A local organization is continuing the fight to have passenger rail service enhanced in Sarnia-Lambton.
Rail Advocacy in Lambton (RAIL) Co-Chair Jim Houston said there's still the need for an additional track between Strathroy and Sarnia to limit delays caused by freight trains.
"If they reinstated that second track, it would not only be a benefit to VIA Rail but it would certainly be a benefit to CN to expedite movement of their freight trains, too. Not just between Sarnia and London, it would expedite operating capabilities between Sarnia and Hamilton."
Houston said they're also lobbying Transport Canada to reinstate VIA Rail trains coming into Sarnia at mid-afternoon, and departing in the evening, partly to benefit Lambton College students.
"So many of those students are without automobiles, so that would help them," he said. "That train still runs from Toronto to London. It gets into London at around 2:15 p.m., the only part of the leg that they cut off 12 years ago was between London and Sarnia. That was due to ridership at the time."
Mabel Higgins and Jim Houston, Co-Chairs of RAIL, and Terry Johnson, President of Transport Action Canada, met with Mayor Mike Bradley to review rail issues impacting Sarnia-Lambton. (Submitted photo)
Houston said extending the Toronto to London service would be a fast and cost effective solution to the problem, and they also want to see direct connectivity to other modes of travel to make it easier to get to other cities.
The only VIA train leaving Sarnia departs at 8:40 a.m. and comes back into the city at 10:20 p.m.
Houston said these concerns and others across the region have been brought forward to the federal and provincial governments many times.
He said on June 29, 2021 they were presented in full detail to the Southwestern Ontario Transportation Task Force convened by Provincial Transport Minister Caroline Mulroney.
Houston said the task force has still not released its report, which he said was originally scheduled for November 2021. The document covered hundreds of hours of work by municipalities, First Nations, and community groups across the region.
Houston said, in August 2022, Federal Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra assured the region that additional services were being considered and studied. He claims local officials have yet to be contacted by the government's hired consultants.
The issues were discussed with Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley and President of Transport Action Canada Terry Johnson during a meeting last week.
Transport Canada has provided Sarnia News Today with a written statement on the matter.
"On November 10, 2022, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, announced that Transport Canada had obtained the consulting firms CPCS Transcom Limited (CPCS) and WSP, to act as external advisors to the Government of Canada and analyze options to enhance passenger rail service in Southwestern Ontario, including options to improve service between Sarnia and London," read the statement. "This analysis will examine present and future passenger rail demand, evaluate existing routes, identify options for new alignments, as needed, and provide a financial analysis. The advisors are expected to submit their final report to Transport Canada by the end of 2023. The advisors have been advancing work on this analysis, and will be engaging municipalities in Southwestern Ontario to hear their views and perspectives over the next few months. The City of Sarnia will be involved in this engagement."
Transport Canada went on to say that "the scheduling and frequency of the current VIA Rail service to and from Sarnia, Ontario, is the responsibility of VIA Rail Canada. VIA Rail is an independent Crown corporation that operates at arm’s length from the Government of Canada. The Minister of Transport’s role is to determine the broad policy direction of the corporation while VIA Rail maintains autonomy over operations, including the scheduling and frequency of train service."
Sarnia News Today has reached out to VIA Rail for comment.