21 May 2010

CPR Says Local Rail Line Meets its Current Needs

Wearing four different paint schemes, CP 3111, 8239, 8200, and 3114 lead a train across the Otonabee River at Peterborough, Ontario. The crew just finished setting off the Peterborough Switcher's power, SLH 8245, and have resumed their run to Havelock. In the background on the right we see the Quaker Oats plant (with the white rooftop water tank) which is served by a spur along the riverbank, one of the few remaining customers on this line - 2 Mar 2008 Mike Lockwood

Peterborough Ontario - Freight trains coming through the Peterborough area may have a 10 mile per hour speed limit, but it's standard practice for Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) on their lesser used lines and may not change even if the rail line is upgraded.
 
"The track in its current condition is sufficient for our needs," says CPR spokesperson Mike LoVecchio.
 
The lines have been part of debate over the last few months. Metrolinx recently released their study on whether passenger service to Peterborough is viable and what it would cost. Since then, MP Dean Del Mastro has taken issue with the $541 million minimum price tag pegged by Metrolinx, saying he's going to get a team together to correct and re-write the report. Meanwhile, the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce has been pushing to have the rail lines refurbished to avoid losing freight service, using part of the $300 million pledged by the provincial and federal governments toward the project.
 
The local line, which runs north of Havelock to UNIMIN, is not a main line. Havelock gets three trains a week and Peterborough gets two. Mr. LoVecchio says comparing it to high-use lines is like comparing a county road to a 400 series highway. He wouldn't say if the lines are in need of refurbishment, only emphasizing they only operate on rail lines that meet or exceed safety standards.
 
Our local tracks are inspected weekly and get maintenance if needed.
 
If they ever face closing the line, he says it's not an easy process since several industries rely on it.
 
Upgrading the lines for passenger service would benefit freight service, but he says simply upgrading the lines for freight wouldn't necessarily benefit passenger service. Some freight trains could go faster on upgraded lines, but he says the length and weight of some would still mean slow-going.
 
About half the products mined at UNIMIN are shipped using rail, says plant manager Bob Marshall, amounting to about 400,000 tons and 4,000 train cars a year.
 
"It's very important to our business," he states.
 
If rail lines closed, that could put more than 10,000 extra trucks on the road. Not only that, but Mr. Marshall says it could make it harder to get customers if it's less convenient or more expensive for shipping. If upgraded lines lower shipping costs, it could help the business, which employs about 200 people.
 
He's been told by CPR that the business they give them may not be sustainable to pay for repair of the lines.
 
As for upgrading the lines, John Howe, vice-president of investment strategy with Metrolinx, is open to suggestions on how to do it cheaper, but he says the study was thorough and includes input from major players across North America, both private and government. The report is not simply a product of Metrolinx experts, but a compilation of outside opinions as well.
 
"We want to be transparent," he states.
 
He also emphasizes Metrolinx doesn't have a hidden agenda or anything at stake on the report. At the end of the day, he says they don't decide if the report is implemented.
 
"There's no conspiracy," Mr. Howe says.
 
The study, he adds, was not done to meet a certain budget.
 
"I think we have all the bases covered."
 
MP Del Mastro has criticized the report, pointing out their connection to the Province. He's decided to organize a third-party to correct and re-write the report, which he says has hugely inflated costs, including $313 million in contingency.
 
"Unfortunately, it seems that Metrolinx has morphed into a bureaucratic fiefdom with its own agenda, although it's difficult to see just what that is," he wrote recently in a letter posted on My Kawartha .
 
Joel Wiebe.