Spun off from CN in 1998, the Barrie Collingwood Railway (BCRY), which once ran from Collingwood to Innisfill, has been operated by Cando Rail & Terminals since inception. After a review of options due to C$750,000 annual deficits in 2017-2018 that also included potential sale or removal of the rail line, the City decided to issue an RFP with a five-year contract term to continue operations.
Awarded to Cando Rail & Terminals in August 2024, the new operating contract is for five years starting Jan.1, 2025. The BCRY currently operates 23 miles of track and interchanges with CPKC in Utopia, Ontario with a haulage agreement for CN-destined cars as the CN interchange in Allandale is no longer used. Estimated revenues for the contract are C$750,000 under a revenue sharing arrangement where the operators will retain increasing amounts of carload revenue after certain thresholds are met: 25% up to C$150,000, 50% from C$150,000 to C$300,000, and 75% above $C300,000.
The revenue share is being used to encourage continued business development and revenue growth as obtaining new customers and marketing the railway as part of local cities and townships is the desired outcome of continued operations. A fixed maintenance amount for ongoing track and signal maintenance and capital cost amount for capital upgrades is also part of the contract.
Eleven customers use the BCRY according to the City of Barrie, with the following car counts for 2023:
- Tarpin Lumber, 13
- TAG, 18
- TAG US, 109
- Azelis, 14
- Oxbox, 7
- Citgo Petroleum, 65
- Procor, 5
- The Plaza Group, 6
- Canadian Forest Products, 2
- Ecro, 1
- Stella Jones, 78
BCRY has four direct active rail customers, with several customers that retain a rail siding but don’t use the railway actively. Between 2016 and 2023, 23 customers used the railway, showing a diverse customer base in recent years, despite the low car counts. The remaining customers not with direct rail service are being serviced out of transload locations including Utopia Yard, a 10-acre site located adjacent to the CKPC Mactier Subdivision, or they are car storage customers. Service is currently provided two days a week with a sliding scale of customer charges based on distance from the Utopia CPKC interchange.
Cando had an advantage in bidding as it retained CCGX 1001, an un-rebuilt EMD GP9, on the property, along with all other equipment required to operate the line. The locomotive retains its factory-built look, a favorite of railfans. In 2011, the railway pared back a large portion of its right-of-way, removing about 20 miles of track from service from Utopia to Collingwood. In 2023 and 2024, these dormant rails were lifted in preparation for creation of a rail trail.
