The City of Vancouver has recently purchased the Arbutus Corridor - a 9 kilometre railway that

has not been used since 2001 - for $55 million.

Vancouver has made several attempts in the past to negotiate with CP Rail to purchase the

Arbutus Corridor, as the unused tracks became popular amongst locals utilizing the green

space. When Canadian Pacific began clearing community gardens in 2014 to prepare for the

tracks to be used again, the City of Vancouver intensified negotiations to stop the project. These

negotiations proved to be a delicate balance of keeping both CP Rail and Vancouver happy.

The agreement reached provided CP Rail a fair return on the corridor, as well as ensured them

a portion of funds garnered from selling development and land within the corridor.

Gregor Robertson believes that it will take between $25 and $30 million to transform the corridor

into a greenway, with work beginning in the next year. This unheard of opportunity to acquire

such a large parcel of land in Metro Vancouver will provide the area with pedestrian lanes and

bike paths amongst plentiful green space. Additionally, there are talks of developing a light rail

system along the stretch.

This undertaking will be monumental for the surrounding area, as the Arbutus Corridor runs

through False Creek, Kitsilano, and the Westside. These areas boast some of the most valuable

property in North America, and the development of an urban greenway will likely increase

property value further.