Nova Scotia to spend more than $600K to study light-rail service in Cape Breton

The provincial government is promising $610,000 in funding to study the feasibility of a light-rail service in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.

A government news release on Friday said the study will be led by Cape Breton University and will incorporate the existing rail corridor and infrastructure. 

The announcement came a day after Economic Development Minister Susan Corkum Greek announced the government was ending a decades-long subsidy paid for unused Cape Breton railway lines.

Genesee & Wyoming, the sole owners of the line when trains stopped running in 2015, said there was not enough business at the time to justify the service. CN Rail bought a stake in Genesee & Wyoming last fall.

The province has spent more than $18 million in subsidies over the last 20 years propping up the Cape Breton line.

15 weeks to complete

Cape Breton engineer Dan MacDonald will be in charge of the study. He says it should be completed in 15 weeks.

Speaking to Mainstreet Cape Breton, MacDonald said, if successful, the first phase of the project would run from Sydney River to the university campus with several stops in between.

He said the existing abandoned rail lines may need upgrades and repairs.

Reacting to the announcement, Nova Scotia Liberal Leader Zach Churchill said it is an attempt "to put the fire out" following adverse reactions to the government's plan to end the subsidy.

"This is another example of them … scrambling and trying to right a wrong that they made because, again, they don't do their homework," Churchill said.

Describing the proposal as "magical thinking," Nova Scotia NDP leader Claudia Chender said investing in buses, planning and the labour force could bring real results to Cape Breton Transit tomorrow.

"This is some kind of stunt and a nice cheque for CBU," Chender said. "And, in the meantime, Cape Breton is losing their rail track."