North Fraser Line

The North Fraser Line is a 154.7 mile railway line of the British Columbia Railway (BC Rail) running from Williams Lake, where it connects with the Cariboo Line and the Chilcotin–Owikeno Line, to Prince George, where it connects with the Grand Trunk Line and the Peace River Line. In addition, at Macalister it connects with the Gibraltar Branch.

The North Fraser Line is Line 63 and the Gibraltar Branch is Line 631 of the Pacific Great Eastern Region of BC Rail.

History
The Pacific Great Eastern Railway, building a railway from Squamish to Prince George, opened the 181.3 mile line from Clinton to Quesnel in 1921. However, financial challenges and extremely difficult terrain prevented further expansion of the line until after the end of the Second World War. It wasn't until 1952 that the line - on which work had begun in 1910 - finally reached Prince George. Although Crown-owned since 1918, the PGE retained its own identity until 1956, when it was absorbed into the BCR once it was connected to the rest of the BCR network via the Squamish to North Vancouver line opened that year. In keeping with the rest of the BCR system, the PGE network was divided into named lines, with the Pemberton–Clinton–Williams Lake line becoming the Cariboo Line, and the Williams Lake–Prince George line becoming the North Fraser Line.

Under the PGE, the Williams Lake–Quesnel section was part of the Williams Lake Subdivision, and the Quesnel–Prince George section made up the Prince George Subdivision.

Gibraltar Branch
The Gibraltar Branch serves the large open-pit Gibraltar Mine (copper and molybdenum), fourth largest in North America with an average annual production of 140 million lbs of copper and 2.6 million lbs of molybdenum. It was initially opened in 1973, but closed in 1997 due to low copper prices. With copper prices increasing, the mine was reopened in 2004, and molybdenum mining began the following year, with the output being shipped by a new rail line opened in the middle of 2004.

Freight
Freight service on the North Fraser Line is extensive, moving forest products, pulp and paper, ore, and other products from online industries; it is also a vital corridor for the movement of seafood from Prince Rupert to the Interior, and of fruits from the Okanagan to 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. These fares do not apply to the RailBus service on this line.

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 North Fraser Line sees one international Limited Express service.


 * 191/192 Alaska Limited (BCR/Alaska Railroad): Anchorage, Alaska, USA – Seattle, Washington, USA
 * This is a once-weekly service departing Seattle on Tuesdays and Anchorage on Fridays, consisting of two ARR and two BCR sleeping cars in the summer months and one ARR and one BCR sleeper in the winter. These consists operate as through cars attached to the Alaska Railroad's international semi-express service between Anchorage and Whitehorse, to the BCR Klondike Limited between Whitehorse and Prince George, to the BCR Fraser–Skeena domestic express between Prince George and Ashcroft, to the BCR Inter-Dominion Limited between Ashcroft and Vancouver, and to the W&BC/Amtrak Cascades international express between Vancouver and Seattle. Intermediate stops:
 * Alaska: Wasilla, Talkeetna, Denali, Fairbanks, Delta Junction, Dry Creek, Dot Lake, Tanacross, Tok, Tetlin, Northway, Alcan Border (US customs checks)
 * Yukon: Beaver Creek (Canadian customs checks), Snag Junction, Quill Creek, Burwash Landing, Destruction Bay, Kloo Lake, Haines Junction, Canyon, Champagne Landing, Ibex Valley, Whitehorse, Teslin, Carcross
 * BC: Klinkit, Cassiar, Porter Landing, Dease Lake, Takla, Fort St James, Prince George, Red Rock, Quesnel, Williams Lake, 100 Mile House, Clinton, Cache Creek, Ashcroft, Hope, Chilliwack, Vancouver (Pacific Central), White Rock (BC customs checks)
 * Washington: Blaine (US customs checks), Ferndale, Bellingham, Mount Vernon, Stanwood, Everett, Edmonds

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 are two Express trains on the North Fraser 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


 * 61/62 Cariboo Prospector: North Vancouver – Prince George
 * One daily return trip, with a dining car and a through sleeperette car to Ganiks Laxha – Prince Rupert. Intermediate stops: Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton, Lillooet, Clinton, 100 Mile House, Williams Lake, Quesnel

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 in advance at any station on the route that has passenger service. There is one Rapid train on the North Fraser Line.


 * 65/66 Dakelh Rapid: Williams Lake – Prince George
 * One daily return trip with first and second class chair cars and a cafeteria car. The short-trip surcharge applies only to trips between Prince George and Red Rock. Scheduled intermediate stops: Quesnel, Strathnaver, Red Rock, Pineview

Local
Local trains are passenger trains that make scheduled stops at all stations and halts along the route they serve. There are two Local trains on the North Fraser Line; none have baggage handling.


 * 6301.1-2/6302.1-2: Quesnel – Williams Lake
 * Two daily return trips, second class only with seat-side drink and snack service.


 * 6303.1-2/6304.1-2: Quesnel – Prince George
 * 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 | - No passenger service