Compagnie de gestion de Matane Inc. (Cogema) is a subsidiary of Canadian National Railway (CN) operating a dedicated railcar ferry service in Quebec between Matane and Baie-Comeau; it also provides occasional railcar ferry service to isolated rail networks at the ports of Port Cartier, Sept-Îles and Havre-Saint-Pierre.[1] It also operates industrial switching to rail customers in Baie-Comeau.
History
The Compagnie de Gestion de Matane (Cogema) was founded in 1973[2] and began its ferry operations in 1975, providing services along the St. Lawrence River between Matane and Baie-Comeau.[3] The same year, the CN purchased the railway line between Mont-Joli and Matane and initially partnered with Cogema in a technical capacity, later becoming financially involved.
The ferry initially chosen for the service was the Incan Saint-Laurent, a brand-new rail ferry built in Vancouver by Canadian Pacific for a different project between Baie-Comeau and Pointe-au-Pic.