Kelowna Pacific Railway was a
short-line railroad
:''Short Line is also one of the four railroads in the American version of the popular board game Monopoly, named after the Shore Fast Line, an interurban streetcar line.''
A shortline railroad is a small or mid-sized railroad company that oper ...
, formerly a
Canadian National Railway line, leased by Knighthawk Rail. The KPR's line ran from
Kelowna to
Kamloops through the
Okanagan Valley
The Okanagan ( ), also known as the Okanagan Valley and sometimes as the Okanagan Country, is a region in the Canadian province of British Columbia defined by the basin of Okanagan Lake and the Canadian portion of the Okanagan River. It is p ...
. Operations started on January 30, 2000, and ended on July 5, 2013, when the company entered
receivership
In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver—a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights"—especially in c ...
.
The mainline track was , with an additional of associated spurs and sidings. In addition of running rights of
Canadian Pacific Railway were held by KPR. It also connected with CN's Kamloops Rail Yard. Between
Vernon and
Armstrong/
Lumby, the
Canadian Pacific Railway shared the line with the KPR, although no trains are currently run by CPR along that line.
The company entered receivership on July 5, 2013, with all operations suspended.
On September 26, 2013, CN announced that it had reached agreements with a major shipper and two locals of the
Teamsters union
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), also known as the Teamsters Union, is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of The Team Drivers International Union and The Teamsters National Union, the un ...
that would allow CN to resume operations over most of the Kelowna Pacific. CN said it planned to abandon the line between
Lumby Junction and Kelowna.
In 2014 CN began removing the railroad tracks in Kelowna.
Operations
KPR transported over 16,000 carloads per year. Most of the goods transported by the KPR are wood products; although grain, cement, scrap metal and industrial products could be seen. As of 2011, the KPR ran trains 5 days per week, with the schedule as follows:
*Kelowna: Monday and Wednesday (Trains staying overnight and return to Vernon on Tuesday and Thursday)
*Lumby: Tuesday and Friday
*Kamloops: As required
Customers
*
Tolko Industries, Kelowna Division (Kelowna - lumber)
*
Sun-Rype (Kelowna - fruits and fruit products, beverages)
*OK Builders Supplies (Kelowna - building materials)
*Knox Mountain Metals (Kelowna - scrap metal)
*Action Metals (Kelowna - scrap metal)
*
Superior Propane (Kelowna - propane)
*Okanagan Transload Terminal (Lake Country - various)
*Ashland Canada (Lake Country - industrial chemicals)
*Tolko Industries, Winfield Reload (Lake Country - lumber)
*Coldstream Lumber (Coldstream - lumber)
*Tolko Industries, Lavington Division (Lavington - lumber)
*Gorman Bros. (Lavington - Lumber)
*Tolko Industries, Whitevalley Division (Lumby - veneer)
*Rogers Flour (Armstrong - grain)
*Tolko Industries, Armstrong Division (Armstrong - lumber and plywood)
*Unifeed (Armstrong - feedgrains and seed)
*Armstrong Pellets Inc (Armstrong - Wood Pellets)
*Lehigh Cement (Kamloops - Cement)
*Moly Cop Canada (Kamloops - Steel Products)
*Okanagan Pellet Company
See also
*
Okanagan Valley Railway
References
External links
CN on KPR
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelowna Pacific Railway
British Columbia railways
Railway companies established in 2000
Transport in the Okanagan
Companies based in Vernon, British Columbia
Rail transport in British Columbia
Defunct British Columbia railways