Reporting mark TSH, TSHX Founded 2005 Date of operation 2005 | Dates of operation 2005– | |
 | ||
Track gauge 4 ft 8 ⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Locale Newfoundland and Labrador, Québec | ||
Tshiuetin Rail Transportation Inc. (reporting mark TSH) (formerly TRT) is a Canadian regional railway that stretches 134 miles (217 kilometres) through the wilderness of western Labrador and northeastern Quebec. It connects Emeril Junction, Labrador with Schefferville, Quebec on the interprovincial boundary. The company is owned by the Innu Nation of Matimekush-Lac John, the Naskapi Nation of Kawawachikamach, and the Innu Takuaikan Uashat mak Mani-Utenam.
Contents
History
The railway began operations on December 1, 2005 with the conclusion of an agreement between the three owners of Tshiuetin Rail Transportation and the owners of the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway (QNSX), Rail Enterprises Incorporated and Iron Ore Company of Canada. Under this agreement, finalized in the fall of 2005, QNSX sold its Menihek Subdivision, for the nominal sum of $1.00 (CAD).
Tshiuetin Rail Transportation took possession of the Menihek Subdivision "as is, where is". The company provides all passenger rail and limited freight service. The company will also provide passenger rail service on the remaining QNSX-owned line running from the port of Sept-Îles, Quebec to Emeril Jct (and on to Schefferville).
The Menihek Subdivision used to be part of the QNSX main line, constructed between 1951 and 1954. After mining activity in Schefferville ended during the 1980s, QNSX shifted its priority to the Sept-Îles to Labrador City line, and the Emeril Jct to Schefferville line had limited freight and subsidized passenger service for the remaining First Nations communities in the region.
The agreement between IOC and the three First Nations who own Tshiuetin Rail Transportation Inc. has resulted in the first aboriginal ownership of a railway line in Canada.
This railway (along with the QNSX line, Chemin de fer Arnaud, and Wabush Lake Railway) form an isolated railway network, as it does not interchange with any other rail lines on the North American network.
In media
The importance of the line is documented in Caroline Monnet's 2016 short film Tshiuetin.