High-speed rail touted as boon to region
By Dave Hall, The Windsor StarAugust 4, 2009
High-speed rail connections between Windsor and Quebec -- and possibly reaching as far into the U.S. midwest as Chicago -- have the potential to help transform and diversify the region's auto-dependent economy, say supporters of the idea.
It could take $18 billion to $30 billion and 10 years to build the necessary railbeds to accommodate high-speed trains and manufacture the locomotives and railcars, but the opportunity is too important to pass up, said Coun. Fulvio Valentinis, a member the of city's rail issues committee.
"History has shown us that access is critical to economic development," Valentinis said. "Access to high-speed rail provides access to major cities in a similar way that European cities are connected and have been for many years.
"We are well behind Europe when it comes to rail travel and, in particular, high-speed rail travel."
Under the European model, major cities are connected by high-speed rail lines while smaller feeder lines connect regional centres.
In an effort to ensure Windsor is considered for the major high-speed routes -- and isn't shunted off to the side and treated as a regional centre, feeding off London's main line -- council voted in February to spend $42,500 to become part of a feasibility study conducted by SNC-Lavalin.
The first phase of that study -- data collection -- is nearing completion with the second phase expected to begin in the fall.
"We felt it important to ensure that Windsor was part of the mix from the beginning," Mayor Eddie Francis said.
"The economic impact of being part of such a project is immense.
It brings millions of people closer together, not only for business travel but also for commuters and tourists.
"It would provide business travellers with the opportunity to attend business meetings in Toronto and return the same day with the advantage of being able to do some work en route," Francis said.
A city-commissioned study released 18 months ago calls for consolidation of rail lines entering Windsor, which could free up lines for high-speed rail.
"You can't run high-speed trains on freight lines because of safety and volume concerns," Valentinis said. "So any decision to introduce high-speed rail must also consider rail consolidation as its first priority, not only here but across the province."
Lindsay Boyd, outgoing chairman of the board of the Windsor Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce, also supports high-speed rail connections across the province and into the U.S. Midwest.
He cited examples in Japan, Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom and Norway where high-speed rail has prompted economic development and investment.
"In the experience of many countries that have adopted HSR, the new infrastructure has been a significant driver of economic growth, primarily around new high-speed rail stations," Boyd said.
"High-speed trains are best suited for trips of two or three hours in duration and can beat both air and car in terms of total travelling time.
"High-speed trains on our corridor will create new communities, new access to the rest of the world and new business possibilities."
While acknowledging that Windsor Airport is also attempting to position itself as an alternative to major airports and attract more routes and products, Francis said he doesn't see rail as a rival.
"I see rail and air travel as being complementary to each other," Francis said.
"The more transportation options a city has, the more attractive it becomes to business investment."
Patrick Persichilli, vice-president of the WindsorEssex Development Commission, said including a U.S. component as far west as Chicago is critical because it connects millions of people and helps the border become seamless."
There's a significant cluster of people and industry between Quebec and Chicago, and bringing them closer together and providing for fast and efficient travel in and out of cities along the corridor could provide immeasurable economic and investment opportunities," Persichilli said.
Boyd also said that "high-speed rail is a leading-edge technological change that will usher the region into the new century.
"It will also decrease the reliance on automobiles, thus reducing pollution with all the added benefits for health, helping the natural environment and reducing congestion."
In addition to massive amounts of infrastructure investment, committing to high-speed rail, which has been discussed for more than two decades, will require an enormous amount of political will.
Persichilli said the fact that politicians and other stakeholders are talking about the project again "gives me hope there's some political will growing and that it will eventually happen.
"I think the next six to eight months will give us a better indication of whether or not this has a future," Persichilli said.
"The fact that we're becoming more environmentally conscious and becoming more green will make public transit and public transportation infrastructure projects more and more important.
"In Europe, the cost of oil and petrol has been significantly higher than in North America for years and that's created a greater need for public transportation infrastructure projects," said Persichilli. "We're headed that way as well.
"There's no question this needs to happen, but the question is when?"
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