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| Transport Action Hotline - 12 March 2010 | |||||||||||
In this issue...This is the Transport Action Hotline, issue number 1063, for 12 March 2010.
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1 - Calendar
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2 - Hearings: Acadian bus service cutsPublic Sessions will commence at 5:30 pm at the following locations:
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3 - Bombardier presentation to Transport Action B.C.On Feb. 10 Stephen Rees reported: "I was invited to attend a presentation by Steve Hall of Bombardier (to Transport Action B.C.). (Hall's) topic was entitled "Light rail" but what he addressed was the current state of the rail business and the trends that are now shaping it.""The most significant trends influencing the business are urbanization, population growth, road traffic congestion, oil scarcity and rising energy costs. Twenty-three per cent of the world's manmade greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation - only 1% of which comes from rail," Rees reported. "In Metro Vancouver it is estimated that costs of congestion exceed $1.2bn a year. The US is seeing the highest demand for transit in 50 years. In Europe demand doubled in recent years, and there is huge growth in the Asia/Pacific region," the Vancouver blogger wrote. http://stephenrees.wordpress.com/2010/03/10/bombardier-presentation-to-the-transport-action-group/ http://transportactionbc.wordpress.com/
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4 - The implications of shutting down CPR's Ottawa Valley Railway: Transport ActionIn a letter to Transport Minister Hon. John Baird, David Jeanes wrote about Canadian Pacific Railway's decision to abandon its 187-mile line between Smiths Falls, Pembroke and Mattawa. Transport Action Canada's President noted that direct east-west freight trains would have to be re-routed through Toronto, already congested in normal times. "On the CN network, which has closed its direct Ottawa Valley link through Pembroke, freight diverted through Toronto has exacerbated railway congestion between Toronto and Montréal making trains late. VIA Rail trains in particular have been slowed down by this situation. The diversion of Montréal - Western Canada traffic through Toronto adds 300 miles to the trip, with more energy used and more greenhouse gas emissions. The loss of a direct line from Montréal west has an impact on the future of the city's port and limits future economic development opportunities in the Ottawa Valley and Northern Ontario," Transport Action Canada's President wrote on March 2."The CPR decision can only add to the stress on the railway system in the Greater Toronto Area. Metrolinx, the transit authority for the GTA and operator of the GO Transit System, has observed publicly (ref. Moving Goods and Services, Metrolinx, February 2008) that railway congestion in the GTA is of growing concern," Jeanes wrote.
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5 - Aviation Safety News: Senator Kenny, safety management systems and moreOn March 10 Aviation Safety News reported on the removal of Senator Colin Kenny from the security committee, near misses in Vancouver and Calgary, blue ice, AC Flight 190, Air France Flight 447 and Transport Canada outsourcing safety. Aviation Safety News is a project of Transport Action Canada and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre.
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6 - Plus de 1100 résidants réclament un métro« En deux semaines suite à la parution d'un seul éditorial dans Le Messager, 700 personnes avaient adhéré au groupe Facebook 'Un Métro à LaSalle, Lachine et Dorval' afin de donner leur appui au groupe. Cinq semaines plus tard, le groupe avait atteint plus de 1100 personnes réclamant la construction du métro » le Messager LaSalle a rapporté le 11 mars.« Plusieurs personnes questionnent le choix de la STM de refuser de considérer, lors du remplacement de wagons de métro, l'alternative d'utiliser des wagons sur roues de métal. Les experts, à l'exception de Transport 2000, indiquent qu'il est possible de construire des métros sur roues de métal qui permettraient au métro à Angrignon de continuer en surface vers LaSalle » Pierre Boulanger a écrit pour le Messager LaSalle. http://www.messagerlasalle.com/article-438130-Plus-de-1100-residants-reclament-un-metro.html
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7 - The Detroit River in downtown Toronto: March 27Albert Koehl from Ecojustice will help lead a Transport Action public discussion of the Detroit River International Crossing. A problem with DRIC is the way the environmental assessments were done. Ecojustice argued the Red Chris mine "test case of the federal government's obligations under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act. The (Supreme Court) decision is expected to mean that future large development projects will need to go through full environmental reviews," CBC News reported on Jan. 21, 2010.Albert Koehl has been an environmental prosecutor for the Ontario government. He's worked around the world. A cyclist advocate, he also represents children who are being denied their legal right to go to school because of their parents' ambiguous immigration status. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/01/21/bc-red-chris-mine-supreme-court.html March 27: Toronto: Metro Hall (55 John St.), Room 302: 1:30 the Detroit River International Crossing
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8 - Maine DOT chief backs $25M rail acquisition bond"Any competitive edge enjoyed by the state forest products industry, Aroostook County and some of the state's largest employers would be seriously compromised if 241 miles of northern Maine railroad track are abandoned, the state's top transportation official said Wednesday," the Bangor Daily News reported on March 4."As the bond package makes its way through the Legislature, the Maine Department of Transportation, and 22 rail line users - including Irving Woodlands, Fraser Papers, Louisiana-Pacific Corp., Maine Potato Growers Inc., and Old Town Fuel & Fiber - are working with MMA ( Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railroad)," Nick Sambides Jr. wrote for the Bangor Daily News. Transport Action's John Pearce notes: "Most of this 241 km line lies within 40 km west of the New Brunswick Maine border, so its almost a Canadian story. The former CP main line from Saint John to Montreal is the most important part of the Montreal Maine and Atlantic with the eastern part now owned by Irving (NB Southern and the Eastern Maine Ry.)."
