Skeena Pacific Railway

The Skeena Pacific Railway (AAR reporting mark SPR) is the third largest railway company in British Columbia, operating over a total of 523.3 miles of railway, and is the largest of BC's privately owned railway companies. The SPR's passenger and freight trains play a vital role in the social and economic life of the northwestern part of the Dominion.

History
The Kitimat & Omenica Railroad (K&O) was chartered in 1889 to built a railway from Kitimat to Terrace (renamed Ganiks Laxha in 1980). Construction of the line north from Kitimat began in 1891, and in 1892, the first two miles of track were opened, operated as a logging railway. Due to an extreme shortage of funds, by 1922 only six miles of track had been built. In 1924, a new group of owners bought the K&O and renamed it Skeena & Kitimat Railway (S&K), with the line being extended only as needed for logging.

By the summer of 1941, the K&A's route length was just over 9 miles of mainline track. The outbreak of the Pacific War, fears of Japanese attack against Prince Rupert led to the expansion of Kitimat as a port, and with a loan from the Dominion government, a massive construction effort was begun in the middle of December, 1941. Despite the harsh winter conditions, the line from Milepost 9.0 North to Terrace was completed and opened for service in March 1942; at that time, the company was renamed again, becoming the Skeena & Pacific Railway. The S&P moved significant amounts of freight and troops from Terrace to Kitimat, even after the threat of Japanese attacks on the coast had vanished.

After the end of the war, plans were made to build a vast hydroelectric power station to supply power to a large new aluminium smelter to be built nearby. To aid in the construction of these projects, the line was extended south from Kitimat to the selected site, where a new town for the workers was built, called Kemano. This line was completed in 1947, and at the same time, the company was once again renamed, receiving its present name, Skeena Pacific Railway (SPR). At the same time as construction of the new, fully electrified line took place, the existing line between Kitimat and Terrace was also electrified.

In the 1950s, the Dominion government began implementing a farsighted, long term plan for development of the North, the New Towns Project. Inspired by the British undertaking of the same name, this project envisioned the transformation of a number of towns and settlements in northern BC into planned "model cities". Two of the settlements selected for this project were New Aiyansh (renamed Gitlaxt'aamiks in 1988) and Meziadin. As railway service was vital to the success of the project, the SPR was offered a 25-year subsidy by the government to build and operate the line. Accepting the offer, the SPR built a new electrified trunk line north from Terrace, reaching Nass Camp (north of New Aiyansh) in 1957, and extending to Meziadin in 1963.

After the BCR finalised its plans for a line to Dease Lake, the SPR began another extension of its northern trunk line. In fact, it was the SPR that built the line from Iskut Junction to Dease Lake; this was sold to the BCR after the Stikine Line from Fort St James reached Iskut Junction on 1975. After the sale, the SPR retained running rights into Dease Lake - the Iskut Junction–Dease Lake section is the only electrified section of the Stikine Line.

In 2019 the southern trunk line was extended from Kemano to Kemano Beach to serve a new liquefied natural gas terminal opened there in 2019 by Imperial Oil.

Electric multiple units

 * E900 series: With the expenditure of building the Terrace – Nass Camp line and its extension from Nass Camp to Meziadin, the Skeena Pacific found itself with a double shortage: shortage of locomotives to haul the increased number of trains and a shortage of funds to pay for the necessary motive power. Needing the equipment, however, the management turned to the BCR, then in the process of retiring their oldest electric multiple-unit trainsets, the Class EM1. These had been built in two variants - the Mk. I between 1939 and 1940 for southern service, and the Mk. II between 1940 and 1942 for northern operations. It was the naturally the latter that interested the Skeena Pacific, and in 1962, just before the opening of the Meziadin extension, a deal was quickly made to purchase the entire stock of Mk. II equipment.
 * This included 12 type DMB powered driving cars with a baggage compartment (numbered E901 – E912); 7 type DMS powered driving cars with a second-class seating compartment (E921 – E927); ten type TFS intermediate trailers with first and second-class seating compartments (T931 – T940); five type TMSC powered intermediate cars with a second-class seating compartment and a cafeteria compartment (E991 – E995); 4 type TSC intermediate trailers with a second-class seating compartment and a cafeteria compartment (T951 – T954); and 25 type TSL intermediate trailers with a second-class seating compartment and a lavatory (T901 – T925). Using only two powered driving cars formations of up to five cars could be assembled; if a TMSC car was added, ten-car formations were possible.
 * These EMUs were put into service on the Terrace – Kemano, Terrace – New Aiyansh, Terrace – Meziadin, and New Aiyansh – Meziadin Local trains, as well as on the Kemano – Meziadin Rapid. The Rapid used a ten-car formation (DMB-TSL-TSL-TFS-TMSC-TFS-TSL-TSL-TSC-DMB), the Terrace – Kemano trains used five-car sets (DMS-TSL-TSC-TSL-DMB), and the others used seven-car sets (DMS-TSL-TSL-TMSC-TFS-TSL-DMB). In 1963, two DMBs, E904 and E909, were rebuilt to DMS configuration, becoming E928 and E929; this allowed one further five-car formation (DMS-TSL-TSL-TFS-DMB) to be put together for extra trains on the Terrace – Kemano service if needed. The E900 series EMUs remained in regular service until 1986 after the E1000 series EMUs were introduced, after which they were stored for use as backups to the new units, seeing occasional emergency service until 1993. Several are preserved: one seven-car set (E901-T909-T923-T934-E992-T932-T911-T920-T952-E910) has been kept in operational condition at Kitimat, and is used in the summer months for heritage excursions; a short set (DMS E921-TSL T903-DMB E907) is preserved at Gitlaxt'aamiks; and a single driving car, DMS E928, is at the Prince George Railway Museum.

