Jeff Heuchert
Staff Reporter
An ongoing dispute between VIA Rail Canada and Goderich-Exeter Railway (GEXR) over track usage fees has stalled long-sought infrastructure improvements that could see increased passenger service through St. Marys and Stratford.
The issue centres around what is known as the North Main Line, a section of track that runs from London to Toronto. A portion of the track, from London to near Georgetown, is currently leased and operated by GEXR, which is owned by US-based RailAmerica. The improved rail lines would be able to accommodate higher volumes and faster speeds, as well as improved safety measures including a central tracking system.
According to media reports in Kitchener and Guelph, GEXR is looking to increase its track fee to compensate for what it says will be an increase in operating and maintenance costs. Calls to RailAmerica seeking comment were not returned as of press time.
According to VIA spokesperson Catherine Kaloutsky, millions of infrastructure dollars from the federal government have been earmarked for the improvements, which she says will improve travel times and increase the capacity for future growth on the North Main Line. VIA remains hopeful, she notes, that a speedy resolution will be made now that the dispute has gone to arbitration.
Kaloutsky says VIA has not determined how many more trains would be added to the line; however, an environmental assessment completed in July 2009 by GO Transit – which is also looking to expand service along the line from Kitchener to Toronto – shows three additional trains in each direction between London and Toronto.
“We remain hopeful GEXR will agree on the importance of the improvements and that we’ll be able to advance without further delay. We still maintain that this is an important area for us to move forward on, and we’d like to do this as quickly as possible.”
One person who has been watching the dispute closely is Paul Langan, a Cambridge-area resident and member of Friends of the North Main Line, a group of citizens who want to see increased passenger train service across Ontario.
Langan says both companies are to blame for the dispute. He claims VIA works in secrecy and is not accountable to the public, while GEXR has shown an unwillingness over the years to allow more passenger trains.
“The bottom line is that GEXR doesn’t even want (passenger trains). They’d rather run their four (freight) trains a day at 40 km/h,” he adds.
GEXR should want to support passenger train service, Langan says.
“They should be saying, ‘Let’s see how we can make this work,’ but they’re not doing that.”
In May, Lagan sent a letter to Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, John Baird, asking that the federal government step in to help resolve the dispute. In an emailed response from Minister of State for Transport Rob Merrifield, he was told the government would not get involved.
“Given the (Canadian Transportation) Agency’s independence, it would be inappropriate to interfere in its decisions or investigations,” said Merrifield.
Langan’s letter followed another sent to Minister Baird in March that was signed by all of the mayors along the North Main Line. In it, they expressed the need for “increased inter-regional rail service to support employment opportunities, tourism (including the Stratford Festival) and other business and personal travel between communities and the Greater Toronto Area.
“Currently, the congested Highway 401 is the only means of access to the economic hub located in Toronto,” read the letter.
Stratford Mayor Dan Mathieson says the city has long advocated and argued for increased service along the line.
Currently, the number of trains passing through Stratford-St. Marys is not enough to meet demand during peak times, he adds.
“It’s frustrating,” says the mayor. “We’ve advocated for this, VIA agrees with us and they’re at the implementation stage, and we’re stalled.”
Langan says it’s unlikely the dispute will be resolved any time soon since the agency has no required timeframe to complete its investigation. His largest concern, he adds, is that VIA will get tired of waiting and spend its infrastructure dollars on another line.
In an email to Langan, director of communication for the Canadian Transportation Agency, Marc Comeau, said the agency is in the process of reviewing the parties’ filings. It will then prepare a report that both sides will have an opportunity to comment on.
“As this is a highly complex case, it is likely that an agency decision can be expected only in a few months from now,” he added.
