GJR Sets Revenue, Carload Records
Written by Stephen C. Host
GEXR in downtown Guelph passing the Spring Mill Distillery and area luxury condos, with former CPR 436994, owned by the Guelph Historical Railway Association enroute for a railway safety and heritage display downtown.
The City of Guelph-owned Guelph Junction Railway (JGR) continues to roll along, setting all-time records since the City took back the lease from Canadian Pacific in 1998. Revenue for 2022 increased 21.1%, totaling C$6.1 million compared to 2021.
This was due to an increase in the customer base, namely business development such as the new AgCatena siding in Guelph, established in May 2022 and extended in September 2022, and a packaging and warehousing siding at Polymer Distribution’s Massey Road facility. Total carloads for 2022, estimated at 4,937, are expected to be an all-time record since 1998.
Sole GJR board member Scott Stewart, who is also the City’s Chief Administrative Officer, declared a dividend of the maximum allowable amount of 10%, with $164,000 being paid to the City of Guelph. Per its 2022 annual report, GJR services 35 customers, and shares track access with a joint section arrangement in Guelph’s northwest industrial park with CN, where both CN and GJR operator Goderich-Exeter Railway (GEXR, a Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary) directly service customers in the park. CN and GEXR connect with CPKC (Canadian Pacific Kansas City) in Campbellville, which was the City and the GJR’s founding goals when building the Guelph Junction in the 1880s to maintain two-railway access for competitive shipping rates.
Scott Stewart notes in his report regarding business development for 2023 that additional siding locations for PDI Liquid expansion have been identified for its York Road facility As well, rail-serviceable lands in the City and surrounding areas are a priority to continue growth and business development plans. The Guelph Junction Railway was founded in 1884 by City interests and industrialists, and the City of Guelph took sole ownership of the railway in 1910.
