| Locale | Northern Manitoba |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Hudson Bay Railway |
| First | May 25, 2006 |
| Website | krcrail.ca |
| Start | The Pas |
| End | Pukatawagan |
| Stops | 4 |
| Distance | 160 mi (260 km) |
| Owners | |
| Routenumber | 290 / 291 |
The Keewatin Railway Company (KRC; ) is a rail company that operates a shortline mixed train service in Northern Manitoba between The Pas and the Pukatawagan Indian reserve.[1] The twice-weekly service – branded as 290 for the southbound route and 291 for northbound – utilizes the Sherridon Subdivision, a branch line between Cranberry Portage and Lynn Lake.[2] The company bought the line from the Hudson Bay Railway in 2006, and commenced its service in May.[3] KRC is co-owned by the Mathias Colomb, Tataskweyak, and War Lake First Nations,[3][4][5] and is one of two passenger railway operators in Canada owned by First Nations, alongside Tshiuetin Rail Transportation.
History
The rail line was originally the 185-mile (310 km-long) Sherridon Subdivision, between Sheritt Junction and Lynn Lake. This was part of the Hudson Bay Railway (HBRY) system, and Via Rail had operated trains between The Pas and Pukatawagan under an agreement with HBRY, but had suspended them from July 27 and August 2, 2005, because the Hudson Bay Railway line had become unsafe due to recent heavy rains in the area loosening the railbed.
On April 1, 2006, the Hudson Bay Railway sold the Sherridon Subdivision to the three first nations in the area, who now own and operate the railway. The First Nations-owned railway company received $4.9 million dollars in grants from the Government of Canada, $1.25 million from the Government of Manitoba and $500,000 from three First Nations communities (the Mathaias Colomb Indian Band, Tataskweyak Cree Nation, and the War Lake First Nation, who jointly own and operate the railway to this day) for the railway line purchase. The Federal Government has also given the three tribes up to $3.2 million for start-up fees and investments, which include the purchase of locomotives, railway equipment, transitional services, office equipment, and infrastructure work (maintenance) on the rail line. This funding comes from the Regional and Remote Passenger Rail Services Contribution Program administered by Transport Canada.
Service
| Station | Locale served | Interchange(s) |
|---|---|---|
| The Pas | The Pas | Winnipeg–Churchill |
| Cranberry Portage | Cranberry Portage | |
| Sherridon | Sherridon | |
| Pukatawagan | Pukatawagan |
References
- ^ Steve Boyko. "Keewatin Railway Company". Traingeek.ca. Archived from the original on 2017-06-21. Retrieved 2012-09-16.
- ^ "The Pas-Pukatawagan train - Description". Via Rail. Archived from the original on 2011-01-01. Retrieved 2009-11-01.
- ^ "First Nations to run northern rail line". CBC News. May 26, 2006. Archived December 28, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
- ^ "Keewatin Railway to take over passenger-rail operations on former Hudson Bay Railway line". Progressive Railroading. May 26, 2006. Archived December 28, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
- ^ Bull-Prete, Tiffany Hind (March 1, 2024). "Transportation equity: First Nation communities urgently need solutions now". The Conversation. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
- ^ "Train Schedules". Keewatin Railway Company. Archived December 28, 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 28, 2025.