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[RalphH]

Be aware that CP and CN Railway Police may be patrolling access points  to popular fishing bars between Chilliwack and Hope. Railway right of ways  & tracks are private property and crossing tracks at other than a designated crossing is trespass. Railway Police have the legal power to ticket people who so cross. The fines are substantial. The Rail Police can also arrest people as necessary.

Many fines  were issued in 2022 after some foolish anglers crossed dangerously close to oncoming trains. These trains cannot stop as the full string of cars typically weigh thousands of tons. The locomotives alone (of which there are often 3 or 4) weigh about 500 tons.

Be safe and be smart. Find a legal place to cross and wait for oncoming trains to pass. For decades anglers have been tolerated as they caused little or no problem. Please be responsible so we don't lose access all together.

[SuperBobby]

There is no reason that a person should get fined for crossing a railroad track if caution is used. Sometimes there isn't a legal crossing for miles. If a person walks across a country road (no crosswalk) in the middle of nowhere, he does NOT get a fine... nor should he. A railway crossing should be no different.
They are doing everything they can to keep people off the Scale Bar at Hope. What a joke.

[RalphH]

Unfortunately the rail tracks and the right of way along them are private property which makes crossing them trespass. They are also legally 'industrial land'. In 2022 CP Police were reported to on site at bars such as the Snaggy Bar and ticketed people who crossed the track usually after they were heading to their vehicles at the end of their day.

[clarki]

IMHO, Canada and the provinces gave away their soul when they granted millions upon millions of acres of public land to railway companies to finance the construction and operations of the railways. I have less of an issue with the land the railways sold to settlers and developers and more of an issue with the private  right-of-ways that straddle our beautiful rivers and ocean shores, cutting off public access to those public waters.

In the case of the CPR, I get the railway was necessary to solidify Confederation and protect Canada from our expansionist, manifest destiny, neighbours to the south, and the granting of land was the only feasible way to finance construction but there should be better ways to manage the risk to public safety and ensure access to public lands.

Take the case of the Arbutus Greenway in Vancouver, an unused CPR railway corridor for years (25?) that the City of Vancouver purchased from CPR in 2016 for $55M. I know it’s totally legal, but it galls me that  the public has to buy land back that the public granted in the first place.

[RalphH]

Re-aquiring that land would be a good question to ask Pierre. Another good thing would be rights of way and pedestrian crossings at popular fishing locations

[dobrolub]

Most bars are behind a railway.

[bigblockfox]

IMHO, Canada and the provinces gave away their soul when they granted millions upon millions of acres of public land to railway companies to finance the construction and operations of the railways. I have less of an issue with the land the railways sold to settlers and developers and more of an issue with the private  right-of-ways that straddle our beautiful rivers and ocean shores, cutting off public access to those public waters.

In the case of the CPR, I get the railway was necessary to solidify Confederation and protect Canada from our expansionist, manifest destiny, neighbours to the south, and the granting of land was the only feasible way to finance construction but there should be better ways to manage the risk to public safety and ensure access to public lands.

Take the case of the Arbutus Greenway in Vancouver, an unused CPR railway corridor for years (25?) that the City of Vancouver purchased from CPR in 2016 for $55M. I know it’s totally legal, but it galls me that  the public has to buy land back that the public granted in the first place.

100% agree. What corporation has its own police that can detain a citizen? I hope proper judgement is used and its not just handing out tickets for a giggle.

[dobrolub]

Until 1995 CN Rail was a Crown Corp and I am pretty certain most of land they own they got virtually for free or it was paid for with public money.

[RalphH]

Until 1995 CN Rail was a Crown Corp and I am pretty certain most of land they own they got virtually for free or it was paid for with public money.

CP was given massive land grants - initially 20 miles either side of the rail line. CN was created out of a number of otherwise bankrupt railways ( the largest of which was Transcontinental that doubled CP's cross Canada lines plus extended a line to the Gulf of Mexico)  that tried to copy the success of CP.

[canucksfan233]

Most bars are behind a railway.

Haha yea, almost every bar I fish for sockeye for is behind a railway that you need to cross.