[Truenorth00]

I think we have to keep in mind that current shuttle services aren't wholly reflective of demand. A Winnipeg-Portage-Brandon line would be capturing and inducing commuter demand on the Winnipeg-Portage portion and medium haul travel demand on the Winnipeg-Brandon portion. The business case has to rely on moving over some of the driving traffic.

As for how it's built, I don't even think using old equipment makes sense. It would inflate operating costs to a point of a false portrayal. 3-4 two car DEMUs or BEMUs could operate this very cheaply. The main cost will always be the capital of laying the track.