steveintoronto
Superstar
Very interesting. It's not a well composed article, but very valuable in being a lot of direct quotes.Via adding city stops
[... to be serviced by electric trains, will augment the existing services provided by trains running on the time fraught freight rail lines.]
That wasn't a quote, but the author's take, and it may or may not be reliable.
[“We’re hoping to bring it to the government by the end of this year,” he said.]
Direct quote, very valuable, but unfortunately, that time frame has been pushed back. I hope this isn't slipping.
What would really help understanding the latest stance, instead of dribs and drabs through local newspapers (and credit to them for reporting the news) is to see an official statement updating events.
I'm getting a little ticked at this regime for dragging their heels on a number of issues, and Garneau has gone awfully quiet of late. Perhaps my recollection is wrong, but aren't we already past due for an announcement by him (Garneau) on this?
Edit to Add: Googled in case I'd missed something in the way of announcement on the TO/OT/Mont scheme, and this is the wishy-washy result I get:
http://www.lfpress.com/2016/09/14/t...high-speed-train-through-southwestern-ontario[...]
Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau appeared to lean toward Via Rail’s dedicated rail plan over a provincially-backed high-speed train corridor through Southwestern Ontario when he attended an event in London Wednesday.
Speaking to the London Chamber of Commerce, Garneau said improvements to passenger rail service could come with a Via Rail plan to create a dedicated passenger rail track corridor in southern Ontario. Under the plan, Via would take over lines now used for freight traffic.
In an interview, Garneau said Via’s plan would allow for more frequent service, no interference from freight traffic and higher speeds than conventional trains, though well below the 200- to 300-km/h clip of high-speed rail.
“That’s the essence of the Via proposal and that’s what we are looking at seriously and if that is a workable solution, that will address the issue,” said Garneau.
The Via plan faces competition from a proposal for a high-speed rail corridor through southern Ontario. The province has appointed former federal cabinet minister David Collenette to head a study on the high-speed trains.
Asked whether he considered the Via plan more feasible, Garneau framed the high-speed train corridor as a provincial initiative that Ottawa would look at “with great interest.”
In answer to an audience question, Garneau cautioned that even the Via plan would need more study: “You need to do your homework. You need to make sure you are not overestimating how many people are going to take the train.”
Earlier this week, London West MP Kate Young, Garneau’s parliamentary assistant, announced a $2.55-million investment in improving the London and Sarnia Via stations.
But plans to add three more trains in the Toronto-Sarnia-Windsor corridor have stalled while Via negotiates access to rail lines owned by CN Rail and other companies.
Chamber manager Gerry Macartney said he’s skeptical Via will be able to get more rail access from the major companies.
Macartney has long maintained the high-speed rail corridor would be the best option for London, but said Via could be brought into the partnership to run the operation. [...]
No shortage of supposition, no facts.
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