Technical Study of the Tshiuetin Railway

Tshiuetin Rail Transportation Inc. (TRT) is a public carrier that operates an aboriginal-owned regional railway that stretches 124 miles (200 kilometres) through the wilderness of western Labrador and northern Quebec.

Transportation on the track includes passenger, freight, and mineral trains. Its railway network connects remote communities and iron ore mines to the main deep-water ports of the Quebec North Shore.

In May 2017, Tshiuetin Rail Transportation Inc. mandated SYSTRA Canada to evaluate transportation capacity and railway safety.

SYSTRA Canada’s mandate consisted in:

• Track inspection totalling 124 miles in length, from Emeril Junction to Schefferville;
• Analysis of structures and track components, as well as study of works to be performed in the next 5 to 10 years;
• Analysis of standard conditions required for category 3 passenger transportation;
• Preparation of a detailed report showing the works to be performed to increase railway capacity to safely transport up to 10 million tonnes of iron ore per year;
• Analysis and recommendations for the upgrade of railway structures and speed increase of trains to meet category 3 track criteria in order to allow requested volume of traffic;
• Railway inspection, in collaboration with TRT’s representative, to validate works to be performed as recommended in the study report.