The stretch of E&N Rail between Duncan and Parksville would cost around $100 million to upgrade to a bare minimum level of service. (Spencer Sterritt/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

riding the rails

Cost of restoring E&N Rail Line to full capacity in Nanaimo-area more than $200M

Apr 28, 2020 | 2:28 PM

NANAIMO — The final numbers are in for restoring rail service on Vancouver Island.

The ministry of transportation and infrastructure released their assessment of the E&N Rail Line on Tuesday, April 28.

It showed the cost of required upgrades to get rail up and running between Duncan and Parksville, involving re-establishing minimum freight and passenger service, would cost roughly $96 million. Between two and four passenger trains a day would use the rails at this level of service.

Bringing the service up to full capacity with more than eight trains a day would cost nearly $234 million.

This is on top of the nearly $600 million to bring commuter services online on the E&N Rail Line.

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It would cost nearly $234 million to bring rail service between Duncan and Parksville up to capacity, plus the nearly $600 million to get commuter service up and running. (MOTI)

Crossing and bridge upgrades would cost approximately $24.6 million on the stretch of E&N rail between Duncan and Nanaimo. The tracks were rated “fair to poor” in the assessment.

The cost of upgrade to crossings and bridges is less on the Nanaimo to Parksville section, totalling $11.9 million.The assessment found generally fair conditions in this portion but half of the rail ties are defective.

The E&N Rail Line extends roughly 290 kilometres from Victoria to Langford and north to Courtenay, with a second track running from Parksville to Port Alberni.

Passenger service stopped on the E&N Rail Line in 2011 due to safety concerns. Limited freight service still runs at the Nanaimo Port but only in a 16 kilometre radius of the rail yard.

It’s owned by the Island Corridor Foundation, which is based in Nanaimo and has representatives across Vancouver Island.

The 2018/2019 budget estimate from the Foundation, included in the recent assessment, showed upgrading the entire E&N Rail Line was estimated to cost slightly more than $148 million.

Andrea Thomas, manager of corridor development with the Island Corridor Foundation, said they needed time to sift through the lengthy assessment and would publicly comment on the numbers later in the week.

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