Vancouver Island’s railway, first known as the Esquimalt and Nanaimo (E&N Railway), was extended to include Port Alberni in the early 1900s. Trains connected the community to the rest of the Island with passenger and freight service.
At its peak, the E&N Railway had 45 stations on its main line and eight on the Port Alberni line. The Port Alberni Subdivision of the railway ran for 37.9 miles.
RELATED: Rail line owners present case to restore service from Victoria to Courtenay
Passenger train operations were discontinued in Port Alberni in the 1950s. The early 2000s marked the end of freight service by train, as Norkse (which owned the paper mill in Port Alberni) opted for truck freight instead.
Today, the rail lines in Port Alberni are mostly unused, although the Alberni Pacific Railway hopes to start tourist train operations again soon.
READ MORE: No. 7 Baldwin locomotive steams up for first time in two years