Huron Central Railway

• ARR Reporting Marks - HCRY.
• Official Website

Huron Central Railway Overview

Huron Central Railway is a railway operating in northern Ontario, Canada. It is operated by Genesee & Wyoming Canada, the Canadian subsidiary of Genesee & Wyoming.

The Huron Central Railway was established in July 1997 to operate a 173-mile route leased from the Canadian Pacific Railway between Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The lease agreements encompass all but 4.8-mile of track at the Sudbury end of the 181.2-mile line, known within the CPR as the Webbwood Subdivision, as well as the 3-mile Domtar Spur, which branches southwest from the Webbwood Sub at McKerrow. The CPR retains running rights over about 22-mile of track at the east end of the Webbwood Subdivision, and the HCRY has running rights all the way into Sudbury. The railway operates one train in each direction six days per week between its two endpoints (westbound from Sudbury in the evening; eastbound from Sault Ste. Marie in the afternoon) plus a train, leaving Sudbury most mornings, to Espanola and return. On weekends, movements are combined.

Coil steel manufactured by Algoma Steel in Sault Ste. Marie and freight from the Domtar paper mill at Espanola account for 80% of freight traffic, although pulpwood, chemicals used by the steel industry, slab steel, paper, and miscellaneous goods are also carried. In 2008, the railway handled 16,000 carloads a year, though carloadings have decreased in subsequent years.

The route has variable topography and typically two to four locomotives are used to haul trains varying between 25 and 50 cars in length. The line parallels Ontario Highway 17 for much of its length.

Genesee & Wyoming has threatened to discontinue and shut down railroad operations several times since 2006. Another such announcement was made in 2020, that without government funding, it will cease operations by the end of this year.

Huron Central Railway Locomotives

• Locomotives are from other nearby G&W roads often populate the roster.

Huron Central Railway Customers

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