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Friday, June 18, 2010

Fast Trains without Federal Help

During a joint cabinet meeting between Ontario and Quebec in Quebec City, both premiers said that they might go ahead with high speed rail even if the federal government is not willing to fund it. In fact, they might use American money to fund high speed rail.
“It would, after all, be ironic if we actually did more with the federal government of the United States than we did with the federal government of Canada on developing a fast train.”
Charest is completely correct. Obama spent 8 billion on rail infrastructure this year and it is obvious more is coming. It's great that the leaders of these two provinces have the insight to capitalise on the spending of money for trains. Too bad Harper doesn't. We could have a North American train network by the end of the decade. High speed rail is coming to Canada and even Premier Dalton McGuinty knows it. It's just a question of when.
Ontario's Dalton McGuinty added: "When we build this line (in the Quebec City-Windsor corridor), it's more than just connecting 16 million Canadians, strengthening our regional economy, better protecting our regional environment. It's going to plug us in to a North American network of high-speed rail."
Notice that he said, "when," not "if." High speed rail is in the making and I'd be really proud of Quebec and Ontario if they choose to plow full speed on without federal money.

Read more at the Montreal Gazette.

2 comments:

  1. We're going to connect rail from BC into the US via Seattle - HSR. This needs to be done... It will be done.

    The City of Surrey is a thriving and growing center, and soon will surpass Vancouver in population. There is much work to be done in increasing/growing a rail transit solution here. We envision a high speed rail stop/station in the Greater Surrey region. If the Province and Feds don't want to do it, there are many of us who are willing to see local municipalities start it up on our own.

    You're so right when you say HSR is on the way. It is. Once the Conservative dinosaur luddites are out of the way, it'll be much easier.

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  2. Good for BC. I think that the West Coast links will be done before the Eastern corridor. I'm sure that some of America's money will actually go to high speed rail in Canada. It would be terrible if the US helps more than the Canadian government does.

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