Great Sandhills Railway
The Great Sandhills Railway is a Canadian short line railway company that operates of track west of Swift Current, Saskatchewan in the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta.
The railway began operations on March 14, 2009. Great Sandhills Railway owns and operates on former Canadian Pacific Railway's Empress Subdivision, Burstall Subdivision and Hazlet Spur. Great Sandhills Railway also operates on the McNeil Spur, but this track is owned by a wholly owned subsidiary of Great Sandhills Terminal. The purchase price for the Empress Short Line and the McNeil spur was $6.3 million, with $1,907,200 funded by a provincial loan under the Short Line Financial Assistance Program. The Great Sandhills Terminal is the major shareholder while other shareholders include local producers and businesses.
The railway serves freight stations in Sandhills, Burstall, Mendham, Leader, Prelate, Sceptre, Porteeve, Lancer, Abbey, Cabri, Battrum, Pennant, Success, Cantuar, and Swift Current. It interchanges with both the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Great Western Railway in Swift Current, via running rights on CP's Maple Creek Subdivision between Mayne and Swift Current.
The railway hauls grain from terminals, elevators and producer loading sites, and also moves products from the Empress Gas plants in Alberta.
