Omnitrax appealing federal ruling to fix Churchill rail line

The company that owns a broken rail line into Churchill, Man., said it is appealing a federal regulatory ruling that requires it to repair the track.

Hudson Bay Railway Co. was ordered last week by the Canadian Transportation Agency to immediately begin repairs to the track, which is the only land link to the subarctic community of 900 people.

The agency said the company – owned by Denver-based Omnitrax – had not met its obligation to maintain service on the line, which was severely damaged by flooding in May of last year.

READ MORE: Federal regulators order Omnitrax to fix Churchill rail line

Hudson Bay Railway has said it cannot afford to repair the line and recently reached a tentative deal to sell it to a consortium of northern communities, along with help from the federal government.

That deal is expected to be finalized next month and would leave the new owners the responsibility for repairs.

In the meantime, and despite the pending appeal, the company said it has started getting repairs underway.