The Battle River Railway NGC Inc or BRR began as a not-for-profit group in 2003 with the name Battle River Producer Car Group.  The association was developed in response to a Canadian National (CN) threat to abandon rail line 43.03 from Camrose to Alliance.  It operated as a group until 2008 when it became a registered not-for-profit society by the same name.  That status was maintained until May 2009 when it became a New Generation Co-operative, or NGC.

The group began loading producer cars on the 43.03 in the fall of 2003.  Then, they were an association of 180 farmers.  To July of 2009, 3100 cars have been loaded.  In November of 2008, CN advertised line 43.03 for sale by tender.  The group filed a letter for intent to purchase the rail line in February 2009.  By May, an application was submitted to purchase the line adhering to CN requirements.  By early August of 2009, an agreement with CN was developed and signed to complete the purchase of the line. In order to secure enough funds for the purchase of the line, the group is offering shares in the co-operative for purchase.

The Battle River Railway NGC has been guided in the area of Railroad operations and management by Cando consulting services. Cando is a dynamic employee-owned company in the business of supplying specialized services, quality materials, and innovative solutions to customers in the rail sector and to those industries that depend on the bulk movement of materials. The Director of Business Development for Western Cando, Bob Feeney has been an instrumental force in the development of the long-term operational and management plans for the line. With his wealth of knowledge of expertise in the railroad industry, his contribution to the project has been invaluable. Please visit www.candoltd.com for more information.

BRR Objectives

The main motive of BRR is to purchase the 43.03 to prevent further loss of transportation and agricultural infrastructure.  They will operate the line as a user-friendly shortline where producers and other interested parties will be able to consider both originating and terminating freight on the line.

Potential revenue streams include: transportation of waste materials, railcar storage, transportation of gravel, and tourism passenger rail.

Board of Directors

The co-operative is designed in such a way that it is producer (member) run through a majority vote on the Board of Directors.  At least 6 Directors on the Board, with a maximum total number of 9 Directors must be elected from the co-operatives membership (Class A shareholders).  There is an opportunity for one additional member to be added to the Board in the case that Class D shareholders comprise of $300,000.00 of total share sales.  If this occurs, one Class D shareholder selected from this group may be added to the Board of Directors.  In addition, one other Director may be appointed from class E shareholders if the total share sales in this group exceed $300,000.00.

Grain Loading Plan

For the long term viability of the line, the BRR group plans to implement enough trackside storage to be able to load a train without starting a truck. This will accommodate inclement weather, conflicts in farmer's loading schedules, and farmers' ability to deliver the grain when they can, rather than only when they hear the train whistle.

Community Benefits

Local ownership of the short-line will act as a catalyst to strengthen rural municipalities, promote more compact development around rail line infrastructure, increase local property values, and add jobs to the local economy.  The rail line acts as leverage for sustained and new social and economic growth. Other direct benefits of the short line being retained include direct positive economic impact on the surrounding communities.  The labour expenditures for new positions and operating expenditures (supplies and purchased services) will be in the hundreds of thousands each year.  The expected economic impact on the surrounding areas is estimated in the millions per year.

Composite Train Grading

The BRR is pursuing the possibility of initiating a composite train grading program that has been successfully used in Saskatchewan for the past six years.  This program would allow for the grading of producer cars to be allocated based on the average for the train, rather than each car being graded individually.  This is advantageous in that it allows all producer car loaders the benefits of higher graded crops raising the average grade.  An individual loader will not suffer from dockage on their grain due to one inconsistent car.  What would be a lower graded car will receive the average grade for the train, which will greatly increase the value of all user's products in the long run.

Why Load Producer Cars?

1. Convenience

a. Cars are spotted close to home- there are six loading sites along the line including Kelsey, Rosalind, Heisler, Forestburg, Galahad and Alliance, which easily accommodates 55 to 60 cars per run.
b. There are no line-ups.  You can load your car on your own schedule
c.  No congestion at siding.  The BRR group has a system of car spotting that controls congestions of spotted cars.

2. Financial

a. Save a minimum of $12.10/tonne elevation ( 90 tonnes/car @ $12.10= $1089/car)
b. Terminal rebates of $1.65/tone
c. Save $16/tonne in interest
d. Lower trucking costs because of shorter hauling distances

3. Lower Dockage

a. Dockage Levels of .5-1% is very common
b. Occasionally, no dockage, which saves $390/car cleaning for wheat

4. Saves Highways

1000 cars loaded at BRR siding keeps 2000 super-B's off highways annually

5. More Environmentally Friendly

Moving Grain by Rail Rather than truck uses less fuel, therefore much lower C02 emissions

6. Producer Cars Serve Small and Large Producers

If you only load 90 tonnes of wheat, you could sell it right off the combine in a producer car.
If you sell thousands of tonnes of wheat, the BRR loading system can accommodate your needs with all of the above mentioned benefits

7. Producer Cars Represent a Real Marketing Choice

a. County grain collection continues to become more concentrated, thus reducing producer delivery options
b. Producer cars give farmers a real choice as guaranteed in the Canada Grains Act
c. Trucking premiums to farmers are highest where producer car loading facilities exist

If you are an agricultural producer and would like to purchase a membership in the co-operative or someone who is interested in a good investment that supports rural development, we have shares available for purchase. Please take a look at the different shares available for purchase that can be found by clicking on the Share Information link on the top left of this page. There is a share to suit different budgets, interests and uses of the line. Please contact a representative in your area if you are interested in purchasing shares.