Herb Mathisen
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, June 18, 2008

YELLOWKNIFE - Bob Bromley, MLA for Weledeh, laid down the idea of using railroad transportation to link communities in the Northwest Territories, last Tuesday, while discussing environmentally-friendly modes of transportation.

Bromley went on to propose the GNWT look at bringing a railroad across the Mackenzie River, over the Deh Cho Bridge.

Railroad tracks currently reach up as far North as Hay River.

Norman Yakeleya, minister of Transportation, said the idea came up when the Deh Cho Bridge was in the planning stages. It was scrapped, however, as the project moved forward.

Glen Abernethy, MLA for Great Slave, said he thought Bromley's idea had some real merit.

"Trains might actually be a real solution to help reduce our cost of living in the North or at least maintain it and stop it from growing any more," he said, citing the rising cost of fuel and its effect on transportation expenses.

Yakeleya said he other MLAs would discuss the possibility of linking Yellowknife to the south by rail.

"I'm not too sure what the likelihood is in terms of having a rail link across the Deh Cho Bridge," he said.