Huron Central Railway
Encyclopedia
Huron Central Railway is a Canadian railway operating in northern Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, operated by Genesee & Wyoming Canada Inc., the Canadian subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming Inc.

The Huron Central Railway was established in July 1997 to operate a 305 kilometres (190 mi) route leased from the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...

 (CPR) between Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Sault Ste. Marie is a city on the St. Marys River in Algoma District, Ontario, Canada. It is the third largest city in Northern Ontario, after Sudbury and Thunder Bay, with a population of 74,948. The community was founded as a French religious mission: Sault either means "jump" or "rapids" in...

. The railway operates one train in each direction six days per week (eastbound in the morning, westbound in the evening).

Coil steel manufactured by Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Marie and freight from the Domtar
Domtar
Domtar Corporation is the largest integrated producer of uncoated freesheet paper in North America and the second largest in the world based on production capacity, and is also a manufacturer of papergrade pulp....

 paper mill at Espanola
Espanola, Ontario
Espanola is a town in Northern Ontario, Canada, and is the seat of Sudbury District. It is situated on the Spanish River, approximately 70 kilometres west of downtown Sudbury, and just south of the junction of Highway 6 and Highway 17.- History :The name "Espanola" has been attributed to a story...

 account for 80% of freight traffic, although pulpwood
Pulpwood
Pulpwood refers to timber with the principal use of making wood pulp for paper production.-Applications:* Trees raised specifically for pulp production account for 16% of world pulp production, old growth forests 9% and second- and third- and more generation forests account for the balance...

, chemicals used by the steel industry, slab
Slab
-Physical materials:* Slab , a length of metal* Concrete slab, a flat plate used in construction* A piece of stone or concrete used to pave sidewalks or road surfaces* Slab : That portion of a tectonic plate that is subducting...

 steel, paper
Paper
Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....

, and miscellaneous goods are also carried. The railway handled 23,000 carloads a year.

The route has variable topography and typically two or three locomotives are used to haul trains varying between 25 and 50 cars in length. The line parallels Ontario Highway 17
Highway 17 (Ontario)
King's Highway 17, more commonly known as Highway 17, is a provincially maintained highway and the primary route of the Trans-Canada Highway through the Canadian province of Ontario. It begins at the Manitoba border west of Kenora and ends south of Arnprior at the western terminus of Highway 417, ...

 for much of its length.

Discontinuing operations

HCRY had been asking the provincial government since 2006 for funding to improve the track, and in April 2009, Genesee & Wyoming warned of closing the line due to poor track condition and additional costs involved, unless the provincial government provides grants in order to upgrade the track. On June 15, 2009, Genesee & Wyoming announced that it would discontinue operations of HCRY and layoff
Layoff
Layoff , also called redundancy in the UK, is the temporary suspension or permanent termination of employment of an employee or a group of employees for business reasons, such as when certain positions are no longer necessary or when a business slow-down occurs...

 45 people in October 2009 due to the economic downturn
Late 2000s recession in the Americas
As one of the most developed regions in the world, the late 2000s – early 2010s recession in the Americas is seen as one of worst disaster areas of all the world. While Canada has managed to return their economy nearly to the levels they enjoyed prior to the recession, the United States and Mexico...

. It suffered a significant reduction in carload volume, which dropped by almost 50% from a year earlier, and making the line no longer viable.

This announcement however triggered a series of negotiations between HCRY, the City of Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie City Council
The Corporation of the City of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario is run by a city council of 12 councillors, representing six wards, and a mayor.-Mayor:...

, Essar Steel Algoma, and Domtar in order to keep the rail line open. An agreement was reached which provide $15.9 million to cover the operating expenses and maintains service until August 15, 2010.

In a Press Release dated August 3, 2010, Genesee & Wyoming said "GWI has continued to operate HCRY under a temporary operating agreement that terminates in mid-August 2010, unless renewed by the affected parties." It remains to be seen whether the affected parties will renew their agreement.

The Huron Central Railway is still in service, operating road trains six days a week.

Repairing of the Railway

HCRY will officially remain for at least another twenty years as of 2010/early 2011.

The Liberal Party in the Soo gave money to the HCRY in order to keep the railway running. New rails, and ties are to replace the old ones. Also a new yard will be designed for safer access and running of the mainline.
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