|
|
Rail relocation project a first in
Western Canada
reprinted from Red Deer Advocate Report on Central Alberta June 7, 2010
There is a great deal of
discussion these days about the future plans for the Riverlands
district on the western side of the downtown area.
Much of this land had been opened up for redevelopment because of
the Canadian Pacific Railway relocation project in the early 1990s
and the more recent move of the City Yards.
What is often forgotten, however, is that 50 years ago, Red Deer
undertook the first major railroad relocation project in Western
Canada.
The Canadian National Railway line, which ran on the eastern side of
the downtown area, was moved to a new station and yards north of the
river.
The new Riverside Industrial Park was also developed as part of the
project.
This was the first joint industrial development between an urban and
rural municipality in Alberta.
The Red Deer Advocate described the initiative as "one of the most
auspicious milestones in the history of Red Deer."
Red Deer at the time was enjoying one of the greatest booms in its
history.
The population of the city had grown more than 180 per cent in the
preceding decade.
The value of the industrial and wholesale sectors of the local
economy had grown by a similar amount.
The Riverside Industrial Park project meant that the community could
now grow even more rapidly as some 1,000 acres of land, with ready
access to rail service, would be available for major industrial and
warehouse developments.
The initiative had been in the works for a long time. The CNR had
started to come into Red Deer and to provide a second rail service
to the community in 1911.
However, the outbreak of the First World War had been a huge setback
to the plans.
When the construction of the rail line was resumed after the war,
the Red Deer branch became little more than a spur into the city.
Station grounds were constructed in 1920, at what is now the corner
of Ross Street and 47th Avenue.
Moreover, the site the company chose for the crossing of the Red
Deer River, by the mouth of Waskasoo Creek, was a very poor one.
Spring floods took out the bridge so many times that the bridge site
was finally abandoned in 1941.
Arrangements were then made to access the station and yards by means
of a transfer track off the south end of the CPR main line.
Needless to say, the arrangement was unsatisfactory and the CNR
provided little in the way of effective rail service to the
community.
Consequently, it was agreed that the CNR terminal and yards should
be relocated to the north side of the river, in conjunction with a
major industrial and commercial development.
The necessary agreements were concluded in early 1960 to bring the
project to fruition. A series of land swaps were made whereby the
CNR acquired new land in North Red Deer.
The city took over a broad band of potential industrial lands along
the north side of the river as well as the old rail lands south of
the river.
The official opening of the new Riverside Industrial Park and the
new CNR station and yards took place on May 17, 1961. The
significance of the event was demonstrated when the Edmonton Chamber
of Commerce sent a Friendship Train to Red Deer for the ceremonies.
A lavish banquet was subsequently held at the new Capri Hotel.
Meanwhile, the old rail lands south of the river were redeveloped
into a corridor of high-density residential developments, the large
Plaza Shopping Centre, a hotel site, a large expanse of park, a site
for the new Red Deer Recreation Centre, and additional land for the
Red Deer Fairgrounds. Thus, the project provided a wonderful
enhancement of the east side of Red Deer's downtown.
The Red Deer Advocate had been right. The Riverside Industrial Park
and railroad relocation project was one of the most significant
developments in Red Deer's history, one that has left a positive and
lasting legacy for the community.
|
