The Keewatin Railway Company is a Manitoba shortline, owned by three native bands: the Tataskweyak Cree Nation, the Mathias Colomb Cree Nation, and the War Lake First Nation.
Following the closure of the Leaf Rapids mine, the Hudson Bay Railway (HBR) applied to abandon the Sherridon rail line between The Pas, Manitoba and Lynn Lake, Manitoba. After some negotiation the three First Nations signed a agreement with the HBR to purchase the line. The purchase was completed on March 31, 2006.
The railway is operated by the three First Nations and hosts a biweekly VIA train, #290 from Pukatawagan to The Pas, and #291 from The Pas to Pukatawagan. The VIA train is actually a mixed train on the tail end of a KRC freight from Sherritt Junction to Pukatawagan.
The train is staffed by the Hudson Bay Railway, owned by the Arctic Gateway Group. Due to staffing issues, some trains were cancelled in late 2022, stranding some passengers in The Pas or Pukatawan. The KRC CEO was quoted as saying that the railway will receive refurbished passenger cars and locomotives in 2023.
