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CN says a section of track connecting the NWT to Alberta is now back in service after wildfire damage earlier in August.
In mid-August, the rail giant said a wildfire that flared up on August 12 appeared to have caused “significant” damage to the line that currently runs to an Enterprise rail yard.
In an update sent to Cabin Radio on Wednesday, a spokesperson said crews had completed repairs and service had resumed. The line is relied upon by customers like Imperial Oil, the territory’s diamond mines and the NWT government for fuel delivery.
Wildfires remain a threat in the area.
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Highway 1 at the Alberta-NWT border has been through a series of rolling closures in recent days as officials try to keep traffic moving despite the threat from fires and the associated smoke. No communities are at risk.
CN’s rail line runs parallel to the highway through most of the region.
“CN continues to engage with the emergency liaison and monitor the wildfire activity closely. We would like to thank the ongoing efforts of the first responders,” the company stated on Wednesday.
A section of track extending beyond Enterprise to Hay River remains out of service. That line has not been repaired by the company since being damaged by wildfires 12 months ago.
CN has said there is no business case to spend money reopening that line as its customers are, for the most part, content to use the Enterprise rail yard instead.
The territorial government has said it continues to lobby CN to restore the line so goods can be taken directly to Hay River – which is ordinarily a barge resupply hub – by rail.
