High-Speed Rail On Hold

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Plans for high-speed rail in southwestern Ontario have been put on hold.

In their 2019 budget delivered Thursday, the province says that they have paused capital funding for high-speed and is actively exploring opportunities to enhance the train speeds and service levels on existing railway corridors.

They say they are also looking at opportunities for inter-community bus services or other transit solutions “that better support the immediate needs of Southwestern Ontario.”

High-speed rail was first introduced in April of 2017 and was meant to serve the Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo, London and Windsor corridor.

The Province says they are now completing an analysis of new and existing rail service options that consider the social, environmental and economic impact to area residents, landowners, farmers, businesses and the natural environment.

“The Province has listened to the residents in Southwestern Ontario who have expressed concerns that high-speed rail would have negative social, environmental and economic impacts for the region. For example, the agricultural community has warned that the project would create a physical barrier that would eliminate countless hectares of prime agricultural land in one of Canada’s richest farm belts, restricting access to homes, fields and markets,” said in a statement in the budget document.

They plan to bring forward a transportation plan for Southwestern Ontario by fall 2019.