The ice road to Churchill
All photos supplied by Mark Kohaykewych, Polar Industries.
By Bailey Hildebrand-Russell On June 9, 2017, OmniTRAX Inc. announced the indefinite closure of the Hudson Bay Railway. According to the Denver, Colo.-based company, with its Canadian headquarters in Winnipeg, an independent engineering firm indicated the track bed had been washed away in 19 spots and five bridges were visibly damaged. At the time, an additional 30 bridges and 600 culverts that allowed water to pass under the track needed to be further assessed for structural integrity. The closure has left the remote northern Manitoba community of Churchill, a town of less than 900, without rail service since May of 2017 and very little options for transportation of goods and services. OmniTRAX, one of North America’s largest private railroad and transportation management companies, purchased the railway and the Port of Churchill in 1997 from the Government of Canada.
As winter approached, with no rail service restoration in sight due to legal disputes between OmniTRAX and the federal government on who is responsible for the repairs, Mark Kohaykewych, president and CEO of Polar Industries Ltd., knew of a possible alternative to help Churchill’s residents. Polar Industries specializes in remote logistics and rose to international fame being featured on the History Channel’s series Ice Road Truckers. Kohaykewych has been very involved with shipping to northern communities as well as shipping to Churchill via the rail line over the past eight years and has developed relationships with the people of the North through his work. He said he recognized a need after the railway went down and he’s never been the type of person to back down from a challenge. Very shortly after OmniTRAX announced the closure, Kohaykewych said crews were already surveying
