Quote:
Originally Posted by GoTrans
What is really an issue is that all levels of government have sat on the sidelines and done nothing. This is the equivalent of tearing up Hwy 17 and say that now you have to get to Sudbury or North Bay by going to Toronto first. This line should have been considered as part the national rail network. CP is supposed to remove the tracks between Mattawa and Pembroke this summer.
|
In fact, part of the line between Mattawa and Pembroke was removed last September; here's a Google Streetview shot from Petawawa:
http://goo.gl/tKmif
It would seem the Streetview crew was in the area at the very time the tracks were being removed since the rails are intact at another street to the south, though you can see the then end-of-track at a siding:
http://goo.gl/29208
And some of the clean-up crews at two another crossings:
http://goo.gl/he7ep
http://goo.gl/kkZTS
Finally, at the northern end of Petawawa we again see the end-of-track:
http://goo.gl/BCAaI
So basically during the time the Streetview crew toured Petawawa in September 2012, the line went from being intact through Petawawa to being removed in Petawawa.
Whether the removals last year stopped at Petawawa (at least allowing CFB Petawawa rail access to the west) or went to the end of the subdivision in Chalk River, I don't know. Regardless, the link is now severed and gone.
Quote:
That will sever the link in Pembroke between CN and CP that could route trains from Sudbury and points west to Montreal via Ottawa. This adds additional mileage and time onto trains routed from the west to Montreal and makes the restoration of passenger service in the future and impossibility. One of largest military bases CFB Petawawa will now be with out rail service for moving heavy equipment where needed, which is of strategic importance. The whole economic development of the Ottawa valley will be negatively impacted over the long term as fuel prices continue to rise making truck transportation more expensive.
If CN or CP don't want their portions of the line, then they should be forced to run several trains a day on the route regardless of who owns the line. If traffic can be consolidated on the line then there is a hope for its future. This forced routing can be seen as an insurance policy that provides them with an alternative routing in case of derailments on other routes to Montreal from the west. This would allow the purchaser of the lines to at least break even on the lines. It is difficult to believe that at one time there was enough traffic to have large sections of the lines signalized and some sections even operated under Centralized Train Control.
Once again the politicians have failed us.
|
The lack of vision amongst just about everyone involved in this is astounding... there was not even an attempt to splice together the CN and CP trackage in Pembroke into a single line running from North Bay to Ottawa.
Prev
Linear Mode