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9 - Petawawa parley to address Hwy. 17 corridor rail concerns"Concerns about long-term operation of the CP Rail line between Mattawa and Sudbury is motivating local officials to attend a gathering of municipal representatives in Petawawa Thursday. ... "This is another little nail in the coffin," said Jay Barbeau, chief administrative officer of West Nipissing, describing how industrial transportation life-lines for Northern Ontario are being whittled away," the North Bay Nugget reported on March 10."Barbeau said West Nipissing attracted a manufacturer of mining-related ground control products because of the nearby CP line. About $2 million in public money was invested in infrastructure for a nearby industrial park, including a spur line so rail cars can access the facility west of Sturgeon Falls. "They came on the assumption they could bring in raw materials by rail," he said about Jennmar, which expects to begin operation soon after several construction-related delays ... The is an April 5 deadline for interested parties to provide CP with a notice of interest in the proposed short-line segments east of Mattawa," Dave Dale reported for the Nugget. http://www.nugget.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2483756
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10 - Rail retention is an economic lifeline"Anthony Dixon's (Dec. 30 Pembroke Observer) article reports on efforts on both sides of the Ottawa River to ensure that the railway from Pembroke to Ottawa, soon to be abandoned by CN (Canadian National Railways), continues to operate," Louise Donaldson, executive director, SADC Pontiac wrote to the editor of the Pembroke Observer on March 6.Saving the line is well on its way to reality thanks to the spirited dedication of Transport Pontiac-Renfrew (TPR), incorporated under the Canada Corporations Act last July. TPR is a direct response to CN's pending abandonment of the line. Partners in the project initiated by the SADC Pontiac Community Futures Development Corporation, include the Renfrew County Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC), the Government of Canada, Renfrew County and municipalities, MRC Pontiac and municipalities, City of Pembroke, and the municipality of Pontiac. http://www.thedailyobserver.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2480007&auth=
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11 - Transport est-ontarien: Local bus service seeks riders for Board"The North Glengarry, Prescott & Russell Transport Board (Transport East-Ontario, TEO) is looking for candidates to represent transit users on the Board. The person selected by the Board will be a regular bus rider, preferably a monthly pass-holder for at least six months," TEO Corporate secretary Mary McCuaig announced on March 8.La Commission de Transport Glengarry - Nord, Prescott et Russell (Transport est-ontarien, TEO) est à la recherche d'un-e candidat-e pour le poste de représentant des usagers à son conseil d'administration.
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12 - Sault Ste. Marie documentary filmmaker starts shooting DeRailed: The National Dream"Local documentary filmmaker Dan Nystedt hit the rails this morning as he began the first leg of his national tour by train. His upcoming documentary, DeRailed: The National Dream is slated to be released in the spring/ summer of 2010. This locally produced film will highlight the success stories, struggles, policies and politics of independent, short-line passenger rail services in Canada. Featured lines in Northern Ontario - the Algoma Central Railway and Ontario Northland Railway - will serve as a microcosm for the larger story development," Soo Today reported on March 3."In the face of peak-oil, green alternatives and an ever-expanding policy that supports highway development, Nystedt's film will speak to the need for sustainable infrastructure building and community resiliency," Soo Today reported.
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13 - Le train léger : La Ville d'Ottawa attend toujours la réponse du fédéral« Le budget du ministre des Finances, Jim Flaherty, ne fait aucunement mention du projet totalisant 2,1 milliards $ et qui vise à construire un corridor pour train léger des stations Blair à Pré Tunney, incluant un tunnel au centre-ville. ... La province de l'Ontario a pourtant confirmé avant la période des Fêtes, en décembre dernier, qu'elle remettrait une enveloppe de 600 millions $ à la Ville » le Droit a rapporté le 5 mars.« Donc le fédéral ne peut pas donner comme raison qu'il attend après l'argent de la province », fait remarquer le président régional de Transport Action Canada, David Jeanes » Dominique La Haye a écrit pour le Droit.
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