Great Sandhills Railway

Great Sandhills Railway
Overview
Parent company	Regional Rail, LLC
Headquarters	Leader, Saskatchewan
Reporting mark	GSR
Locale	Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada
Dates of operation	2009–Present
Predecessor	Canadian Pacific Railway
Technical
Track gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length	198 kilometres (123 mi)
Other
Website	www.gsrail.net

Legend

Empress Subdivision

mi

0.0

Mayne

junction with CPR

Maple Creek Sub

7.1

Cantuar

9.2

hot box detector

13.9

Success

22.5

Pennant

23.6

Wickett

junction with

Hazlet Spur

26.7

Battrum

30.1

Grant

34.9

Cabri

42.9

Shackleton

51.0

Abbey

57.8

Lancer

61.6

hot box detector

64.2

Portreeve

75.8

Sceptre

82.1

Prelate

87.0

Leader East

88.2

Leader

junction with

Burstall Sub

89.3

end of track

Hazlet Spur

mi

0.0

Wickett

junction with

Empress Sub

(

mile

23.6

)

5.0

end of track

Burstall Subdivision

mi

0.0

Leader

junction with

Empress Sub

(

mile

88.2

)

1.0

Leader South

13.8

hot box detector

24.9

Burstall

26.0

junction with

McNeill Spur

27.0

end of track

McNeill Spur

mi

0.0

junction with

Burstall Sub

(

mile

26.0

)

McNeill

5.4

end of track

The Great Sandhills Railway (reporting mark GSR) is a Canadian short line railway company that operates 198 kilometres (123 mi) of track west of Swift Current, Saskatchewan in the provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta.

The railway began operations on March 14, 2009.^[1] Great Sandhills Railway owns and operates on former Canadian Pacific Railway's Empress Subdivision, Burstall Subdivision and Hazlet Spur (collectively known as the "Empress Short Line"). Great Sandhills Railway also operates on the McNeil Spur, but this track is owned by a wholly owned subsidiary of Great Sandhills Terminal.^[2] The purchase price for the Empress Short Line and the McNeil spur was $6.3 million, with $1,907,200 funded by a provincial loan under the Short Line Financial Assistance Program. At startup, the Great Sandhills Terminal was the major shareholder while other shareholders included local producers and businesses.^[1]^[3]

The railway serves freight stations in Burstall, Mendham, Leader, Prelate, Sceptre, Portreeve, Lancer, Abbey, Cabri, Battrum, Pennant, Success, Cantuar, and Swift Current. It interchanges with both the Canadian Pacific Railway and the Great Western Railway in Swift Current, via running rights on CP's Maple Creek Subdivision between Mayne and Swift Current.^[4]