Hoping to derail Alto
Council rejects southern high-speed route, tells Ottawa to look elsewhere
Trent Hills has officially told the federal government to take its high-speed rail plan and shove it somewhere else.
On Tuesday, council unanimously supported a motion rejecting the idea of an Alto High-Speed Rail line that would loop south from Peterborough across the municipality towards Belleville on its way to Ottawa.
In an unusual move, Mayor Bob Crate and Deputy Mayor Mike Metcalf joined forces to craft the motion expressing their concern about the potential impact of the line on area communities and farm land.
“Trent Hills supports responsible transportation infrastructure that strengthens regional connectivity while respecting the needs of local communities,” the motion says.
Crate said that he and Metcalf had met it Alto staff and were unable to get answers to their questions about how the possible route was selected and how many passengers would use it.
Crate noted that an improved rail route to Ottawa running north of Highway 7 has been discussed for a decade, either for conventional passenger service or high-speed, but the southern loop has only appeared recently.
Metcalf questioned the population projections of 30 per cent growth by 2050 that are being used to support the need for increased rail service, noting that any population growth will be due to immigration which is controlled by the federal government.
Last week, as warden of Northumberland County, Crate voted with other Eastern Ontario wardens to formally opposes the Alto project in its current form.
The Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus said, “this opposition is based on concerns related to insufficient municipal consultation, unclear rural and small-urban impacts, potential environmental effects, and alignments with existing eastern Ontario planning and infrastructure priorities.”
The wardens suggested “that the federal government and Alto fully explore train route options along existing infrastructure corridors, such as VIA Rail and/or Highway 401.”
Bonnie Clark, warden of Peterborough county, is chair of the caucus and voted against the current plan. But on Monday night, Peterborough city council unanimously supported the plan that would locate a stop somewhere in the area.
The last open house where you can see what Alto is currently saying about the plan and provide in-person comments is being held Wednesday in Stirling from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Stirling and District Lions Club at the fairgrounds.
Alto has extended the period for online comments until April 24.
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