Sitlika Line

The Sitlika Line is a 34.3 mile railway line of the British Columbia Railway (BC Rail) running from Ashcroft on the Inter-Dominion Line to Clinton on the Cariboo Line.

The Sitlika Line is Line 611 of the Pacific Great Eastern Region of BC Rail.

History
By 1921, the Crown-owned Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE) had extended its line from Squamish to Quesnel, with the intention of eventually reaching Prince George to connect with the BCR's Grand Trunk Line. The difficult terrain north of Quesnel presented an obstacle that the PGE found difficult to overcome, and for a decade it was known as "the railway from nowhere to nowhere", an isolated railway connected to the rest of the continent only by a rail ferry service between Squamish and Vancouver.

In 1927, the Ministry of Railways decided to address this issue by creating a connection between the PGE and the BCR's Inter-Dominion Line - a solution that was felt would not only solve the immediate problem of the PGE's isolation, but over the longer term would bring about a direct connection from the Okanagan to northern BC via the Cariboo region. As a result, in 1932 the 34.3 mile line from Ashcroft to Clinton was opened, which led to a significant reduction in time and cost for the movement of freight, especially produce, from Kamloops and the Okanagan to central Interior cities like Lillooet and Quesnel and, later, Prince George. Between Mishkolts and Cornelle the line was built on the right of way of the old gold rush-era Cariboo Road.

Under the PGE, it was part of the Clinton Subdivision, but after the PGE's absorption into the BCR in 1956, it was named the Sitlika Line.

Freight
Freight service on the Sitlika Line is relatively light, with only one daily wayfreight and one or two extras being the general rule; roughly two thirds of the southbound traffic is ocean seafood from Prince Rupert and Haida Gwaii and processed forest products destined for the Okanagan and the Kootenays. In the fruit harvest months traffic increases significantly, with unit trains of refrigerator cars moving fruit from the Okanagan to market in the North.

Passenger
The various categories of passenger service are defined by the Ministry of Labour, Industry & Railways in conjunction with the Ministry of Transport & Communications; these categories are applicable to and used by all railways providing passenger service in British Columbia. Like all other railways in BC, ticket prices for BC Rail passenger trains are based on the Ministry's Schedule of Railway Fares.

Limited Express
Limited Express trains are BC Rail's fastest and most prestigious trains, making very few or no intermediate stops. They feature free baggage handling for both first and second classes, along with a cafeteria car open to both classes. The Sitlika Line sees one Limited Express service that is restricted to operation in the winter ski season.


 * 153/154 Whistler Limited: Kamloops – Whistler
 * One daily return Thursday through Sunday during ski season only. Intermediate stops: Ashcroft, Cache Creek, Clinton

Express
Regular Express trains stop more often than Limited Express trains, but do not make unscheduled stops, featuring baggage handling free of charge to first class passengers, and available to second class passengers for a surcharge, and all include either a full-service dining car or a cafeteria car open to all classes. For travel between three or fewer domestic stops a surcharge is applied. There is one Express trains on the Cariboo Line.


 * 33/34 Fraser-Skeena: Kamloops – Prince George
 * One daily except Sunday return trip, with a dining car and a through sleeperette car to Ganiks Laxha – Prince Rupert. Intermediate stops: Cache Creek, Clinton, 100 Mile House, Williams Lake, Quesnel, Red Rock

Local
Local trains are passenger trains that make scheduled stops at all stations and halts along the route they serve. There is one Local train on the Cariboo Line running twice daily; none have baggage handling.


 * 6111.1-2/6112.1-2: Lillooet – Clinton – Ashcroft – Kamloops
 * Two daily return trips, second class only with seat-side drink and snack service.

Route
● - Scheduled Limited Express, Express, and Local stop ▲ - Scheduled Express and Local stop • - Local stop