Rail announcement loses steam with details of federal commitment lacking

London, Ont. -

Passengers in train-starved southwestern Ontario received a political commitment that rail service will improve, but few details were provided.

Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra was joined by London North Centre MP Peter Fragiskatos, MP Kate Young, and Mayor Ed Holder for a much-anticipated announcement at the train station in London.

Alghabra said the federal government is, “exploring opportunities to enhance passenger rail services in southwestern Ontario to see how we can improve service west of Toronto.”

None of the politicians, however, would commit to a timeline or provide clear details about how train service might improve locally.

“More frequent, more reliable, faster service,” is how Alghabra described the goal.

The exploratory work will include VIA Rail and the Canada Infrastructure Bank through the High Frequency Rail Joint Project Office.

According to a news release, the feds will also be “reaching out to the Province of Ontario to identify areas of collaboration and avoid any duplication with provincial transportation plans, including new services to be offered by GO Transit and Metrolinx.”

On July 6, Alghabra announced a procurement process to provide higher-frequency VIA Rail service from Toronto to Quebec City, including the construction of separate passenger rail lines to eliminate delays caused by freight trains.

The announcement made in London committed to better link travel from southwestern Ontario to that interprovincial corridor.

“It starts with one important step,” added Fragiskatos. “Today we heard a very firm commitment that London will be a very important part of that system. Now we have to understand how to get to that outcome.”

In 2012, VIA Rail service was slashed along the Toronto-Windsor-Sarnia route.

The region has heard political promises to improve rail service before, but seen few results.

Two years ago, plans for a high-speed rail line between Windsor and Toronto were abandoned by the provincial government.

The federal transport minister pushed back on suggestions that the new commitment to improve passenger rail is just a political promise as rumours swirl about a possible fall election.

“This is not talking, this is governing in action,” he said. “I look forward to completing this phase and moving to the next phase as quickly as possible.”

The Toronto-Windsor-Sarnia corridor is VIA Rail’s second busiest route in the country.