ONR-ONTC Closure and Divestiture

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

With the recent closure of the Northlander passenger rail service, and divestiture announcement of Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, Dr. Barry Wellar undertook research on this matter.  Dr. Wellar is Distinguished Research Fellow of Transport Action Canada.  He is principal of Wellar Consulting Ltd.

Dr. Wellar’s research was conducted in early 2013.  It involved sending inquiries to numerous arms of the Ontario government.  His final report found that no evidence was provided or identified to establish that methodologically sound research played a preeminent or partial role in the termination or divestment decisions.

The final report is titled “An Opinion as to the Extent to which the Decisions by Cabinet to Terminate The Northlander and Divest the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission are Based upon, Supported by, Justified by or are Otherwise Derived from Methodologically Sound Research”.  It can be viewed here.

2012 Newsletters “Ontario Report” available for public viewing

By Transport Action Ontario | Ontario Report

The November – December, 2012 Ontario Report can be viewed here.

The September – October, 2012 Ontario Report can be viewed here.

The July – August, 2012 Ontario Report can be viewed here.

The May -June, 2012 Ontario Report can be viewed here.

The March – April, 2012 Ontario Report can be viewed here.

Letter to Ontario Minister of Economic Development and Innovation

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

Transport Action Ontario wrote a letter to the Ontario Minister of Economic Development and Innovation stating that we believe that Ontario is facing a serious mobility crisis that seriously undermines private and public initiatives aimed at sustaining and growing Ontario’s industrial base.   We urged the Ministry and the Ontario Jobs and Prosperity Council to work with other provincial ministries and other levels of government to focus on our province’s mobility crisis, especially in the areas of public transportation.

The letter can be viewed here:  TAO-DuguidLtr2012-11

A Case for Toronto Downtown Rapid Transit Relief Line

By Transport Action Ontario | Major Reports , Urban Transit

Transport Action Ontario board member, Ed Levy, recently published a major report on this topic.  Ed has decades of experience in transportation planning and is very well-respected by transit agencies and planners.  The report can be read here.

Proposed Multimodal Goods Movement Strategy for Ontario

By Transport Action Ontario | Intercity Rail and Bus

In July, 2012, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation released a consultation document on a proposed multimodal goods movement strategy for Ontario.  It provided the context for action on goods movement in Ontario, a summary of the various transportation modes,  system-wide strengths and challenges, and proposed 20 year vision and objectives.   It posed several questions for respondents to answer.

Transport Action Ontario submitted comments to the Ministry in September, 2012, focussing largely on the opportunities for rail.  The comments can be read here:

TAO-MultimodalGoodsMovementResponse 2012-09