Jean Charest heads task force looking to move rail yards out of Winnipeg

A task force headed by former Quebec Premier Jean Charest will look at moving the rail yardsout of Winnipeg.

"Moving rail lines out of the city of Winnipeg is a historic opportunity to reshape our capital city for the future," said ManitobaPremier GregSelinger, afterannouncingthe creation of the task force on Thursdayat The Forks the city's most famous redevelopment of a former rail yard.

The province will invest $400,000 towards the task force's work, he added.

"While work has been underway for many years, today we are taking significant concrete steps forward in efforts to reduce traffic congestion, enhance public safetyand create new opportunities for jobs and economic development," Selinger said.

RAW: Greg Selinger on moving CP rail lines out of Winnipeg

9 years ago

Duration 2:51

Manitoba Premier Greg Selinger sat down with CBC Information Radio's Marcy Markusa to talk about moving the CP rail lines. "It's a historic opportunity to reshape our capital city for the future".

But rail relocation is only part of a mix of a number of infrastructure projects, Selinger said.

"We are looking at the future of the Arlington Bridge, looking at what can happen with Marion Street We are looking at the Waverleyunderpass, Jubilee," he said.

Overall, those projects and the work on rail lines create an opportunity to reinvent the city, according to Selinger.

He and Charest were joined at Thursday's announcement byWinnipeg MayorBrian Bowmanand CentrePortCanadaCEODiane Gray.

Bowman said he feels encouraged after watching what he calls the province's "renewed focus on rail revitalization."

"I want the City of Winnipeg to continue to be an involved partner in these discussions," he said, noting he was pleased to see Charestin the city.

Gray said the team remains convinced that rail is an important mode of transportation, particularly in the context of Canada's future.

"But we also need to make sure that we're planning for how our city grows and anticipating what that's going to look like when our city is a million people," shesaidon Thursday morning.

The terms of reference for the task force and a more detailed framework will be developed in consultation between Charestandkey stakeholders, a press release from the province said.

No timeline has been identified forthe task force's work, or ultimately, the relocation of the rail yards. If and when that happens, though, "the end result will be new jobs and economic development, reduced traffic congestion and a bold new vision for Manitoba's capital city," Charest said.

He added that he was "delighted" to be in Winnipeg, noting he has great respect for Selinger.

"There is a working group that has started the ground work here," he said.

"We are not starting from scratch. I will be assembling the players[defining]the terms of reference and[launching] the baseline study."

Long debate

The massiveCanadian Pacific Railway yards, which separate the North End from central Winnipeg, havebeen the subject of relocation discussion for many years.

Thenon-profit Social Planning Council of Winnipeghas called for thoseyards to be movedto allow redevelopment in the inner citynew housing, green space, commercial space, recreational facilities and other urban infrastructure.

The CP yards occupy about 110 hectares(280 acres) south of JarvisAvenue, with another 39 hectares (96 acres) used for the Weston Shops west ofMcPhillips Street.

According to the Social Planning Council,discussions on relocating the CP Rail yard have gone on since the 1960s. And in the late 1970s, alternative land was identified for a change but the option was not exercised by the City of Winnipeg.

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The newtask force won't just lookat the CP yards, however,but the whole picture in Winnipeg, including theBNSF operation in River Heights. That small yard drew a lot ofresidents' anger when eight tallmetal silos were built in 2012.

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CentrePort,northwest of Winnipeg's James Richardson International Airport, has been mentioned as apossible new locationfor the rail yards. It isan 8,000-hectare inlanddistribution and warehousing depot thatlinksair, ground and rail transport.

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However, that option is still just speculation. No firm discussions have taken place, CentrePort spokeswoman Riva Harrison saidin November.

CentrePortisbuilding what is known as a common-use rail facility, toallow multiple rail lines (CN, CP,BNSF) to serve businesses in the area, but "our project is a stand-alone, separate initiative that is about increasing rail-serviced industrial space and attracting new companies to theCentrePortarea," Harrison said.