kEiThZ
Superstar
Disagree. What KW needs is regular Go Transit or VIA service that leaves Union and KW throughout the day starting at 6:30am. 200 kph rail or faster isn’t needed, just get regular rail service in place.
I think people forget that HSR would come AFTER GO RER. So at the point at which HSR is being implemented, regular GO service will be in place:
http://www.metrolinx.com/en/regionalplanning/rer/rer_kitchener.aspx
But this does nothing for London and does not address the tech community's concerns about connectivity. If there's any case for HSR in the country, this corridor is it. Connecting the country's largest tech hub, largest international airport and the nation's financial hub. I can't think of a better case. In effect, the HSR at this point becomes a limited stop express RER train. And it's absolutely needed. Waterloo is at a substantial disadvantage to other tech hubs being so far away from Pearson and Toronto. Tech team wants to meet your finance and marketing guys in Toronto? Might as well plan a whole day off because of GTA traffic, or set aside 3 hrs for GO travel....with GO RER. You have to set aside 4 hrs today. It's bad enough that Waterloo has flight service to the Island. That really should not be necessary. And if you're traveling to Pearson? Transit is not even really an option. Nor is a reasonable travel time. I don't see how this setup is great for the regional and national economy.
The only question for me, is the financial case for London. It should be noted too that the original estimate of $5 billion was for Toronto-Kitchener-London. I am willing to bet that $1-$2 billion would fall off that price tag if the line terminated in Kitchener. But to effectively make London a Toronto exurb, you need 200+ kph service. That allows Toronto-London to get to a travel time under 90 mins, arguably the threshold for regular commuters. It also makes London-Waterloo very commutable, allowing London to tie in there. London doesn't have to be a priority, but I think projects like this need to be considered. If places like London don't start getting an economic lifeline, this province will be in trouble. We can't have all economic activity simply concentrated in the GTA while the rest of Southern Ontario withers away.
Do you believe this to be the case even if the Liberals are campaigning on the Relief Line North, as I mentioned in my post?
Yes. I can practically see the attack ads. "Wynne ignored you in Scarborough for 15 years. Now she wants to build a subway for downtown elites."
People just don't understand how angry the suburbs really are. And Ford connects with them like nobody else. That's not a good thing. But it is a thing.
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