Ottawa Ontario - Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau said Monday that officials are awaiting a feasibility report into track bypass in Lake Megantic, the site of a rail disaster that killed 47 people in 2013.
 
Local residents have been asking for a rail bypass out of town ever since a train carrying crude oil derailed and exploded, wiping out much of Lake Megantic's downtown core.
 
Last week, Quebec's environmental-review agency said it will hold two months of public hearings, beginning 23 May 2017 into what to do with rail track in Lake Megantic.
 
In January, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged to speed up the process.
 
Garneau said he's met with Premier Philippe Couillard, Municipal Affairs Minister Martin Coiteux, and Lake Megantic Mayor Jean-Guy Cloutier, but that there is no exact timetable in place.
 
"We have all agreed amongst ourselves that if we can speed it up, it would be better for the citizens of Lake Megantic," Garneau said.
 
Author unknown.