With the $15 million in place for repairing rail ties and relaunching a train service, attention is now being turned to the 48 bridges and trestles along the E&N rail route between Victoria and Courtenay.
Island Corridor Foundation (ICF), needs another $5.4 million for the necessary upgrades to bridges and trestles to make the rail line usable for at least 10 years, according to an engineering analysis released this week.
ICF chief operating officer Graham Bruce admits he has his work cut out for him, but said is confident that they will be able to find the money.
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To raise the initial $5.4 million, Bruce plans to approach a number of organizations including the Island Coastal Economic Trust. Beyond that, he was hesitant to give other names while the application process is still underway.
Work needed on bridges and trestles involves new decking and some structural work.
Near Goldstream park, the iconic Niagara Canyon bridge and Arbutus Canyon bridge, both from 1912, require hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs. This is still a better outcome then anyone predicted.
B次元官网网址淎ll of it is manageable and when you look at those structures and the age of them, theyB次元官网网址檙e in very good shape compared to what we were anticipating,B次元官网网址� Bruce said.
Rail tie replacement, a separate project, is anticipated to start in October 2012, after finalizing government funding and going through a tender process.
Associated Engineering, a consultant located in Langford, prepared the analysis over five months on behalf of the Ministry of Transportation and the ICF. Money for the report came from the province, which approved an early $500,000 of its $7.5 million commitment for repairing the E&N tracks.
The report also outlines the money needed for the next 20 and 30 years. In total maintenance and repair will cost $34 million over 30 years.
Once the rail system is up and running, however, money will come from passenger and freight users for ongoing upkeep.
Bruce said they want to do the job right and not just patch the railway up. By ensuring upgrades will keep the system going for at least 10 years, the hope is to be able attract more businesses and industry to utilize the rail system, knowing that it is reliable.
B次元官网网址淭his wasnB次元官网网址檛 just a fly-off and get it running, and then the next thing you know youB次元官网网址檙e shut down because of this, that or the other,B次元官网网址� Bruce said. B次元官网网址淭he whole plan was built on getting passenger service back and running for a minimum of 10 years.B次元官网网址�
For more about the Island Corridor Foundation, see www.islandrail.ca.
For the bridge and trestle assessment, see .
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