(The following story by Joe Belanger appeared on the London Free Press website on December 6.)
SARINA, Ont. — Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley wants Via Rail to add one or more trains to his city if U.S.-based Amtrak cuts its Sarnia-Toronto international line in April. Amtrak is in negotiations with Michigan state officials to end the service, which links Toronto and Chicago, pointing to declining ridership.
“We just want better service,” Bradley said yesterday. He said Amtrak and Via each operate one train in and out of the city daily.
“Besides the bus, it’s the only service for our seniors, students and others. And if they can’t get on a train, they become a prisoner in their own city.”
In a letter to Via Rail Canada chair Jean Pelletier, Bradley asked for a meeting to discuss improving service. He also noted that Via Rail officials previously promised to replace the Amtrak train with one of their own if the service ended.
Bradley said he would like to see even more than two trains a day in the Southwestern Ontario corridor.
“If they improved the service, it would divert people into a more environmentally friendly mode of transportation, saving us money and taking the traffic burden off the highways,” he said.
“Canada is one of the only industrialized countries cutting passenger service.”
No one at Via Rail could be reached for comment.
News reports in Port Huron, Mich., across the St. Clair River from Sarnia, suggest Amtrak will replace the service with the Bluewater Line, which will run between Chicago and Port Huron, reviving a service discontinued in 1982 when the railway added the international route.
The company is currently in negotiations with Michigan officials.
Amtrak says ridership declined to 80,890 this year from 91,714 last year.
Another factor is custom delays crossing the border.
Steve Glickman, business retention officer for the London Economic Development Corp., was unaware of Amtrak’s plans but expressed concern.
“There’s always a concern when the movement of people to and from London is being affected,” Glickman said.