The Canadian Pacific Railway expects to have its new rail line between Valleyview and the downtown Kamloops complete by April of next year.
The company is building an additional 8,500-foot track along its existing mainline in Kamloops that will stretch from about 10th Avenue, east to the 1800-block of Kelly Douglas Road. The new track will also span the now closed Jack Gregson Trail, which CP said was on its right-of-way and not part of the City of Kamloops’ official trail network.
According to CP, the additional track will accommodate increased shipment volumes of steelmaking coal moving through Kamloops to Teck Resources' expanded Neptune Terminals in North Vancouver on Canadian National's rail network.
The long-term deal announced in December 2019 between CN and Teck Resources runs from April 2021 through the end of 2026.
Asked how many more cars of coal will be coming through Kamloops as a result of the project, Canadian Pacific directed KTW to Canadian National.
KTW is is awaiting a response from CN.
According to CP, an “environmentally benign, glue-like polymer en route from the mines to export facilities” will be sprayed on the coal to prevent it from shifting during transport.
“CP will continue to work with Teck and the community to investigate instances of coal dusting,” CP spokesperson Salem Woodrow said via email.
Anyone who witness a dusting train through Kamloops is asked to email Community_Connect@cpr.ca with the date, time, location and any identifying marks, such as a locomotive number.
The new track construction project, which began on Nov. 9, involves removing vegetation in preparation for upcoming project work and relocating utilities using a vacuum system.
Residents can expect to hear heavy machinery and trucks during construction and notice an increase in dust, according to CP. Construction is occurring mostly during daytime hours.
Part of the project also involves conducting an archaeological impact assessment, during which samples are screened onsite by a professional archaeological consulting company alongside representatives from Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc.
