New Brunswick East Coast Railway
Encyclopedia
The New Brunswick East Coast Railway was an historic Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 railway that operated in the province of New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...

.

It included 311 mi (500.5 km) of track of which 196 miles (315.4 km) were mainline between Campbellton
Campbellton, New Brunswick
Campbellton is a Canadian city in Restigouche County, New Brunswick.Situated on the south bank of the Restigouche River opposite Pointe-à-la-Croix, Quebec, Campbellton was officially incorporated in 1889 and achieved city status in 1958.Forestry and tourism are major industries in the regional...

 and Pacific Junction near Moncton. Important spurs connected Dalhousie Junction
Dalhousie Junction, New Brunswick
Dalhousie Junction is an unincorporated community in Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Canada.-References:...

 and Dalhousie
Dalhousie, New Brunswick
Dalhousie is a Canadian town located in Restigouche County, New Brunswick.- History :Dalhousie is the shire town of Restigouche County and dates European settlement to 1800. The Town of Dalhousie has been through some very distinct periods between its founding in 1825 and today...

, Nepisiguit Junction and Brunswick Mines, and Nelson
Nelson-Miramichi, New Brunswick
Nelson-Miramichi is a Canadian suburban neighbourhood in the city of Miramichi, New Brunswick.Prior to municipal amalgamation on January 1, 1995, Nelson-Miramichi was an incorporated village in Northumberland County and one of the oldest European settlements in the Miramichi Valley.Earl J...

 with Chatham
Chatham, New Brunswick
Chatham is a Canadian urban neighbourhood in the city of Miramichi, New Brunswick.Prior to municipal amalgamation in 1995, Chatham was an incorporated town in Northumberland County along the south bank of the Miramichi River opposite Douglastown...

.

The mainline (and related spurs) was formerly Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....

's second mainline between Montreal and Moncton. Its entire route was built originally as the Intercolonial Railway of Canada
Intercolonial Railway of Canada
The Intercolonial Railway of Canada , also referred to as the Intercolonial Railway , was a historic Canadian railway that operated from 1872 to 1918, when it became part of Canadian National Railways...

. NBEC started operations in December 1997 and was a wholly owned subsidiary of the Société des chemins de fer du Québec (Quebec Railway Corporation).

Via Rail
VIA Rail
Via Rail Canada is an independent crown corporation offering intercity passenger rail services in Canada. It is headquartered near Montreal Central Station at 3 Place Ville-Marie in Montreal, Quebec....

's Montreal-Halifax passenger train, the Ocean
Ocean (passenger train)
The Ocean is a Canadian passenger train operated by Via Rail between Montreal, Quebec and Halifax, Nova Scotia. It is currently the oldest continuously-operated named passenger train in North America. The Oceans schedule takes approximately 21 hours, running overnight in both directions...

, operates along the entire length of the NBEC's Newcastle Subdivision.

CN purchase

On 3 November 2008 CN announced that it was purchasing the NBEC and its sister companies Chemin de fer de la Matapédia et du Golfe
Chemin de fer de la Matapédia et du Golfe
The Chemin de fer de la Matapédia et du Golfe, , is a railroad in eastern Québec, that links up Rivière-du-Loup to Chandler, Quebec.-History:...

 (CFMG), Compagnie de gestion de Matane
Compagnie de gestion de Matane
Compagnie de gestion de Matane Inc. provides shuttle boat-rail freight service on the St. Lawrence River between Matane, Quebec and Baie-Comeau, Quebec, and other ports on the North Shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The company is based in Matane, Quebec. Compagnie de gestion de Matane Inc....

 (COGEMA), and the Ottawa Central Railway
Ottawa Central Railway
The Ottawa Central Railway is a Canadian shortline railway subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway. The headquarters are at the Walkley Yard, 3141 Albion Road South, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada....

(OCR) for $49.8 million (CAD) from the Quebec Railway Corporation.

The CN announcement indicates that the reacquired rail lines will be integrated back into the CN network with no significant changes, other than introducing CN locomotives and rolling stock to train operations. CN also mentioned investing significant capital upgrades in the rail network for outstanding maintenance.

External links

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