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Cape Breton University seeks return of passenger rail
By Transport Action | Atlantic
Cape Breton University (CBU) has undertaken a detailed feasibility of returning passenger rail to the region, to provide its students and staff with an improved connection to the city of Sidney, NS. The university campus is located several miles out of town, and currently served by a Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) transit service that is often crowded at peak times.
The proposal would operate over part of what is currently the Sidney Coal Railway, which has been disconnected from the rest of Canada’s rail network since freight service over the Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway was discontinued beyond the Canso Causeway in 2014, and an abandoned railway alignment, resulting in minimal property impacts. A technical assessment of the route was undertaken by Aecom, including preliminary costing. Some sections of the route have been out of use for some time and would require brush clearing, ballast cleaning and track rehabilitation.
The rolling stock proposed would be an electrical powered multiple unit train, probably with on-board batteries to avoid the cost of installing overhead catenary. An Alstom train was used as the basis of evaluation in the feasibility study but several other light rail options could be considered if the project proceeded to further development.
Like any major transit project, this would require a funding commitment from the province, and Transport Action hopes the provincial government will take this detailed research by CBU seriously. The population of Cape Breton is expected to grow rapidly over the next few years, including 40,000 new residents along the rail corridor.
For more information see Light Rail Feasibility Study – Cape Breton University