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 Map of Chemin de fer de la Matapédia et du Golfe | |
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Mont-Joli |
| Reporting mark | CFMG |
| Locale | easternQuebec |
| Dates of operation | 1998–2008 |
| Successor | Canadian National Railway |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)standard gauge |
Chemin de fer de la Matapédia et du Golfe |
|---|
TheChemin de fer de la Matapédia et du Golfe (reporting markCFMG) (in English, theMatapedia and Gulf Railway) was ashort line railway that operated in easternQuebec from 1998 to 2008.
Owned by the holding companyQuebec Railway Corporation (QRC), CFMG operated freight service betweenRivière-du-Loup in the west toMatapédia in the east as well as fromMont-Joli to the port ofMatane.
The Chemin de fer de la Matapédia et du Golfe was established on 19 January 1998 as a subsidiary of QRC to operate the eastern half of the formerCanadian National Railway (CN) Mont Joli Subdivision (this being the formerIntercolonial Railway mainline) betweenMont-Joli andMatapédia.
This first incarnation of CFMG had the following spurs and/or connections:
On 14 February 1999, QRC purchased from CN the Mont Joli Subdivision betweenMont-Joli andRivière-du-Loup as well as the Matane Subdivision betweenMont-Joli andMatane. At the Port of Matane, CFMG connected with therailcar ferry service toBaie Comeau which was also purchased from CN by QRC and was operated as a separate subsidiary company calledCompagnie de gestion de Matane (COGEMA).
CFMG later obtained running rights over CN approximately 15 mi (24 km) west fromRivière-du-Loup toSt. Andre Junction where it connected with the CN mainline fromHalifax, Nova Scotia toMontreal, Quebec.
In 2007 QRC sold itsChemin de fer Baie des Chaleurs CBC subsidiary toSociété de chemin de fer de la Gaspésie (SCFG) except for a 1 mi (1.6 km) section of the Cascapedia Subdivision east of thewye at Matapédia. Ownership of this section of line and the wye were transferred to CFMG.
On 1 February 2008,Quebec Railway Corporation reached an agreement with theGovernment of Canada andGovernment of Quebec for $14.6 million in funding for infrastructure improvements on the railway lines between Rivière-du-Loup to Matapédia as well as Mont-Joli to Matane.
This announcement was made byLawrence Cannon, federalMinister of Transport, andNathalie Normandeau, Deputy Premier and provincial Minister of Municipal Affairs as well as regional minister forGaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, andClaude Béchard, provincial Minister of Natural Resources and Wildlife as well as regional minister forBas-Saint-Laurent. It would see a combined investment by the two levels of government of $9.7 million ($5.8 million from the federal government, $3.8 million from the provincial government) over a five-year period with additional funding of $5 million from Quebec Railway Corporation.
This funding was targeted at improving track and bridge infrastructure to allow CFMG to carry heavier freight railway cars. It was predicted that the investment would lead to additional spin-off investments of $75 million for railway customers which are predominantly focused on wood products, paper, pulp, particle boards, iron or, and aluminum.
On 3 November 2008 CN announced that it was purchasing theNew Brunswick East Coast Railway (NBEC) and its sister companies Chemin de fer de la Matapédia et du Golfe (CFMG),Compagnie de gestion de Matane (COGEMA), and theOttawa Central Railway (OCRR) for $49.8 million (CAD) from the Quebec Railway Corporation.[1]
CN said that it planned to change little in the operations of the acquired lines, although the railroad said it intended to invest capital to upgrade the track it acquired, as well as replacing the locomotives with newer motive power.[1]
