Wawa-news.com You can't hear the 'big picture'!
Nov 15, 2017 @ 11:35
Once again the Huron Central’s parent company, Genessee, and Wyoming is threatening to cease operations of its rail service between Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury. It is requesting funds to further upgrade the line from both the Provincial and the Federal Governments. Without these upgrades, the railway contends it cannot operate efficiently and is only covering its costs.
The Coalition for Algoma Passenger Trains (CAPT) is fully supportive of government support for this freight operation that is so vital to local industry and other customers along the line. If the rail operations were to cease then the alternative would be to increase the number of trucks on roads and highways. That could have a negative impact on highway congestion and maintenance. Some transport trucks are capable of hauling 45 tons whereas rail cars can accommodate more than twice as much making rail a more efficient mode of transport.
An upgraded rail line could also mean that by preserving the rail bed passenger service could be accommodated thus providing northerners with alternative transportation. The current bus services are grossly inadequate and the air mode is expensive. Passenger rail service is more accessible for those with disabilities, is environmentally friendly and operates in all weather conditions.
The Province’s ‘Northern Growth Plan’ refers to the need to improve multi-modal transportation in Northern Ontario and the Huron Central line must be included in this strategy.
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what we see unfolding again is the Northern Ontario story. we are treated like a colony, neglected, ingrored, mismanaged and now a new one, no-mans land.
what is the value of our natural resources in Northern Ontario in the raw form?
What would the value be, manufactured produces?
We want to have our rich natural resources manufactured into produces in Northern Ontario
We want to use our natural resources to develop northern Ontario’s full potential
Vote for the Northern Ontario Party
Forget congestion, the highway is closed half the days in the winter due to storms or multi-vehicle collisions. Add more transports and we’ll have more accidents and fatalities. Why not add a premium tax on transports (or toll for transports coming through the Soo) to encourage more freight be shipped by rail and save the roads? Rail is more efficient, economical and environmentally friendly. The province pays for roads that transports use and deteriorate for free; so the province subsidizes the rails competition to the point the rail company can’t maintain its own infrastructure. Something needs to happen to incentivize more freight to be taken off our roads and shipped by rail and ship whenever possible.
Just drop the idea of subsidizing yet another American owned company!! Build a proper 4 lane highway for northern Ontario and we will all be better off. In the short term this means jobs, better accessibility to northern communities creating more opportunities for the long term to a wider range of Canadian businesses. The future is driverless trucks, like it or not… Genessee and Wyoming! American owned! Only 44 jobs for 50 million dollars and 6 million every year there after. Canadian taxpayers do not need to be subsidizing Essar steel and Ecom through keeping this failing rail line open. We have done enough of that too!