(The following editorial originally appeared in the Stratford Beacon Herald and was posted on the Toronto Star website on December 18.)
TORONTO — Pardon us if this sounds familiar. Some things just have to be said over and over: Don’t cut rail service through southwestern Ontario!
It’s in jeopardy now that VIA and Amtrak have decided to eliminate the train that makes the daily return trip between Toronto and Chicago through the communities on VIA Rail’s northern line, which includes Stratford. In April, Amtrak plans to stop its train from Chicago at Port Huron, Mich.
That will leave a big gap in rail service. The Chicago train is one of just two a day that make the return trip from London to Toronto through Stratford, Kitchener, Guelph, Halton Hills and Georgetown.
And it might have passed quietly into oblivion if Transport 2000 hadn’t raised the alarm. The non-profit organization that promotes environmentally sustainable transportation voiced concern over the loss of the service last week after VIA was at first silent about its plans.
Cutting the service would reduce daily rail service along the line to a single trip each way. That’s hardly enough. Even the current twice-daily service is less than sufficient.
At the moment, there are just two trains a day travelling each way through Stratford. Trains leave Stratford for Toronto at 6:15 a.m. and 9:22 p.m. Stratford-bound trains leave Toronto at 6:35 a.m. and 5:40 p.m. That means travellers must plan to spend either the day or the night in Toronto ? and if you want to spend the day, you have to get up pretty early.
It’s the same if you’re heading for London: you can leave Stratford at 9 a.m. or 7:42 p.m. You can come back at 5:25 a.m. or 8:35 p.m.
VIA has said it will keep the service, but that was only after Transport 2000 made a fuss.
As soon as they learned of VIA’s plans, Stratford Mayor Dan Mathieson and Perth-Middlesex MP Gary Schellenberger added their voices. The mayor said the city’s economic development department will oppose any cuts in service and will be in touch with the new minister of transport, Tony Valeri.
Schellenberger has also said he’ll do what he can to ensure the service is maintained, adding that “there has to be an expansion of trains, not a withdrawing of trains.”
Mayors in communities along the line have been pressing for improved service with faster trains, and Transport 2000 says the time is ripe to push the issue.
The group would like to see federal funding for continuously welded rails along the route and improvements in crossing protection and maintenance that would allow for faster trains.
But for now, the most important thing is to maintain the status quo, at least.
We’ve been through this before.
In 1990, communities along the line had their rail service cut in half by the cost-cutting Progressive Conservative government of the day. The nation-wide cuts sparked protests across the country, but to no effect.
The move forced travellers into automobiles, packing our roads with vehicles and pushing air pollution levels to dangerous levels. But despite all we now know about the problems posed by our reliance on automobiles, we don’t have much of an alternative.
Most of our rail lines have been ripped up. To replace them now would be prohibitively expensive.
We can, however, fight to keep the ones that are left, and ensure we make the most of them by insisting on getting as much passenger service as possible. We must add our voices to those of the politicians and let VIA Rail know we won’t stand for more cuts.