The Arbutus Corridor - an historic route with a bright future
On Saturday, we had a chance to walk along a portion of the former Vancouver and Lulu Island rail line, better known as the Arbutus Corridor.
As it turned out, it was an auspicious time to do so. On Monday, an agreement between the City of Vancouver and Canadian Pacific Railway was announced. CPR will tear up the rail line and turn the corridor over to the city, for $55 million.
This 11-kilometre stretch of rail line from Kitsilano to Marpole was once a key link in an important transportation corridor. The V&LI line was built by Canadian Pacific Railway, starting in 1900, and by 1902 trains ran between downtown Vancouver and Steveston. At that time, there were just two stops outside the downtown area - at Magee (49th Avenue today) and Eburne, just north of the bridge across the north arm of the Fraser River. Most of the area traversed in what is now Vancouver was forested and undeveloped, although in Richmond, much of it was actively farmed.
In 1905, CPR leased the line to the rapidly-expanding B.C. Electric Railway, which quickly electrified the line so it could begin interurban service between downtown Vancouver, South Vancouver (then a separate municipality) and Richmond. Interurban cars began running on the line on July 4, 1905, with hourly service each day until 10 p.m.
The line was eventually double-tracked in Vancouver, all along what is now known as the Arbutus Corridor. Interurban service continued from stations on the south side of the downtown area and Steveston until 1952, when it was cut back to a Marpole-Steveston service. That continued operating until 1958.
B.C. Electric and its successor BC Hydro Railway continued to operate the line for freight service until the end of 1985, when CPR resumed operating the line. The last rail customer was Molson Brewery, at the south end of the Burrard Street bridge. CPR hauled cars there until 2001, when it stopped service. The spurs to the brewery are still in place. The brewery itself may not be there much longer, as the land has been sold.
By that time CPR took over rail operations again, the Kitsilano Trestle which connected the line to the CPR and BCH yards on the north shore of False Creek was gone, as were those yards themselves. The CPR Drake Street yards became the home of Expo 86, and the land once occupied by rail cars, engine servicing areas and other railway operations is now the heavily-populated Yaletown area.
BC Hydro Railway continued to haul freight on the Arbutus corridor for many years after the interurban service ended. This photo was probably taken in the late 1960s or early 1970s.
The V&LI line in Richmond was rerouted years ago, and is completely out of service. A fire on the Marpole rail bridge in July, 2014 ended any chances of rail service resuming there. (Update on March 23 - a portion of the Marpole rail bridge was dismantled on March 17. For photos of that operation taking place, see this link. Thanks to photographers Stewart Murray and Ken Storey, and a Picasa post by Andy Cassidy.)
Rails on the southern portion of the line to Steveston were ripped up years ago, with the right-of-way sold to the City of Richmond. Much of it is now a bike trail.
The dismantling of the Marpole trestle and swing span means it will never be used to link the proposed trail along the Arbutus corridor with the existing trail in Richmond along the V& LI corridor.
The portion we walked on Saturday may be one of the most scenic along the entire V&LI line. It is between W. 37th Avenue and W. 33rd Avenue. This portion of the line cuts along a hillside to avoid a sharp grade, and the views along it are magnificent. Were the land to be sold for development, CPR would get far more than $55 million at current west side real estate prices.
However, the city rezoned the rail corridor as a transportation corridor, a move that was found legal by the courts. Since that time, CPR cleared gardens off the right-of-way and made noises about resuming service, but most people felt it was simply a bargaining ploy to get more out of the city than the $20 million it had offered.
As part of the sale, CPR will share in any additional capital gains, should the city decide to develop the land as more than a bike, pedestrian and possibly light rail corridor.
When there was discussion in the early 2000s about where the Canada Line should be built, some suggested using the Arbutus Corridor as a light rail alternative. Some people in the Kerrisdale area objected, saying the "creme de la creme" didn't need a transit corridor in their back yards.
The Cambie alignment made more sense anyway, given the major institutions along it like Langara College and Vancouver city hall. It also lends itself better to high-density redevelopment, as is already starting to take place.
Mayor Gregor Robertson said the purchase of the corridor is a "once in a generation" opportunity for Vancouver. It certainly will make a terrific cycling and pedestrian path, and if Vancouver continues to develop, it may indeed become a light rail corridor again.
Credit for details on the history of the V&LI goes to my friend Henry Ewert, author of the terrific book "The Story of the B.C. Electric Railway." Long out of print, this book is the quintessential history of the B.C. Electric and outlines its remarkable influence on B.C., and particularly Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.
I'd also like to acknowledge the research done by my friend Ian Smith, who put together a very informative Power Point presentation on the Arbutus Corridor for a gathering I attended last summer. For those interested in more detail, it is well worth looking at. I would be happy to put anyone who is interested in touch with Ian.
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