Home | Articles | Documents | Events | Sources

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.

[ Article Index ]