Boundary Line

The Boundary Line is a 129.7 mile railway line of the British Columbia Railway (BC Rail) running from Midway on the Kettle Valley Line to Rossland via Grand Forks, where it connects with the Washington & British Columbia Railway's Washington & Great Northern Line and Phoenix Line, and via Castlegar, where it connects with the Slluqan Valley Line and the North Western Pacific Railroad's Kootenay & Pend Oreille Line. In addition, it connects with the North Fork Line at Cuprum and Westend, and there are several other connecting spur lines.

The Boundary Line is Line 50 of BC Rail's Kootenay Region.

Freight
This line sees extensive freight traffic to and from Grand Forks and Trail, along with through freight from the chemical plant in Nelson.

Cominco's lead and zinc smelter at Trail is the largest in the world.

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.

Passenger service on the west end of the line (Midway–Grand Forks) is limited to two daily round trips between Kelowna and Christina Lake; service east of Grand Forks is considerably more extensive - the eight daily return trips between Castlegar and Rossland is the most frequent passenger service in British Columbia that is not a commuter service under contract to a public transit authority. All Local trains on the Boundary Line use diesel railcars; the Castlegar - Rossland DC service is the only train that operates between Warfield and Rossland, because the length of the switchbacks at Tiger and Crown Point.

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 Boundary Line sees two international Limited Express services.

All international Limited Express trains feature full-service dining cars open to first and second class passengers, sleeping cars (first class) and sleeperette cars (second class), as well as baggage handling, free of charge for first class passengers, or for a surcharge for second class passengers. International services may be used for domestic travel, but for travel between three or fewer domestic stops a surcharge is applied.


 * 107 Smoke Eater/108 Stampeder (BC Rail/VIA Rail): Trail, BC – Calgary, Alberta, Canada
 * Daily service with a morning departure from each end using one VIA consist and one BC Rail consist, with VIA locomotives and crews working the VIA consists and BC Rail locomotives and crews working the BC Rail consists over the entire route; the westbound train is called Smoke Eater, and the eastbound is the Stampeder. This train runs over the trackage of the BC Rail between Trail and Nelson, and of the Canadian Pacific between Nelson and Calgary. Intermediate stops:
 * BC: Castlegar, Nelson, Creston, Cranbrook
 * Alberta: Lethbridge


 * 131/132 International Hiawatha (North Western Pacific/BC Rail): Vancouver, BC (Pacific Central) – Chicago, Illinois, USA
 * Twice-weekly service with eastbound trains departing Vancouver on Wednesdays and Saturdays, westbound trains leaving Chicago on Tuesdays and Fridays; all trains consist of NWP consists. This train runs over the trackage of the BC Rail between Vancouver and Castlegar, and over NWP trackage between Castlegar and Chicago; locomotive changes take place in Castlegar. Intermediate stops:
 * BC: Hope, Princeton, Penticton, Grand Forks, Castlegar, Salmo, Nelway (BC and US customs checks)
 * Washington: Metaline Falls, Newport
 * Idaho: Spirit Lake
 * Washington: Spokane
 * Idaho: St Maries
 * Montana: Alberton, Missoula, Butte, Harlowton, Miles City
 * South Dakota: Morristown, Mobridge, Aberdeen
 * Minnesota: Ortonville, Minneapolis, St Paul, Winona
 * Wisconsin: La Crosse, Milwaukee
 * Illinois: Racine

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 stops a surcharge is applied. There are two Express trains on the Boundary Line.


 * 51/52 Selkirk Mountaineer: Grand Forks – Nelson
 * Two daily return trips with a cafeteria car. Intermediate stops: Christina Lake, Castlegar, South Slocan


 * 53/54 Monashee Mountaineer: Trail – Nelson
 * Two daily return trips with a cafeteria car. Intermediate stops: Waterloo, Castlegar, South Slocan

Local
Local trains are passenger trains that make scheduled stops at all stations and halts along the route they serve. There are three Local trains on the Boundary Line; all are operated with diesel multiple-unit trainsets or single-unit diesel railcars.


 * 4201D.1-2/4202D.1-2: Kelowna – Lebanon Lake – Midway – Grand Forks – Christina Lake
 * Two daily return trips operated by DMU, first and second class with a cafeteria compartment.


 * 5001D.1-3/5002D.1-3: Castlegar – Grand Forks City
 * Three daily return trips operated by DMU, second class only with seat-side drink and snack service.


 * 5003D.1-8/5004D.1-8: Castlegar – Rossland
 * Eight daily return trips operated by a single-unit diesel railcar, second class only, no drink/snack service.

Route
Italic text indicates a closed station or connection.

● - Scheduled Limited Express, Express, and Local stop ▲ - Scheduled Express and Local stop • - Local stop | - No passenger service

Shields 86.7 - Westley 96.1 - Kraft 98.0 - Robson West 99.0 - Castlegar # 100.7 ● - Waterloo 104.5 [Kinnaird] ▲ - Blueberry Creek 106.6 - Poupore 108.3 - Genelle 110.4 - Birchbank 113.1 - Rivervale 117.2 - Smelter 118.9 - Trail 119.3 ● - Annable^ 120.3 - Warfield 122.0 [dom ex] - Tiger 124.2 - Crown Point 125.2 - Drake's Road^ 127.6 - Union Avenue^ 128.3 - Rossland^ 129.7

> Robson West: passenger only plus storage yard > Waterloo: Andrew Sheret Ltd > Blueberry Creek: suburban passenger station, but a 0.9 mile spur to the Blue Circle Cement plant starts here > Poupore: 0.4 mile spur to a mine > Genelle: Star Transfer Ltd warehouse, Armtec Drainage Solutions, Genelle Furniture Manufacturing, plus spur to Crawford Equipment and United Rentals (0.5 miles) > Rivervale: Imperial Oil tank farm > Smelter: very large freight-only station primarily serving the massive Cominco lead and zinc smelter - the largest in the world > Trail: passenger, plus further tracks to the Cominco smelter, wye, 5-stall enginehouse; in 1962 a new station building in "mid-century futurist" style was built here > Annable: passenger-only flag stop, no siding > Warfield: passenger-only station, but a spur to Cominco's fertiliser plant adjacent to the village begins just upline from the station > Tiger: switchback, no commercial service > Crown Point: switchback, no commercial service