Restoring Vancouver Island rail service between Victoria and Courtenay could cost up to $548 million

Restoring passenger rail service on southeastern Vancouver Island would cost hundreds of millions of dollars depending on what level of service is chosen, according to a new report.  

Passenger trains stopped running on the E&N Line in 2011, and since then there has been growing support to bring passenger rail transportation back to the region. 

Last year the provincial government commissioned business consulting firm WSP Canada to look at the state of the E&N Line, now called the Island Rail Corridor, which extends from Victoria to Esquimalt and then north to Courtenay, and west from Parksville to Port Alberni. The report looked at the state of the line, including rail ties, bridges, fencing, crossings and tracks.

The report provides multiple estimates for various segments of the line depending on different levels of use, and therefore levels of upgrades.

The report says it could cost between $227 million and $548 million to restore rail service between Victoria and Courtenay, depending on the level of service required. For upgrades between Parksville and Port Alberni, the cost would be between $99 million and $180 million. Therefore, if both lines are upgraded, at the highest level of service, it would cost around $728 million.

If there was enough passenger demand to build a more sophisticated commuter rail service from Victoria to Langford via  Esquimalt, that section alone could cost a little over $595 million, according to the report. 

Public focusing on the wrong numbers, advocate says

The Island Corridor Foundations CEO, Larry Stevenson, said most people are getting hung up on the cost of the most pricey cost option, $729 million, and the cost of the commuter service from Victoria to Langford, but he said those aren't necessary at this time — he thinks the mid-level cost option would be enough to serve the island. 

"You're talking about a Cadillac Escalade when we only need a station wagon at this point," he told All Points West host Kathryn Marlow. 

Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins said she appreciates the options the report puts forth and wants officials need to take their time to figure out what option is best for the island.

She does, however, view the report as a roadmap for future transportation planning on Vancouver Island. 

"Looking at the future and how we want to be significantly more environmentally friendly, this is still an option and there's all sorts of ways you can look at this," she told On The Island host Gregor Craigie.

Stevenson said that if the province does move forward with some revival of the rail line, it can always be added to later. 

"I don't know that there's a better shovel-ready project anywhere in this province," he said.  

"We don't want to lose the opportunity. If you put this system in place today, it's in place for the next hundred years. If you have the base in place, you can always build on it."

The Ministry of Transportation is working on a transportation strategy for the South Island that will look at all modes of transportation, including rail. That report is expected to be released in June 2020.