No immediate plans for Metrolinx to electrify train lines through Guelph
Plans to electrify train lines through Guelph have been put on hold.
During a town hall meeting in Guelph Wednesday night, a Metrolinx representative said the expansion to two-way all-day GO Train service along the Kitchener line will not be electrified.
In a statement, Metrolinx says the problem is sharing the tracks with freight trains. It reads in part, “the portion between Bramalea and Georgetown GO stations is a key freight rail corridor owned by CN, and the only available capacity must be shared.”
This means only diesel trains can run west of Georgetown.
It’s not the news Guelph councillor Phill Allt wanted to hear.
“Consequently, we’re also looking at a clean air issue within various neighbourhoods,” said Allt. “And these contribute to a myriad of respiratory issues for people. And let’s just face the facts, diesel pollutes. It’s not healthy stuff.”
The news is also not sitting well with some riders.
“I would like to see their emissions cut down more, if possible, because I know how many people ride it,” said Judith Miller. “It’s kind of disappointing to hear honestly.”
Allt also says he’s not convinced the expansion won’t have an impact on traffic through the city.
“The statement that was made is there are no plans at this time to cutoff fairly important arterial roads and some neighbourhood roads that link Guelph north and south,” Allt says.
Metrolinx says it will keep working with CN Rail on feasibility and design efforts, and will continue to look into electrification in the long-term for the Kitchener corridor.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.