Nova Scotia-based Cape Breton & Central Nova Scotia Railway took a step towards securing its future in Cape Breton with the announcement that it will be used to transport solid waste to the mainland in the spring.

In December, 2005, the Cape Breton Regional Municipality announced an agreement to use the railway to transport garbage to Guysborough County. Using the railway was said to be more economical than other options presented, such as trucking. The railway's parent company, RailAmerica, had tried to close the Cape Breton section (from St. Peter's Junction to Sydney) section of the rail line twice in the past, since the closures of the steel plant and coal mines there hasn't been enough traffic on the line to generate a profit.

Regional councillor Gordon MacLeod doesn't think the garbage agreement alone will save the railway in Cape Breton, but it's a start. The possibility of the Donkin mine reopening is also a positive for the railway. It's expected the railway would be used to transport coal should the mine reopen.