Passenger rail rights on the old Interurban line through Langley will be renewed before a 21-year-old agreement expires next month.

Langley Township Mayor Rick Green announced on Monday that he has confirmation of that, in a letter from BC Hydro president and CEO Bob Elton.

“This is not one of the best pieces of news that CP (Canadian Pacific Railway) has heard,” Green told council Monday night.

However, Green said he expects CP might try to lobby the provincial government against renewal.

In 1988, when BC Hydro sold the physical portion of the railway through Langley, for coal and other heavy freight use, rights on the corridor, allowing free use up to 33 per cent of the time for passenger rail service, were retained by the Crown corporation.

In April, Green said he had begun inquiries about rail line agreements, after learning that a four-year-old Township legal opinion indicated there were no provisions to limit, terminate or renegotiate CPR’s freight service on the BC Hydro corridor, the “Pratt-Livingston Corridor” from just east of 232 Street through Langley and west to Cloverdale.

However, his inquiries did turn up the Master Agreement, signed in August, 1988, and a related agreement that reserves 33 per cent of capacity for passenger train right-of-way through Langley.

At that time, council passed a motion authorizing a letter to BC Hydro, urging renewal of the agreement. Letters went also to provincial candidates in the pending election, and most candidates, including incumbent Fort Langley-Aldergrove MLA Rich Coleman and incumbent Langley MLA Mary Polak, expressed their support for the agreement renewal and continued passenger rail potential.

“I have sources that tell me that CP is approaching the provincial government (in opposition to renewal),” Green said on Tuesday.

Mike LoVecchio, a CP spokesperson, said he is surprised Green has not contacted CP on this matter.

“First of all, the agreement is with BC Hydro, not the provincial government.” LoVecchio said that CP has not seen Green’s press release, nor has it heard from the mayor.

“It is fair to say Mayor Green has put a premium on public communication, but that doesn’t apparently include CP.

“CP has always maintained a very good relationship with the Township and the City, and is willing to engage them positively. . . I’m disappointed he (Mayor Green) is not engaging CP. We haven’t seen his press release. . . and it is hard to comment on something we haven’t seen. We indicated to the mayor some time ago that we would review the agreement, and we have not yet concluded our review.”

The letter to Green from BC Hydro’s Elton says in part: “We confirm that before the end of June 2009, BC Hydro will take steps to notify Canadian Pacific Ltd. renewing all passenger rights it has reserved to itself in the Master Agreement in respect to the Pratt-Livingstone section of the Fraser Valley Corridor.”

The Master Agreement between BC Hydro and Canadian Pacific would expire Aug. 29, but apparently needs only one party’s request, for renewal.

“The renewal of the agreement is important . . . the next step is pursuing action (for passenger rail service) on that corridor,” Green said.

The provincial government is currently studying passenger rail possibiliuties in the Fraser Valley.