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Crews begin lifting rails off CN Okanagan corridor

Crews begin lifting rails off CN Okanagan corridor | iNFOnews.ca
A pile of ripped up rails at the Hardy Road level crossing in Kelowna. Photographer: John McDonald

CENTRAL OKANAGAN – Crews have begun lifting the rails from the former CN railway corridor, making way for the eventual construction of the Okanagan Rail Trail.

According to the City of Kelowna website, CN Rail has contracted with Westcan Rail Ltd. to remove the 48.5 kilometres of rails from Hardy Road in Kelowna to Coldstream.

Under terms of the sale of the corridor, CN Rail is responsible for removing its equipment and bringing the corridor up to an industrial standard, including performing remedial environmental work if needed.

The company has until 2017 to complete the remediation process and the city says construction of the proposed multi-use pathway will only begin once those conditions are met.

Until then, the city says residents should stay off the corridor, citing the danger of rail spikes and ties left behind after the rails are lifted.

The city is also warning residents of intermittent traffic delays at level crossings during the remediation process.

To contact a reporter for this story, email John McDonald at jmcdonald@infonews.ca or call 250-808-0143. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

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John McDonald

By John McDonald

John began life as a journalist through the Other Press, the independent student newspaper for Douglas College in New Westminster. The fluid nature of student journalism meant he was soon running the place, learning on the fly how to publish a newspaper.

It wasn’t until he moved to Kelowna he broke into the mainstream media, working for Okanagan Sunday, then the Kelowna Daily Courier and Okanagan Saturday doing news graphics and page layout. He carried on with the Kelowna Capital News, covering health and education while also working on special projects, including the design and launch of a mass market daily newspaper. After 12 years there, John rejoined the Kelowna Daily Courier as editor of the Westside Weekly, directing news coverage as the Westside became West Kelowna.

But digital media beckoned and John joined Kelowna.com as assistant editor and reporter, riding the start-up as it at first soared then went down in flames. Now John is turning dirt as city hall reporter for iNFOnews.ca where he brings his long experience to bear on the civic issues of the day.

If you have a story you think people should know about, email John at jmcdonald@infonews.ca

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