Cape Breton Eastern
Extension Railway
by Robert Chant
This uncompleted line was to run from Louisbourg, on Cape Breton Island,
to Halifax on mainland Nova Scotia, with a massive bridge spanning the Strait of Canso.
Once completed, it was anticipated that Louisbourg harbour would become the leading port
for all trans-Atlantic shipments.
Funding for the project began in 1884, but it wasn’t until 1901 that
construction started on the first, and only, segment of the line. This thirty mile
section, from Port Hawkesbury to St. Peters, was completed in 1903.
After this portion was finished, backers of the project believed traffic
levels would not justify the high cost of completing the remaining sections. No more money
was spent on the venture and the line ended at St. Peters. In 1920 the right-of-way was
sold to the Canadian governmnet and became part of the Canadian National Railways.
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©1998 Robert Chant, all rights reserved. |
