Transport 2000 Canada Hot Line

6 March 2009

This is the Transport 2000 Canada Hotline, issue number 1010, for 6 March 2009.

In this issue...

1 - Transport 2000 Calendar

2 - Province nixes Halifax truckway: Transport 2000 actively opposed the plan

The Halifax Chronicle Herald reported: "Transportation Minister Brooke Taylor said the truckway will not proceed because the $225-million-plus cost of the preferred option - two lanes of highway beside two rail lines - was too pricey "from a Gateway perspective."

"The (McCormick Rankin) study does say using the corridor for rapid bus service could help the city achieve its target of getting 23 per cent of commuters to use public transit by 2026, a key component of cutting both congestion and greenhouse gases. But if the province wants to boost transit use, there are better ways of spending $225 million than widening the rail cut," the Herald said in a March 5 editorial.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Editorial/1109658.html

3 - Sustainable Transport Study: How Decisions Are Made

Barry Wellar, Distinguished Research Fellow, Transport 2000, has completed the Transport Canada project: "Methodologies for Identifying and Ranking Sustainable Transport Practices in Urban Regions". The eleven reports are now available at:

http://www.wellarconsulting.com

"For decades municipal governments in Canada have been making decisions on a daily basis about identifying, adopting, and implementing sustainable transport practices. These decisions have significant, long-term financial, economic, social, energy, planning, climate change, and other environmental impacts, but this appears to be the first study to examine how these important decisions are made," said Dr. Wellar.

4 - Montreal Transit $40-million cut: Normand Parisien, Transport 2000

On March 5 the Montreal Gazette reported: "An attempt to cut $40 million from the Société de transport de Montréal budget without a commensurate drop in service or a fare hike is simply impossible, a transit users lobby group says."

"We don't believe it," said Transport 2000 Quebec spokesperson Normand Parisien. "First of all, the budget for the (STM) has always been tight. ... Second, each year, the debt service has been getting higher. We don't see how it can be done without any effect (on users)," the Gazette reported.

"Parisien's comments follow an announcement Wednesday by Mayor Gérald Tremblay that because of the worsening economic situation, $155 million would have to cut from city expenses over and above the $300 million already slashed over the past three years," the Gazette story said.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Transit+absorb/1358078/story.html

5 - No muzzle on air safety inspectors, Minister's assistant says

"Transport Canada officials reversed course this week on a controversial aviation safety issue. The department now says no Canadian airline asked Transport Canada aircraft inspectors to sign confidentiality agreements about potential safety problems "in the last several years," the Monteal Gazette reported on March 6.

"Of course, no such (confidentiality) request would be acceptable," Chris Day, press attaché to Transport Minister John Baird, said in a telephone interview this week.

http://www.canada.com/news/About+face+Transport+Canada+safety+issue/1358986/story.html

6 - Alberta Budget cuts transit: Jon Calon, Transport 2000

The provincial government has pulled the brakes on a big investment in public transit, derailing regional plans for a more robust transit network. ... The $2 billion Green Trip program was announced last July to spur investments in public transit. ... Now only $195 million will be available," the St. Albert Gazette reported on Feb 28.

"While we're quite disappointed with the province's decisions to cut back on promised funding for transit, it is a sad reality how much the province's coffers are filled with money earned on oil royalties," said Jon Calon, Vice-President, Alberta for Transport 2000 Canada's Prairie Region.

"Transport 2000 believes much of the money going to carbon capture would be better spent on transit. Funding for transit would also create more jobs and reduce wear and tear on city roads, and guess what? Better service reduces more car trips, which reduces the province's carbon footprint!," Calon reported.

http://www.stalbertgazette.com/news/2009/0228/top3.html

7 - La STM promet le même service

La Société de transport de Montréal (STM) assure qu'elle maintiendra la qualité de son service et qu'elle n'augmentera pas les tarifs cette année, malgré la demande du maire Tremblay de retrancher 40 millions $ à son budget 2009," Canoë a rapporté le 5 mars.

«On commençait à peine à relancer le transport en commun, et voilà qu'on coupe les à cette belle initiative. Les usagers risquent d'être pris en otage, quand on sait que 90% du budget de la STM touche directement le service à la clientèle», prévient Normand Parisien, directeur général de l'association Transport 2000.

«La STM promet de ne pas augmenter les tarifs en 2009, mais nous nous attendons à des hausses vertigineuses en 2010», s'inquiète-t-il.

http://www2.canoe.com/infos/quebeccanada/archives/2009/03/20090305-172935.html

8 - Toronto Transit City full speed ahead until Ontario Budget day

"Shovels go into the ground on Sheppard East in September. The Eglinton Crosstown line and Etobicoke-Finch West lines will follow next year, if Queen's Park delivers the anticipated funding in this month's provincial budget," the Toronto Star reported on March 4.