Network
The Skeena Pacific operates 523.3 miles of railway, all electrified at 25kV 60Hz, divided into four operating areas called Divisions; responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the lines and infrastructure within a given operating area is the responsibility of the Division in question.

1. First Division (HQ Kitimat)
111.9 miles, electrified; 41.5 miles double tracked, 12.7 miles freight only


 * Ganiks Laxha–Kemano Beach line: Ganiks Laxha (BCR)–Kemano Beach, 109.8 miles, electrified; Ganiks Laxha–Albcol (41.5 miles) double tracked; Kemano–Kemano Beach (10.6 miles) freight only
 * Gas Spur: South Kitimat–Supertest LNG plant, 0.9 miles, electrified, freight only
 * Wharf Spur: Albcol–Kitimat Wharf, 1.2 miles, electrified, freight only

2. Second Division (HQ Gitlaxt'aamiks)
110.1 miles, electrified; 68.2 miles double tracked, 41.9 miles passenger only
 * Ganiks Laxha–Dease Lake line (part): Ganiks Laxha (BCR)–Spencer Junction–Nass Camp, 68.2 miles, electrified, double tracked
 * Gitlaxt'aamiks–Gingolx line: Spencer Junction–Gingolx, 41.9 miles, electrified, passenger only

3. Third Division (HQ Meziadin)

 * Ganiks Laxha–Dease Lake line (part): Nass Camp–Meziadin, 73.2 miles, electrified, double tracked

4. Fourth Division (HQ Iskut)

 * Ganiks Laxha–Dease Lake line (part): Meziadin–Iskut Jct (BCR), 192.2 miles, electrified; SPR has running rights over the BC Rail line from Iskut Junction to Dease Lake (22.5 miles).

Passenger services
The Skeena Pacific operates passenger trains on seven routes; of these, five are Local services making scheduled stops at all stations and halts, and two are Rapid services, one of which is operated in conjunction with BC Rail. All of Skeena Pacific's passenger services except the Haisla Rapid are operated with electric multiple-unit trainsets, with first and second class seating and a cafeteria compartment. Baggage handling is free of charge for both classes; large parcels are handled for a surcharge.

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 SPR passenger trains are based on the Ministry's Schedule of Railway Fares.

Rapid
Rapid (also known as "semi-express") trains are similar to regular Express trains, making a limited number of scheduled stops, but stops can be booked up to an hour in advance at any station on the route that has passenger service.


 * 1/2 Nisga'a Rapid (SPR): Kemano–Ganiks Laxha–Meziadin
 * Daily service with a morning departure from each end. Scheduled intermediate stops: Kitimat, Ganiks Laxha, Gitlaxt'aamiks


 * 79/80 Haisla Rapid (BCR/SPR): Kemano – Prince Rupert
 * Four daily return trips with first and second class chair cars and a dining car; these trains do not have baggage handling. Two of the trains are operated with BCR equipment and crews, the other two with SPR equipment and crews (but the dining car is supplied by the BCR); each railway has running rights over the other's tracks for these trains. The short-trip surcharge applies only to trips between Kemano and Ganiks Laxha. Scheduled intermediate stops: Kitimat, Ganiks Laxha

Local
Local trains are passenger trains that make scheduled stops at all stations and halts along the route they serve.


 * 101/102, 103/104, 105/106, 107/108, 109/110, 111/112: Ganiks Laxha – Kemano
 * Six daily return trips.


 * 201/202, 203/204, 205/206: Ganiks Laxha – Gitlaxt'aamiks – Gingolx
 * Three daily return trips.


 * 301/302, 303/304: Ganiks Laxha – Meziadin
 * Two daily return trips.


 * 401/402, 403/404, 405/406, 407/408: Gingolx – Gitlaxt'aamiks – Meziadin
 * Four daily return trips. No baggage handling; large parcel handling can be booked at least three hours in advance.


 * 501/502, 503/504, 505/506: Meziadin – Dease Lake
 * Three daily return trips.