Category Archives for "Intercity Rail and Bus"

Progress Towards a Public Transportation Network in SW Ontario

By Transport Action Ontario | Intercity Rail and Bus , Latest News , Southwestern Ontario

The steady startup of community bus services in Southwestern Ontario, funded by the Province under Community Transportation Grants (CTG) is continuing. See our previous post on Rural Transit Renaissance (January 2020) for background. Several of these groups have now taken an important next step, by working together and coordinating their efforts under the banner of Southwest Community Transit Association (SCT), facilitated by the South Central Ontario Region Economic Development Corporation (SCOR EDC).

Transport Action Ontario has written Minister Mulroney congratulating her on the CTG program and its positive fallout. We also urged her to continue to work on other Actions in the province’s draft plan Connecting the Southwest, released in January, 2020 (see our posting January 17, 2020).

Our letter can be viewed below:

All Aboard St. Marys joins Transport Action

By Transport Action Ontario | Intercity Rail and Bus , Latest News , Southwestern Ontario

All Board St. Marys (AASM), a non-government organization based in St. Marys, Ontario, informed their members on June 25, 2020 that they intend to merge with Transport Action Ontario. This group has been a strong and vocal advocate for improvement of passenger rail service on the North Main Line between Kitchener and London.

All Aboard St Marys has been very successful in raising awareness of passenger rail with MPs, MPPs and the general public. Use of the train in St. Marys is up 75% over the past decade, and both a wheelchair lift and electric vehicle charger have been installed at the community-managed train station.

AASM has also been instrumental in getting resolutions supporting VIA Rail passed by many Ontario cities and towns, and gathering support from 78 MPs, MPPs, and Senators.

We welcome members of All Aboard St. Marys to the Transport Action family.

Key Actions to Re-engineer Canadian Passenger Transportation for the Future

By Transport Action Ontario | Intercity Rail and Bus , Latest News

Transport Action Ontario has written a second letter to the federal Ministers of Infrastructure, Environment and Transport indicating key actions to re-engineer Canadian passenger transportation for the future. Important ideas discussed were

-Replacing short haul flights with passenger rail

-Making Pearson Airport an intercity rail hub

-Subsidizing long-distance intercity bus operations

The full letter can be viewed here.

Emergency Funding for Kasper Transportation

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

Kasper Transportation, a Canadian small inter-city bus operator, has suspended all service in Northwestern Ontario, effective May 2. Transport Action Ontario calls for emergency funding from Ontario in order that their vital services can start up again.

Our letter to Minister Mulroney can be viewed below.

Canada’s climate action and rail transportation policy and actions

By Transport Action Ontario | Intercity Rail and Bus , Latest News

Transport Action Ontario has written to the federal Ministers of Infrastructure, Environment and Transport indicating that rail transportation policy and actions are vital in meeting Canada’s climate change goals. We identify 6 major concern areas.

Our letter can be viewed here: