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Saskatchewan short line railways receive funds from the province

Jun 29, 2022 | 10:42 AM

MELFORT, Sask. – Short-line railways are receiving financial support from the Saskatchewan Government,.

Short Line Railway Improvement Program (SRIP) provides grants of $530,000 to assist with track upgrades and expansion, improved crossing surfaces and sightlines, bridge maintenance, and track rehabilitations.

Funding will be given based on the amount of track each railway owns, with small track networks to receive at least $25,000.

AGT Foods the parent company of Mobil Grain and Big Sky Rail President and CEO Murad Al-Katib said the financial support received from the province helps to make the short lines efficient.

“This funding helps maintain and improve our infrastructure, which ensures safe rail service which is critical to support producers as well as exporters of agricultural and other commodity products across Saskatchewan,” Al-Katib said.

Short line rail funding allocations for 2022-23 include:

· Southern Rails Cooperative: $25,000

· Carlton Trail Railway: $37,515

· Red Coat Road & Rail: $25,000

· Great Western Railway: $129,909

· Thunder Rail: $25,000

· Wheatland Rail: $25,000

· Torch River Rail: $25,000

· Great Sandhills Railway: $43,089

· Last Mountain Railway: $29,155

· Stewart Southern Railway: $28,297

· Long Creek Railroad: $25,000

· Big Sky Rail: $87,035

· Northern Lights Rail: $25,000

There are 13 provincially regulated short-line railways in Saskatchewan that operate on 2,122 kilometres of track, primarily for grain transportation.

alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com

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