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Boulder removed from KVR tracks

Crews at the Kettle Valley Steam Railway are repairing the damage after a large boulder landed on the tracks.

Crews at the Kettle Valley Steam Railway are repairing the damage after a large boulder landed on the tracks.

The incident, in a rock cut area, resulted in some broken rails and ties along the track.

Brad Coates, operations manager for the tourist train, said the boulder was roughly twice the size of an average car.

The cost of removing it and repairing the damage is estimated at around $10,000, he said.

“It was quite expensive, but we had no other option,” Coates said. “It’s pretty inaccessible in some locations.”

A rail contractor has been called in to break up the rock and remove it from the track, Coates said. The damaged track will be repaired before the first run of the year in late March, during the Easter weekend.

Coates said the incident was the result of the freezing and thawing at this time of year.

Rock removal along the track is part of the railway’s regular maintenance schedule.