Lake Megantic Quebec - As he officially announced a new railway bypass in front of the Lake Megantic train station on Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's words were met with applause by a small group of residents.
 
"Today we are announcing the track will leave Lake Megantic's downtown for good," he said.
 
But the prime minister's tone was sombre.
 
"When politicians make these types of announcements, they usually do it with a smile," said Trudeau, "but today we would do anything to go back in time and change what happened."
 
Trudeau told the small group today's announcement is important for the whole country, which mourned the 47 lives lost on 6 Jul 2013.
 
"We're taking an important step to help heal the wounds of a community that's been through so much."
 
Project Met With Frustration
 
Ottawa and the province will share the cost of about $133 million project, with the federal government footing 60 percent of the bill, Radio-Canada has previously confirmed.
 
Some in Lake Megantic have been demanding a rail bypass ever since a runaway fuel train barrelled into the centre of the town, derailed and exploded nearly five years ago.
 
Last year, the BAPE, Quebec's environmental review board, held public consultations in the community to evaluate three proposed routes for the new track.
 
Residents of Lake Megantic and the neighbouring villages of Nantes and Frontenac found out earlier this week the new track to keep trains out of Lake Megantic's downtown has been approved.
 
Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau confirmed Friday 44 property owners will be expropriated from their land.
 
He said meetings with those residents will begin immediately to discuss adequate compensation.
 
But those discussions could be tense.
 
While news of the project has delighted the municipality of Lake Megantic, the announcement has been met with anger and frustration by residents like Emmanuelle Dumont.
 
Dumont and her neighbours plan to attend an information session at 16:00 ET that will be held by the city.
 
"We will make our voices heard," she said.
 
"We want to be understood."
 
Sandra Jacques will see her property chopped in half by the new tracks.
 
From her patio, Jacques choked back tears, pointing across a vast expanse of greenery.
 
"My parents are elderly, and they live on the other side of this property," she said.
 
"They won't be able to just walk to my house anymore. It's ridiculous."
 
Safety Still a Concern
 
Several residents, including Dumont, have said they don't think moving the tracks will make the trains any safer.
 
"They will still carry hazardous material. We're just moving the problem to another area."
 
Raymond Lafontaine, who lost several family members in the 2013 Lake Megantic rail disaster, said even if the track is moved, trains will still be parked on a downward slope at Nantes.
 
That was one of the contributing factors to the tragedy.
 
The mayors of Frontenac and Nantes have publicly said they oppose the chosen route because it would cut through farmland and development projects in their municipalities.
 
Nantes Mayor Jacques Breton has accused the governments of using the rail bypass announcement for political gain, a claim Lake Megantic Mayor Julie Morin vehemently denies.
 
"The mayors of Frontenac, Nantes, and I have been meeting nearly every week with different levels of government, and they've been able to ask questions," she said.
 
"The governments have to make decisions based on their budgets and deal with all kinds of challenges."
 
Couillard said 12.8 kilometres of track will be built and should be finished by 2022.
 
Alison Brunette.