Stikine Line
The Stikine Line is a 413.7 mile railway line of the British Columbia Railway (BC Rail) running from Fort St James, where it connects with the Dog Creek Line and the Omineca Line, to Dease Lake on the Cassiar Central Line. At Meadowview it connects to the Omineca–Stikine Connecting Line, at Takla Landing to the BC Army Railway Regiment's line to Fort Tsayta, and at Iskut Junction to the Skeena Pacific Railway's Ganiks Laxha–Dease Lake line. Between Iskut Junction and Dease Lake (22.5 miles) the line is electrified and double-tracked.
The Stikine Line is Line 81 of BC Rail's Northern Region.
History
The British Columbia Railway finalised plans for a line to Dease Lake in 1969, and began construction in 1971. Once the BCR plans were finalised, the Skeena Pacific began an extension of its northern mainline from Meziadin to Dease Lake, opening the line in 1973. When the BCR completed the Stikine Line from Fort St James to Iskut Junction in 1975, the 22.5-mile Iskut Jct–Dease Lake section was sold to the BCR and was incorporated into the new line; after the sale, the SPR retained running rights into Dease Lake - the Iskut Jct–Dease Lake section is the only electrified section of the Stikine Line.
Services
SL65
Freight
There are daily freight trains in each direction, along with extra trains as needed.
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 Stikine Line sees three 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.
- 121/122 Klondike Limited (BCR): Prince George, BC – Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
- Three trains run weekly in each direction, with northbound trains departing Prince George on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and southbound trains departing Whitehorse on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. This train runs entirely over BC Rail trackage and is operated with BC Rail equipment and crews.
Intermediate stops:- BC: Fort St James, Takla, Dease Lake, Porter Landing, Cassiar, Klinkit
- Yukon: Teslin, Carcross
- 123/124 Aurora Borealis (BCR/VIA Rail): Edmonton, Alberta, Canada – Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
- Two trains run weekly in each direction using mixed consists of VIA rail coaches and BC Rail baggage, dining, sleeping, and sleeperette cars. Northbound trains depart Edmonton on Tuesday and Thursday, and southbound trains depart Whitehorse on Monday and Wednesday. This train runs over BC Rail trackage between Whitehorse and Dawson Creek, and over Canadian National trackage between Dawson Creek and Edmonton. One of the return trips are operated with BC Rail locomotives and crews, the other with VIA locomotives and crews.
Intermediate stops:- Alberta: Slave Lake, McLennan, Grand Prairie, Winagami, Beaver Lodge
- BC: Dawson Creek, Chetwynd, Fort St James, Takla, Dease Lake, Porter Landing, Cassiar, Klinkit
- Yukon: Teslin, Carcross
- 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 BC Rail sleeping cars in the summer months and one ARR and one BC Rail 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 BC Rail "Klondike Limited" between Whitehorse and Prince George, to the BC Rail "Fraser-Skeena" domestic express between Prince George and Ashcroft, to the BC Rail "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 is one Express train on the Stikine Line.
- 83/84 Tahltan Highlander: Dease Lake – Dawson Creek
- One daily overnight trip in each direction with sleeping cars (first class) and sleeperettes (second class), a dining car, and two second-class chair car.
Intermediate stops: Arras, Chetwynd, Azouzetta, Kennedy, Wakely, Summit Lake, Echo Lake, Tl’azt’en, Fort St James, Takla, Bulkley House
Local
Local trains are passenger trains that make scheduled stops at all stations and halts along the route they serve. There are seven Local trains on the Stikine Line operated by BC Rail, along with three trains of the Skeena Pacific that run on the Iskut Junction–Dease Lake section:
- 601/602, 603/604, 605/606: Meziadin – Dease Lake (SPR)
- Three daily return trips, electric trainsets.
- 8101.1-2/8102.1-2: Fort St James – Kluakaz (BCR)
- Two daily round trips, second class only with a cafeteria car.
- 8201.1-2/8202.1-2: Kluakaz – Dease Lake – Cassiar (BCR)
- Two daily round trips, second class only with a cafeteria car.
Route
A yellow background indicates an electrified section.
● - Scheduled Limited Express, Express, and Local stop
▲ - Scheduled Express and Local stop
• - Local stop
| - No passenger service
| Station | Milepost | Tariff-miles from prev. stn. |
Connecting lines | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort St James | 0.0 | 0 | Dog Creek Line Omineca Line |
||
| Osprey | 2.7 | 3 | - | Passenger only | |
| Meadowview | 5.9 | 3 | Omineca–Stikine Connecting Line | ||
| Silul Tl’o K’ut | 30.4 | 24 | - | Sawmill | |
| Tachie | 32.3 | 2 | - | Passenger flag stop only, no siding | |
| Grand Rapids | 43.2 | 11 | - | ||
| Middle River | 59.7 | 17 | - | ||
| Leo Creek | 83.1 | 23 | - | ||
| Takla Narrows | 91.9 | 9 | - | ||
| Takla Landing | 118.3 | 26 | BC Army Fort Tsayta line | ||
| Cheztainya Lake | 129.6 | 11 | - | Sawmill, quarry | |
| Bulkley House | 139.0 | 9 | - | ||
| Kotsine | 149.7 | 10 | - | Sawmill | |
| Pathway Lake | 163.7 | 14 | - | ||
| Foerster Lake | 169.5 | 6 | - | ||
| Azuklotz | 183.4 | 14 | - | ||
| Klewaduska | 185.9 | 3 | - | ||
| Bear River | 191.0 | 5 | - | ||
| Valhalla | 205.6 | 15 | - | Sawmill | |
| Mosque | 221.9 | 16 | - | ||
| Chipma | 238.7 | 17 | - | ||
| Kluatanton | 257.0 | 18 | - | ||
| Kluakaz | 286.6 | 29 | - | ||
| Eaglenest | 337.9 | 51 | - | ||
| Klappan River | 353.5 | 16 | - | ||
| Iskut Jct | 391.2 | 37 | Ganiks Laxha–Dease Lake line (SPR) | ||
| Jade Landing | 409.2 | 18 | - | Ore loading facility for Cominco's Jade Landing mine | |
| Dease Lake | 413.7 | 5 | Cassiar Central Line | ||