Saying it would reduce “essential access for residents who rely on rail service,” the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) is opposing a proposed VIA Rail Canada pilot project that would eliminate some rail stops in the eastern Ontario region.
On September 24, EOWC chair Bonnie Clark issued a statement about VIA Rail Canada’s decision to introduce direct trains between Toronto and Montreal, which would reduce the number of intermediate stops in communities including Cobourg, Belleville, Brockville, and Kingston.
“The Toronto to Montreal route is a major transportation corridor in eastern Ontario and these cuts will have a profoundly negative impact on our communities,” Clark said. “This decision was made without any consultation with our residents and businesses and the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus is extremely frustrated with this decision and supports the efforts of the Eastern Ontario Mayor’ Caucus as well as our MPPs and MPs who stand united against this decision.”
VIA Rail intended to introduce the three-month pilot of direct service on select trains between Montreal and Toronto on Monday (September 29), but has since delayed the project, citing “operational constraints” with its rail partner CN.
However, the Crown corporation stated it will “continue to work closely with CN to explore solutions that would allow us to test and implement this service in the future.”
In a LinkedIn post that accompanied Clark’s statement, the EOWC said that “communities across eastern Ontario have supported significant public investments, such as VIA’s $1.4 billion fleet modernization, and deserve to see a return on those investments through reliable, inclusive transit service.”
“The EOWC believes that innovation in transportation must go hand-in-hand with equity and regional inclusion. Removing service from small urban and rural communities not only limits mobility, but also impacts our economic development, sustainability, and population retention.”
“We urge VIA Rail to engage in meaningful, proactive dialogue with local governments to explore solutions that balance efficiency with access, ensuring that all communities along the Toronto-Montreal corridor remain connected.”
On a related issue, EOWC has also expressed concerns about the lack of rail service to eastern Ontario communities in the proposed Alto high-speed rail network between Toronto and Quebec City, which would include a stop in Peterborough.
Following former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s announcement in February that the consortium had been selected to develop the project and confirmed $3.9 billion in federal funding for the project over six years, Clark sent a letter on behalf of EOWC to Martin Imbleau, president and CEO of Alto, the Crown corporation that will work with the consortium to implement the project.
“While the EOWC supports transportation expansion across rural and small-urban communities as a long-standing priority, if built, this project will cut through our region’s communities without bringing benefits to local businesses, trail systems, tourist destinations, or our 800,000+ residents,” Clark wrote.
“Although we recognize that a stop is planned in Peterborough, overall, the train network will still have little to no benefit for the region as a whole. The EOWC is urging that additional train stop(s) be included across Eastern Ontario as part of the Alto high-speed rail system. Additional stop(s) will improve transit across our rural and small-urban communities as well as strengthen regional connections.”
On September 11, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced five nation-building projects that he was referring to the new Major Projects Office (MPO), which will work to fast-track the projects by streamlining regulatory assessment and approvals and helping to structure financing, in close partnership with provinces, territories, Indigenous Peoples, and private investors.
At the same time, he announced five early-stage projects that, with further development, could also be considered by the MPO — the Alto High-Speed Rail project among them.
“The MPO will work to accelerate engineering, regulatory, and permitting work to enable construction of the project to start in four years, cutting the original eight-year timeline in half,” stated a media release from the Prime Minister’s office.
With files from Bruce Head
