All aboard: First passenger train in 18 months departs for Churchill, Man.

CTV National News: Trains return to Churchill Train service has returned to Churchill, Man., after floods destroyed the only ground transportation in and out. Beth Macdonell reports.

For the first time in 18 months, passenger trains are running to and from Canada’s self-described polar bear capital.

The first Via Rail train to Churchill, Man., since June 2017 left Winnipeg Sunday afternoon, albeit an hour behind schedule due to a mechanical issue.

Via had stopped its service to the town in June 2017 after the rail line washed out. Because Churchill is not accessible by road, the rail line is considered a vital link for moving people and goods to and from the community. Without it, prices for groceries and fuel skyrocketed while some of the town’s 900 residents found other travel options unaffordable.

Omnitrax, the U.S. company which owned the rail line, refused to repair the line, saying doing so would be cost-prohibitive. The federal government stepped in this year by providing $74 million to help a consortium of businesses and First Nations communities buy and repair the line.

The train was not completely sold out, but there was clearly significant demand for the trip. About a dozen passengers were taking the 180-capacity train from Winnipeg, with 100 or so more boarding at other stops along the routes, according to Via Rail.

Ticket prices for the 45-hour journey between Winnipeg and Churchill vary from a little more than $200 for an economy-class ticket to about $2,000 for a three-person cabin.

Via Rail’s website lists two regular trips running along the route per week, with trains leaving Winnipeg on Sundays and Tuesdays and trains leaving Churchill on Thursdays and Saturdays.

Churchill is located on the shore of Hudson Bay, more than 2,000 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg. It is well known as a tourist destination because of the large polar bear population in the area.