London Ontario - A city driven pitch to move some of the rail tracks that slice up key London roads and cause massive traffic headaches looks to be a long shot at best.
 
At least for now.
 
But bringing High-Speed Rail (HSR) through London could put that option back on the table.
 
A staff report headed to city politicians next week suggests a study to look at making way for HSR through London, the link between Southwestern Ontario and the Toronto area that would get Londoners to Union Station in 73 minutes, could also look at moving the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) line years down the road.
 
"There is no desire to move. There's nothing that can force them (CP) to do it," London's road boss Edward Soldo said of moving CP trains to the CN lines running east-west through the city.
 
"But if HSR was to use the CN line, there would have to be a widening of the corridor. We want to look at whether it's feasible to put HSR and CP and CN all on this corridor," he said.
 
Business rivals, both giant railways operate east-west lines through London that are a source of constant frustration for drivers tied up in traffic as freight trains travel through.
 
Expanding the CN railway corridor may offer enough room for side-by-side tracks for HSR trains carrying passengers, and traditional trains moving freight, Soldo said.
 
London is gearing up to start a "protection study" that will look at the land in that corridor, and other properties that might be needed to route HSR trains into the city.
 
For now, there's no solution to the headache posed by trains that criss-cross through the heart of the city and stall traffic on major arteries.
 
Staff met with both rail giants after council directed them last year to try to negotiate merging their operations into one corridor, but the talks haven't panned out.
 
The prospect of moving lines is just too expensive, and the CN line is already at capacity, according to city staff.
 
In an emailed statement to The Free Press, CP said it's open to discussing relocation of rail lines and its rail yard, but that it's "a complex and serious issue."
 
"An extensive review would need to take place to determine the impact to customer service and the full cost to all stakeholders, which will be significant," the railway said in its statement.
 
Coun. Bill Armstrong, who pushed for the city to investigate consolidating the two rail lines, said he's not giving up.
 
"We have two unwilling partners. They're not going to say, let's move it over there, we'll pony up big money," he said.
 
"But nothing is free. What's the cost of CP continuing to run where they do?"
 
But another city councillor argues it's time to stop "stringing people along."
 
"The idea that we could consolidate them on one line was pretty far-fetched," Coun. Jesse Helmer said.
 
"I've always believed that was a faint possibility. We have to look at the numbers in terms of the freight that's on those lines."
 
No move for the rail lines means no relief on Richmond Street, where buses are expected to run as part of the northern bus rapid transit route from downtown to Masonville Place.
 
The railway crossing on Richmond, south of Oxford Street, regularly backs up traffic for an average of five minutes.
 
The city has installed a system to track and convey those delays to drivers.
 
Given that rail consolidation is unlikely, staff recommend grade separations, such as the already-budgeted Adelaide Street underpass, pegged at close to $60 million, to keep trains from snarling traffic.
 
But the city will still look at options to consolidate, especially as senior governments investigate HSR.
 
Staff also recommend London push for a seat on Ontario's HSR advisory group.
 
The city's proposed HSR study, to look at protecting land in London that may be needed for the $20 billion Toronto-to-Windsor system, will dovetail with the $15 million environmental assessment for the project that the province has launched.
 
"Land near rail lines is being developed, and we want to make sure all the options are protected," Soldo said, adding it doesn't make sense to approve new buildings or developments that would only be razed in a few years for HSR.
 
It would take more space, and a whole lot of money, to move CP trains to the CN corridor, but that's one alternative the $400,000 municipal study could examine.
 
"If there was a widening of the (CN) corridor, let's be forward-thinking and manage for the long-term, and through the protection study, look at not only accommodating HSR but could we, in the long-term, accommodate CP in this corridor as well?," Soldo said.
 
That would require a business case that shows the economic benefit, he added.
 
"This is quite the expensive endeavour."
 
The ruling Ontario Liberals, now two weeks from an election that doesn't look promising for Premier Kathleen Wynne's government, have pledged to build the HSR system from Toronto through Southwestern Ontario, connecting London to the GTA as early as 2025.
 
The city is looking at potential spaces for a downtown HSR station, including sites near York and Wellington streets, where it could link up with the city's bus rapid transit network.
 
Megan Stacey.