Friday, February 14, 2020

Freight set to roll again along CN Mainline as blockade lifted near Hazelton



The Prince Rupert waterfront is starting to come alive once again, that  Federal and Provincial officials announced plans to meet with Hereditary Chiefs in the Wet'suwet'en, an announcement which led to the lifting of a blockade near Hazelton.

The line was reopened for service at 4 AM Friday, allowing for CN Rail crews to conduct rail inspections and to begin the process of moving six days worth of stopped train back into motion.

In a Friday morning press conference, Federal Transportation Minister Marc Garneau announced the lifting of the blockade and noted the importance of the Port of Prince Rupert for national trade and as a place of employment for a significant number of Indigenous people in Northwest BC.

Transport Minister Marc Garneau at a press conference Friday morning
(screen grab from CPAC Periscope feed)


"When the line was reopened this morning and this is to Prince Rupert; CN and my officials worked quickly and the appropriate inspections occurred. Within about three hours, trains were running again it's worth noting that the reopening of this section of the network will for the resumption of activities at the Port of Prince Rupert where about 40 percent of the workforce is Indigenous"  -- Federal Transportation Minister Marc Garneau, speaking this morning to announce the reopening of the CN main line from Prince George to Prince Rupert.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Trudeau and Premier John Horgan discussed the ongoing situation in the Wet'suwet'en with the Prime Minister expressing the desire for both government's to work toward a resolution as soon as possible.

Both governments shared a commitment to meeting with Gitxsan Simgyget, Wet’suwet’en Dini Ze’ and Ts’ake ze to engage in an ongoing dialogue.

Earlier this week, Shaun Stevenson the President and CEO of the Port of Prince Rupert had outlined the impact that the cessation of rail service to the North Coast had delivered, noting that by Monday a number of marine terminal locations had suspended operations.



This morning the CN engines began their shuttle work on the Prince Rupert waterfront, with a number of container trucks lined up for morning entry to the DP World container facility at Fairview.

Later in the day, the Port of Prince Rupert made note of the day's events with a short update:

The rail blockade on CN’s mainline in New Hazelton, B.C. has been dismantled and operations at the Port of Prince Rupert are in the process of resuming. The thousands of women and men across northern British Columbia whose livelihood depend on the Prince Rupert gateway are committed to moving Canadian trade safely and efficiently through the Port of Prince Rupert, and will be working hard to restore the corridor’s full fluidity in the weeks ahead.

For more notes related to CN Rail operations in the region see our archive page here, while past notes on Port operations can be found from our Port archive page.

Cross posted from the North Coast Review.

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