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Originally Posted by d_jeffrey
There is absolutely no new information on this. It's the same old comments he has been reharshing. Did he propose other solutions besides the Carling streetcar? No.
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That's not entirely true... he claims to have supporting responses from city staff, so there is something new coming tomorrow.
And while it is true that it is the same comments and same solutions, the fact remains that the public awareness and perception does not match the reality: the public thinks we're getting rail, but we're just getting another decade of buses.
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The only way to get rail fast, is to use heavy rail trains to run on existing tracks.
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You're sounding sort of like David Gladstone... but, speaking of the idea, I gather we will be getting just that soon. VIA is doing track upgrades in the area and some of those upgrades include things like a new siding at Fallowfield Station. The excuses against putting in rail-based downtown bypass services are fast disappearing and in the coming crunch we need to remove as many people as possible from going through downtown who aren't actually going to downtown.
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Any other project, tunnel or not, is 6 years from now (EAs + studies + construction).
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We have an EA and study for downtown on the surface, so it's ready to go with only minor modifications (mainly to lengthen the platforms for 3-car instead of 2-car trains). We know that part won't take more that 3 years. Transitway conversion is relatively easy and certainly doesn't require 6 years to accomplish - a serious push would get it done in one summer season (May-August). The only significant hang-up is the missing West Transitway/Ottawa River Parkway section, which will require a study and an EA. For that reason, the City should start on a study and EA for that ASAP. We could be riding trains downtown in 4 years - if we got on with it.