Cross Canada Lecture Tour - Shifting Tracks: Permafrost Thaw along the Hudson Bay Railway - Jocelyn L. Hayley

Across the Canadian north, access to stable linear infrastructure networks is critical for the

well-being of Northern communities and the Canadian economy. The Hudson Bay Railway,

the first major transportation infrastructure built over permafrost in Canada, is now facing

significant climate-driven stability and drainage issues. The Hudson Bay Railway corridor

extends across icy and frost-sensitive glacio-marine deposits through the sporadic,

discontinuous, and continuous permafrost zones of Northern Manitoba. After touching on

its rich history during construction and operation, we introduce a transdisciplinary multiyear

project that aims to identify and characterize permafrost-related hazards along the

railway corridor and investigate potential mitigation measures for improving rail stability and

minimizing risk. Traveling along the Hudson Bay Railway, we will look at site investigation

methods, explore ground temperatures and ice wedge formations, drainage issues, sinkhole

formation and more - all with the goal to improve the resilience, sustainability, performance,

and safety of Canada’s permafrost railway.

Jocelyn is a Professor (Geotechnical) in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University

of Calgary. She holds a BSc in Civil Engineering and a PhD in Geotechnical Engineering from the

University of Alberta and a PDF from the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute. Her research focuses

on understanding how to mitigate and adapt to the impact of climate change in permafrost and

offshore sediments, with a focus on soil behaviour. She has been recognized with Fellowship in

the Engineering Institute of Canada and Canadian Academy of Engineering, been awarded the EIC

Canadian Pacific Railway Engineering Medal, the APEGA Women in Engineering and Geoscience

Champion Award, and delivered the 2022 Canadian Geotechnical Society Hardy Address. Jocelyn

has also served in academic leadership positions, including Head of Civil Engineering and Senior

Associate Dean Research.