The Star reported consideration is being given to extensions of the original Transit City lines. Options include:

a) Sheppard East extended to Scarborough City Centre and possibly to the zoo,
b) Finch West LRT extended west to Woodbine Live
c) Finch West could go to Pearson airport
d) The 512 St. Clair streetcar right-of way to Jane St.
e) The Jane LRT could continue south of Bloor St. to The Queensway

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/596163

9 - Transport 2000 Ontario AGM: March 28

Transport 2000 Ontario's Annual General Meeting will be held on March 28. The AGM will include the presentation of financial statements, reports, and the election of officers and directors for 2009/10.

The afternoon forum features a presentation from Canadian Pacific Railway: Innovating for the Future in Moving Goods, Commuters, and Inter-city. Company representatives will answer questions about modern railway practices and plans for the future. Members of the public are welcome to both sessions and admission is free.

10 - Ottawa Valley: Commuter rail line study

"The idea of a regional rail line from Ottawa to communities in the Ottawa Valley and Pontiac is moving ahead to a study phase. The Community Futures Development Corporations of Renfrew (Ontario) and Pontiac (Quebec) counties have partnered to explore the viability of a rural commuter rail line and are conducting a public survey to gauge community interest," the Ottawa Citizen reported on March 4.

The survey is at:

http://www.rccfdc.org

http://www.commercepontiac.ca

11 - EA process needs fixing: Natalie Litwin, Transport 2000

Transport 2000 Ontario's Natalie Litwin is calling for an environmental assessment process that works. In her editorial in the Transport 2000 Ontario Newsletter she cites last year's report of the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario.

"Decisions are made in a piecemeal fashion. Master plans do not require an EA process of approval, just specific projects within the plan. Projects going through an EA are not required to address whether or not they meet or are consistent with overarching policies set out in planning and environmental documents already adopted. Broad environmental policy is not considered. Projects are almost never rejected."

http://www.transport2000.ca/ontario/

12 - America on track: Ross Capon, NARP

"It is now clear that passenger rail is going to be an important element in President Obama's administration and President Obama is the first president to make the link between energy independence and rail funding," the UK's raillfuture.org reported on March 3.

Ross Capon, president of the National Association of Railroad Passengers, said: "With passenger rail a conspicuous beneficiary of the House-Senate conference, we are especially pleased to acknowledge reports that this was partly due to the personal involvement of President Obama and Senate majority leader Harry Reid."

http://www.railfuture.org.uk/tiki-read_article.php?articleId=1068

13 - Agawa Tour Train contract unsigned

"A joint venture to modernize the Agawa Canyon Tour Train has yet to pull out of the station. Eighteen months after trumpeting a $10 million investment into newer rolling stock to shuttle visitors to the scenic canyon, 185 kilometres north of Sault Ste. Marie, the contract for refurbished railcar construction remains unsigned," the Sault Star reported on March 2.

"Negotiations remain ongoing but at present there is nothing to report," said Ian McMillan, director of Tourism Sault Ste. Marie, whose modernization campaign has been funded through $5 million contributions from both Canadian National Railway and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp.

http://www.saultstar.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1458033

14 - Sarnia hires McCormick Rankin to get more VIA Rail service

Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley is chair of the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership, which along with Sarnia-Lambton chamber of commerce, has retained McCormick Rankin, a transportation consulting firm to assess demand for improved rail service between Sarnia and Toronto," the Sarnia Observer reported on March 3.

Bradley said the same firm was used last year as Sarnia-Lambton was able to persuade Air Canada to add a fourth daily flight to and from the city.

http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/News/Local/2009/03/03/8597896-sun.html

15 - Getting Windsor on track: High speed rail

"I agree the time has come. We should connect our cities with high-speed rail in Canada starting in Windsor," Joseph Passa wrote in the Windsor Star on March 4. "Where are we now in Windsor? We have the most machine shops, plastic fabricating and assembly buildings per square kilometre in North America with many closed or running on empty.

"Our history is cars, but our future should be trains. Windsor could reinvent itself as a manufacturing centre for the design and construction of high-speed trains," Passa wrote.

http://www2.canada.com/windsorstar/news/editorial/story.html?id=f9a3b1df-2e3e-44d6-a787-3a05328aa24b&k=69139

Thank you for calling the Transport 2000 Canada Hotline. For additional information, please contact our web site at:

www.transport2000.ca.