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CP Extra 5411 East exits the Detroit Windsor tunnel - 20 Nov 1988 Geoff Elliot.
5 April 2013
$400 Million Rail Tunnel Project
Making Strides Backers Say
Windsor Ontario - Proponents of a new $400-million Detroit River rail tunnel said Tuesday they are closer "than ever before"
to making the long-talked about project a reality. "We had public meetings in the fall and we are proceeding with our environmental assessment," said
David Cree, CEO for the Windsor Port Authority, a partner in the rail tunnel project. "We are hopeful that will be completed and signed off by the
necessary folks on this side of the river by the end of the summer."
The rail tunnel group, known as Continental Rail Gateway, is also faring well getting various required permits on the U.S. side, he said.
"A best-case scenario would be to start construction in early 2014," Cree said.
The start of building the tunnel means ordering a tunnel boring machine, that would either have to be constructed or purchased used, from
elsewhere.
"A machine would take about a year to construct, but there is a possibility we will find an existing machine," Cree said. "We are looking at
between two to three years (in total) of construction time for both the machine and tunnel."
Project officials have estimated the rail tunnel project would create between 1,700 to 2,200 direct or indirect jobs during construction.
The current Detroit River rail tunnel opened in 1910 and remains in good condition, although it is too small for modern double-stacked rail
cars.
The rail tunnel's entrance in Windsor is south of Wyandotte Street West between Wellington Avenue and Cameron Avenue. A new tunnel would use essentially the
same corridor, but be built a few dozen metres to the west.
The rail tunnel project belongs primarily to CP Railway and Borealis Transportation, a division under the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System
(OMERS).
Those partners, along with the port authority, have committed to paying $200 million toward the project, but will not start construction until securing the
remaining $200 million from government sources in Canada and the U.S.
Cree believes extra dollars made available in the recent federal budget's Build Canada initiative may be an ideal source for those funds. "We have not
studied all the parameters, but it is that kind of program that is appropriate," he said. "We have had discussions with ministry folks and they
understand this is a critical piece of infrastructure. I would say at this point we are certainly a lot closer to actually starting the project than we ever
have been in the past."
Once the environmental approvals are in place, the project will need federal government approval under the International Bridges and Tunnels Act, said Mark
Butler, spokesman for Transport Canada.
"To date, we have not received an application for approval under the IBTA, nor has there been any formal request for funding," he said.
But on 19 Mar 2013, Transport Canada did issue approval under the Navigable Waters Protection Act for the project which indicates there are no concerns about
navigation on the Detroit River during excavation with the tunnel boring machine, Butler said.
MP Brian Masse (NDP - Windsor-West) supports the project, but the coalition needs to get the environmental assessment completed before any serious thought will
be given in Ottawa to building the rail tunnel in Windsor.
"If we can look at the big picture and create partnerships the rail tunnel could really benefit the entire region."
Dave Battagello.
Vancouver Island
British Columbia
Canada
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