By Railfan & Railroad Staff

A mine reopening in remote British Columbia will result in more traffic for Canadian National on the former BC Rail Tumbler Ridge Subdivision. This month, Conuma Resources received government approval to reopen the Quintette Mine for the first time in 24 years. 

The Tumbler Ridge Sub was built in the early 1980s and was famously electrified. Unfortunately, the line never produced as much traffic as hoped and the wire was de-energized in 2000. Later, BCR was taken over by CN. In 2017, after a few years of being out of service, CN reopened the line in remote northeastern British Columbia after another mine, the Wolverine Mine, reopened. The reopening of the Quintette Mine was expected to be a major boost to the economy. 

“We were very excited to receive it,” Conuma Resources CEO Brian Sullivan told CBC News. “We’re going to spend upwards of $500 million bringing it back into production. It will have a permanent workforce of more than 400 permanent good paying jobs.”