Politicians kick the tires on potential commuter line to Ottawa
The trains are back in town, but it could be years yet before a commuter rail linking the Ottawa Valley to Ottawa is ready to roll.
Yesterday, politicians from Renfrew, Pontiac and Ottawa took a trial run along what one-day might form a regional rail line along Ottawa Central Railway tracks, from Walkley train yard to Beachburg.
The trial run, which crossed the Ottawa River at Fitzroy Harbour and Portage-du-Fort, was intended to convince local politicians of the viability of a future regional commuter train into the valley.
Before boarding yesterday, Kanata North councillor Marianne Wilkinson said she was doubly interested to see how the train travelled within the city, since it could also potentially link south central Ottawa with north Kanata.
“It’s not the most highly-travelled route, but it would take some of the pressure off (Highway) 417 and the Transitway,” she said.
Ottawa Mayor Larry O’Brien’s recent Task Force on Transportation first raised the prospect of a regional rail line. While intra-city transit has occupied city council since then, regional mayors have been examining the viability of a commuter line into Ottawa on their own.
Funding to operate the system is anticipated from federal and provincial governments, since it would be regional service, like Toronto’s GO Train, and it crosses into Quebec.
Federal Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon, the Conservative Pontiac riding MP, called the project “visionary.”
“Elected officials have to do everything in their power to make sure that projects like this come forward. It’s good for the environment,” he said.
“There are a lot of pluses here that will compel (the federal government) to look at this project very, very seriously.”
But even if federal and provincial funding were to fall into place tomorrow, Harry Gow, co-founder of TransportAction Pontiac, said it could take years to upgrade the line for the speeds necessary to make it a viable commuter line.
“Right now there is a three-year program to improve the track over a major portion of the line in Pontiac County,” he said.
“Ride quality is important, so is safety and by investing in the track they’ll make it possible to run even faster than now, but that will take a year, maybe two.”
