SHAUNAVON — Short line railroads have been operating in Western Canada since the early 2000s, servicing communities that were left abandoned by the major railroads.
Locally, a solution was put in place over two and a half decades ago, which has led to a celebration this year. It was 25 years ago that Great Western Railway started to, and continues to, proudly lead the way in providing service to producers in southwest Saskatchewan.
Great Western Railway, which has a combined total of 400 mostly local shareholders, has been a fixture on the rail since 2000. Andrew Glastetter, general manager of Great Western Railway, begins to speak about shortline rail growth and how proud he is that Saskatchewan retained the highest number of shortline railways in Canada.
Glastetter, who is also the President of the Western Canadian Short Line Railway Association, of which Great Western Railway is a founding member, has 19 short line members across British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba, with 13 of those lines based in Saskatchewan.
While the Canadian Short Line Railway Association has remained stable in membership since 2015, there has been increased interest from other smaller railways to join and learn from one another.
When asked about the short lines, Glastetter goes on to say that while they do not generally connect, they do connect to the larger railroads, helping to get Saskatchewan goods to export markets.
Working together with not only the other railways but the southwest community as a whole, the Great Western Railway has begun to be known as a great success story.
The Great Western Railway general manager pointed out that the company provides preferred jobs in the southwest, along with high safety standards.
Glastetter also goes on to state that Great Western Railway provides "local flexible service" by working with producers to save them time and money by providing rail service, which brings more investment to rural areas.
Great Western Railway continues to be a leader in the industry, working with grain companies and farmers to develop shortline rail.
This provides a more economic and environmentally friendly aspect to the industry, as it is cheaper than long-haul trucking and results in less fuel consumption and wear and tear on the roads.
Not only is Great Western heavily involved with the shortline as a whole, but the company has also recently purchased its rail cars. Glastetter stressed that this has made shortline rail an even more reliable and viable way to get products to market.
So here's to 25 years past and to another 25 years into the future, just down the line.
