SYSTRA Canada has been appointed by Hudson Bay Railway and Arctic Gateway Group to carry out a strategic study into increasing capacity along the Hudson Bay Railway corridor.
The study will examine improvements required to bring the railway up to modern industrial weight standards, enabling it to better integrate with Canada’s Class 1 freight rail network.
Work has already begun on the first phase, which focuses on the 140-kilometre Flin Flon Subdivision between Flin Flon and The Pas in Manitoba. A second study will assess a further 828.8 kilometres of railway extending to the Port of Churchill.
The programme will evaluate the existing condition and capacity of the railway, identifying infrastructure improvements needed to accommodate heavier trains and increased freight volumes.
SYSTRA Canada will assess the performance of the track, bridges and hydraulic structures, identify operational constraints, develop options for future upgrades and estimate the investment required to deliver them.
Guillaume GENIN, Executive Vice President, Intercity & Heavy Rail at SYSTRA Canada said:We are delighted to begin this collaboration with Hudson Bay Railway and to support Arctic Gateway Group in achieving its strategic ambitions for Manitoba and Canada.
The work will be undertaken in two phases. An initial corridor assessment will identify critical issues and provide preliminary recommendations, followed by a detailed engineering assessment that will produce a prioritised programme of infrastructure improvements.
The study draws on SYSTRA’s experience in freight rail, heavy-haul operations and mining railway infrastructure.
The project forms part of Arctic Gateway Group’s plans to strengthen the Hudson Bay Railway as a freight corridor linking western Canada to international markets through the Port of Churchill.
