Fri, July 25, 2008
Imagine making the trip to Toronto from London in an hour, even during rush hour.
One city think-tank says that dream needs to become reality if Canada ever hopes to catch up with the rest of the world.
In a report released yesterday, the University of Western Ontario's Lawrence National Centre for Policy and Management called for an overhaul of Canadian infrastructure.
The report recommended provincial and federal governments identify which cities between Windsor and Quebec City would want to be part of a high-speed rail network, arguing the network would be environmentally friendly and improve Ontarians' quality of life.
"High speed rail builds communities again. It's on the map . . . the governments are talking about it," said Dianne Cunningham, director of the Lawrence Centre.
Canadian experts on transportation and trade attended a conference in March to examine Canadian infrastructure and make recommendations about what can be done to improve transportation within the country.
Eric Kung, a student at UWO's Richard Ivey School of Business, pointed out Canada is years behind countries such as Korea, Taiwan and Spain when it comes to rapid transit.
"It took Spain just over 25 years to develop a formidable high-speed rail line running between Seville and Barcelona . . . Canada is falling behind Spain by 25 years," he said in the report.
With a high speed rail network, Toronto's one day living zone would extend to London.
"I have hoped for this for years and years. I used to travel back and forth to Toronto when I was an MPP," said NDP MP Irene Mathyssen (London-Fanshawe).
"Who in their right mind would get in a car to battle the 401 when you could arrive in half the time? Vehicles put a lot of wear and tear on our highways."
A network spanning the 1,150 kilometres between Windsor and Quebec City would be a multi-billion dollar investment, but Elgin-Middlesex-London Conservative MP Joe Preston said it's worth it. "I think the answer here is that if we keep waiting, the cost will never be cheaper, and the cost may be worth doing it now," he said.
Gerry Macartney of the London Chamber of Commerce said he's lobbied for high speed rail, among other infrastructure improvements, for years. But the investment and planning involved means a one-hour ride to Toronto won't happen any time soon.
"Even if you said 'Yes,' today, and had the money, to get through the environmental assessments, financing and acquisitions it'd be 15 years to get the shovel in the ground," he said.
HIGH SPEED RAIL FACTS
Other recommendations from UWO's Lawrence Centre:
- Integrate North America's freight transportation network to ease congestion at the borders
- Harmonize regulations to make trade between provinces easier.
- Research how global sourcing is changing the flow of goods and its impact on the Ontario-Quebec trade corridor
- Evaluate high-speed rail as part of a national development strategy for the future