December 1, 2010
More time to save
railway, MP says
by Terry Myers
There may be some faint hope yet for the Ottawa Valley rail line.
MP Cheryl Gallant says she has managed to get an extension to the
deadline for offers from Canadian Pacific (CP), owners of the line from
Smith Falls to Mattawa.
However, there is still no plan in place for who might take over the
line.
In fact, Gallant seems to be suggesting that it would be up to Renfrew
County and the local municipalities to step forward and take on the job.
The future of the rail line has been up in the air for almost a year,
since the Ottawa Valley Railway (OVR), a division of short-line hauler
Rail America, announced that it was abandoning its operations on that
section of track.
Following OVR's decision, CP invited bids on the line from the private
sector, but that process fell through when no deal was reached by
six-month deadline earlier in October.
Under the Canada Transportation Act, the next stops in the line are the
federal and provincial governments.
The federal deadline passed November 5, and the province now has until
December 6 to take over the route.
Ontario Transportation Minister Kathleen Wynne has rejected that option
however, saying “it’s up to the federal government to make sure that we
have that network of rail lines across the province.”
After the province, municipal governments would normally have until
January 5 to make their offers.
But Gallant said last week that, “as a result of efforts by my office,”
CP is now willing to extend that deadline and take offers “right up to
the time they begin dismantling assets.”
“CP does not anticipate moving to pull up track before spring. This
gives the newly elected municipal councils, including county council,
an additional 90 days beyond the regulated time period,” Gallant said.
Gallant said the municipalities needed the extra time because
“the timing with municipal elections could not have been worse for the
Ottawa Valley.”
Newly elected councils across the county are taking office as of
December 1, leaving barely a month to make a decision about the rail
line.
“This time extension is short. We all have our work cut out for us if
it is possible to save the rail line at this time,” Gallant said.
The MP said local officials need to have “an open, frank, and public
discussion about the rail line,” and that there are examples to follow.
“If we are going to save the CP section from Mattawa to Smith Falls, we
need an operator for that section of the railway,” she said.
“The Central Huron Railway in northern Ontario was successful in
attracting federal and matching provincial dollars because it had an
operator in place that was prepared to put money on the table.
“I have a commitment from CP rail to keep the door open for offers.
This announcement gives local residents more time to consider the
options.”
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