Photography 🢒 Around Vancouver 2
The old Arbutus Line in Dec 2011.
This north-south spur, across the west side of Vancouver, originally belonged to CP Rail. At different times they leased it out to the BC Electric Company for commuter use, or used it themselves for various passenger and freight purposes.
In 2001 they finally retired it, after which an interesting and amusing legal tussle arose. Both the City of Vancouver and CP wanted to redevelop the corridor, but the CoV would only allow it on their terms. Their dispute escalated all the way to the Supreme Court, which in 2006 finally ruled that the city could forbid CP to redevelop it.
This decision in no way ended the battle. At the heart of it, the problem was that the city was only willing to pay CP the value of the land for its current industrial zoning, and CP was unwilling to sell the land for less than its (much higher) value if zoned for residential and commercial use.
Negotiation stalled for quite a long time, and (as you can see) the tracks sat unused and crumbling. Gardeners began to encroach onto the space, from nearby well-off neighbourhoods. Walkers such as myself liked to hike along it, and you could even find the occasional daring cyclist negotiating the rough trail.
Eventually CP grew tired of the lack of progress, announced they were going to reopen the line, and bulldozed the gardens. This produced predictably loud howls of outrage to city hall, and the City finally grew more interested in dealing. In 2016 they bought the line at an increased price, with provisions to add value if they rezoned. Personally, I've always wondered what they were thinking when they picked a fight with CP, which far outweighs them in legal power.
As of 2024, the tracks have been replaced with a temporary walking and cycling path, while the city considers what to do with the corridor in the long run.
(More info at the Vancouver Heritage Foundation site.)