By: Stephen Young

Stephen Young — Wed, 01 Jun 2022 02:31:49 +0000

I’m usually in full agreement with your take on many issues that face us as a community. However, I tend to adopt a different perspective when it comes to the Island Railway proposal. As an “Island” community we need to focus on the future and the potential costs of highway construction, the environmental issues caused by such projects and the continuing surge in our population.
Given the cost of the aforementioned, in addition to the cost of the buses that have very limited life spans and require tons of maintenance, plus the road improvements required to make them more efficient, I would argue that the ultimate cost of not proceeding with the proposed rail links and associated rolling stock, would soon far exceed the cost of implementation now, and the cost of operation in the future.
No public transportation system can be operated at a break-even cost and certainly not as a “profit-making” venture. All of them need taxpayer subsidies to keep them operational.
If one examines other communities across Canada and, indeed, in smaller European towns and cities, it’s apparent that there’s a ton of knowledge and experience that supports the more efficient aspects of rail transportation, whether it be inter-city of one of the many forms of urban rail transport (trams, metro systems etc.)
I’d hope to see an independent analysis that compares the costs of highway improvements, construction (consider the very expensive cloverleaf at McKenzie and the Island Highway – which, incidentally, simply accommodates more vehicles on the road – and the widening of the Malahat and the related challenges of encroachment on our watershed, the Island Highway north, the maintenance of same, and the safety issues of all of them, the list goes on) vs the construction and operation of an intercity rail system using an EXISTING right of way and an LRT commuter rail system. I’m willing to wager that the railway systems will, ultimately offer a far greater tax saving than the old-fashioned tar, rubber and gasoline paths of the past.

By: J. Sutherland

J. Sutherland — Wed, 01 Jun 2022 01:19:00 +0000

So, the bottom line is that before “any” work can be done, various entities have to squeeze money out of government? That’s a brilliant plan!

Comments on: Rail Corridor pitches business case

By: Stephen Young

By: J. Sutherland