All Posts by Transport Action Ontario

Algoma Central Railway – Major Advocacy Program to Stop Termination of Passenger Service

By Transport Action Ontario | Intercity Rail and Bus , Northern Ontario

On January 27, 2014, CN announced the termination of passenger service on this railroad from Sault Saint Marie to Hearst, as the Federal government had ended the subsidy that pays for the passenger service.  As a result CN announced that service would end on March 31, 2014 (subsequently extended to April 29, 2014).

A major advocacy program is underway,  led by local municipal governments and our affiliate organization, the Coalition for Algoma Passenger Trains (CAPT).  For a complete update on the CAPT activities, click the link here.

The advocacy includes conducting three Town Hall meetings – in Sault Ste. Marie, Wawa and Hearst to increase citizen awareness and understanding.  Transport Action’s past president, Harry Gow, will be the guest speaker.  A copy of the Transport Action presentation can be viewed here:  NDR Slides SSM Wawa-Feb 2014

US Rail Passenger Association Urges Canada to Maintain Threatened Services

By Transport Action Ontario | Intercity Rail and Bus , Northern Ontario

The National Association of Rail Passengers (NARP) is a US non-government organization advocating for improved passenger rail and rail transit.   They have sent a letter to Canada’s ambassador to the US, Honourable Gary Doer, expressing concern with the announcement that Sault Ste. Marie – Hearst rail service (Algoma Central) will end March 31 and a CBC report this week that Montreal-Halifax VIA Rail Canada service could end in as early as June.

The NARP letter can be viewed here.

All-Party Rural and Northern Ontario Transportation Committee

By Transport Action Ontario | Intercity Rail and Bus , Northern Ontario , Press Releases and Open Letters

On November 28, 2013, Bill Walker, MPP Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, presented a resolution at Queen’s Park to immediately strike a Rural and Northern Transportation  Committee to study transportation needs in these regions.    Transport Action Ontario was very pleased to see that all parties in the Legislature supported this resolution.

In January, 2014, Transport Action Ontario wrote to Mr. Walker offering congratulations, describing our organization, and providing some preliminary comments on one of our projects  (North Main Line).  We asked to be given the opportunity to speak to this committee.

Our letter can be viewed here:  TAO-letter-Bill Walker

GO Stouffville Corridor Rail Service Expansion

By Transport Action Ontario | Urban Transit

GO Transit is in the midst of an Environmental Assessment to expand and improve rail service on this corridor.  The project will involve double tracking and station improvements  from Scarborough Junction to Unionville Station.

Transport Action Ontario is very supportive of this project.  In general, improvements to GO Rail offer badly-needed, region-wide rapid transit that is cost-effective and rapidly implementable and has little interference to road capacity.  However, we felt that the scope of this EA appears to be narrow.  We felt that a number of additional issues needed analysis, including electrification, new stations, parking considerations and road-rail separations.

Our submission to GO Transit can be viewed here:  TAO-GOStouffvillePIC#2-rev2

Fixing Canada’s Ailing Rail System: Op-Ed Article

By Transport Action Ontario | Intercity Rail and Bus

Greg Gormick is a long-time Toronto transportation writer and advisor, who has been a colleague and often a consultant to Transport Action.  He has written a thought provoking  op-ed article entitled “Fixing Canada’s Ailing Rail System”.   The article was originally published in the Toronto Star on January 26, 2014, and was subsequently picked up by other major newspapers across Canada.

The article discusses four major concerns with Canada’s once proud and efficient rail system: safety breaches, line abandonment, angry shippers and the deterioration of VIA Rail.   It points to a solution involving more public investment and increased oversight, as was done in the USA.  It notes that the first step is a long-overdue public debate leading to a national rail policy.  Finally, it urges federal Transport Minister Lisa Raitt to let the debate – and the rail recovery – begin.

The full article can be read here:  TorontoStar Railway Crisis 2014-01-26