‘electrozug’ operates Monday - Saturday 13:30 to 17:00 and
Sunday 10:00 to 17:00. The steam trains operate on Sunday 13:00 to 16:30, while the ‘cog railway’
operates Saturdays 13:30 to 16:30 and Sundays 13:00 to 16:30.
Locomotives appear to be battery-powered and are accurate representations of Swiss types. A BLS
locomotive was in service when our member visited. A single ride costs CHF 3, but beware - trains may
not run in bad weather! The Kleineisenbahn is obviously popular as each year 80,000 children and
20,000 adults enjoy a ride.

Train on the Kleineisenbahn ready to depart. The little locomotive appeared to be battery powered.

REST OF THE WORLD

[472] Argentina – Lobos service restarts
A minor regional line has reopened south of Buenos Aires. From 29 October the local service that joins
Cañuelas with Lobos was restored after road repair work was completed following a derailment of a
freight train at km 82 near Uribelarrea in December 2017. Trains run Mondays to Fridays from
Cañuelas at 04:55, 11:38, 16:38 and 19:59 and from Lobos at 06:39, 13:01, 18:26 and 21:50. This may
seem rather sparse, but in previous years the train only ran once a week.

[473] Canada - Hudson Bay Rail Line to reopen by 30 November
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that the Hudson Bay Rail Line in northern
Manitoba will resume freight and passenger services by the end of November 2018. The rail line has
been out of service since spring 2017 when it was damaged by flooding. Since then, Churchill has been
accessible only by air and sea. In September, OmniTRAX Inc. sold the rail line and related facilities to
Arctic Gateway and a consortium of First Nations and communities in association with Missinippi Rail
LP. The acquisition allowed for repair and restoration of the rail line. Also in September, the Canadian
government announced it would provide CA$117 million to Arctic Gateway for the cost of repairing
and restoring the rail line's service to the port.