Southern Railway Of Vancouver Island

Company History: In 2006, Canadian Pacific and RailAmerica’s Esquimalt & Nanaimo turned over their railroads on Vancouver Island, British Columbia to the Island Corridor Foundation in exchange for tax breaks. SVI was established by the Southern Railway Of British Columbia (SRY) as a subsidiary to be the designated operator of the foundation’s lines on the island. The 145 mile line ran from Victoria (connections are made to the rest of the North American rail network via a ferry) to Courtenay with a branch to Port Alberni. Traffic was light, amounting to only three or four cars per day, no where near the volume needed for upkeep on the line. SVI also operated passenger service with RDC’s on behalf of VIA. In 2011, the entire mainline was closed due to deteriorating track. Fifteen million dollars in grants and repairs later, the line re-opened in 2013, this time without the passenger service. In 2014, the segment between Duncan and Parksville was embargoed, again due to bad track. Operations continue south of Duncan using locomotives from parent SRY.

Successor/Parent History: The Southern Railway of British Columbia, branded as SRY Rail Link (reporting mark SRY) is a Canadian short line railway operating in the southwestern British Columbia.

SRY was launched in 1988 when the Province of British Columbia sold BC Hydro Rail to Itel. Itel sold it to Washington Group (the parent company of Montana Rail Link) in 1994. At that time they adopted the nickname SRY Rail Link. The line runs from Chilliwack southwest to Huntingdon/Sumas (on the Washington border) then northwest to New Westminster, Queensboro and Annacis Island. The island hosts large forest products and automobile terminals which originate or terminate about half of SRY’s traffic. The mainline is 62 miles long. SRY is busy with about 150 customers requiring a fleet of 29 diesels, nearly half of which are end cab switchers.

Brief History: Canada is a North American country stretching from the U.S. in the south to the Arctic Circle in the north. Major cities include massive Toronto, west coast film centre Vancouver, French-speaking Montréal and Québec City, and capital city Ottawa. Canada's vast swaths of wilderness include lake-filled Banff National Park in the Rocky Mountains. It's also home to Niagara Falls, a famous group of massive waterfalls.