Quick Refrence
About Canadian Heartland Training Railway
The Canadian Heartland Training Railway was Federally incorporated in October 2004 as a not-for profit business. We opened for business in January of 2005. We took the name from where we were based, Stettler - the Heartland of Alberta. Canadian was added to describe the intended scope of the business. And in the beginning we did operate what was once known as the Central Western Railway. Training was the purpose of establishing the business. Hence the name The Canadian Heartland Training Railway.
At the start the CHTR leased the CWR line at Stettler from RailAmerica and we operated the railway providing service to two grain customers and handling storage cars. This gave us first hand experiance in managing and operating a short line railway. Coming from Class 1 railway backgrounds this short line experience helped to build the CHTR's capabilities in working with its customers in the industrial and short line sectors.
When CN purchased RailAmerica's lines in Alberta including the CWR in 2006 it was an opportune time to forge a new relationship with our partners at Stettler, Alberta Prairie Steam Tours. We formed a new partnership whereby Alberta Prairie took over the ownership and operations of the CWR under their own railway markings "APR". THe CHTR handles the administration and commercial activities and uses the APR for training as and when the opportunities arise. This allows the CHTR to focus on its core services in providing training and management consulting to industrial railways and short lines.
From fledgling beginnings the CHTR has evolved to what it is today - an established railway training service provider with over 75 customers and over 300 people trained in railway operations and track inspection. In addition to our base in Alberta we now have clients in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Mantioba, and Ontario. We are especially proud of the role we played in helping to bring together industry representation from the industrial railway sector in Alberta to work with Alberta Dangerous Goods and Rail Safety to create the newly legislated Alberta Industrial Railway Regulations. These have also been used to help form the regulations in BC for industrial railways.
The CHTR started in 2005 as the dream of two individuals with lots of moral and material support from industry members - The Railway Association of Canada, Canadian Pacific Railway, Dominion Rail Services, RailAmerica, Alberta Prairie Steam Tours, the Canadian Northern Society, and the Village of Big Valley to name a few. Today we have a complement of 16 associates located across Canada who work with the CHTR in providing services to our customers. This group of individuals represent over 500 years of exemplary railway experience and knowledge. We couldn't be prouder to be able to call these outstanding people CHTR Associates. Meet them below.
The CHTR is an associate member of the Railway Association of Canada
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