A rail line success story
OTTAWA CITIZEN JANUARY 7, 2011
Re: Commuter Rail Would Reduce Gridlock, Jan. 3.
Letter-writer D.C. McCaffrey presents a compelling argument for the implementation of a GO Transit type commuter service into Ottawa on existing heavy rail corridors stating "a commuter link would serve a very necessary and practical function, in addition to preserving the tracks for future freight use ..." McCaffrey is also correct in suggesting "once the tracks are gone they are gone forever." Rail lines are expensive to construct; in most cases, cost-prohibitive.
Like the CP "Valley Line", CN's "Beachburg Subdivision" is also on an abandonment list, but the similarities end here. The Beachburg Sub connects with the CP line in Pembroke, then runs southeast through Beachburg, Ont. before crossing into Quebec at Portage du Fort. The line returns to Ontario at Fitzroy Harbour, travelling east through Kanata, Nepean and into Ottawa. West of Kanata, a branch of the line extends west to and terminates at Nylene in Arnprior.
In 2009, the not-for-profit "Transport Pontiac-Renfrew" (TPR) was formed with a mission to acquire the Beachburg Sub from CN. Ottawa-based RailFutures Group was subsequently commissioned to prepare a business case and feasibility study concerning continued freight and future passenger/commuter service along the Pembroke-to-Ottawa line. The study determined that shipping freight by rail must continue to sustain and help rejuvenate the fragile business climate in Pontiac and Renfrew Counties. The 200+ page report also included results from specific surveys dealing with both freight and future passenger/ commuter applications. The results for commuter in particular were encouraging.
In November 2010, an initial agreement in principle was struck between CN and TPR. Details of the agreement can be found at
www.transportpontiac-renfrew.ca.
Assuming full acquisition of the CN line by TPR, freight service will continue uninterrupted with commuter service scheduled for launch within two years.
Harry Gow and Terry Gibeau
Co-Chairs,
Transport Pontiac-Renfrew
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Even though this is not the most sustainable route with respect to commuter traffic it does provide some hope for the eventual start up of suburban commuter rail. This could also be developed into an express shuttle service between the Via Rail station and Kanata that could negate the need for extending LRT to Kanata as soon as some people want. This could be done for a lot less money than extending the LRT and it also preserves the rail line for future inter-city use down/up the Ottawa valley as long as the CPR route is preserved in its entirety to Sudbury.