CAPT
Coalition for Algoma Passenger Trains
www.CAPTrains.ca
1520 Queen Street East, Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2G4
info@CAPTrains.ca
Honourable Kathleen Wynne
Premier of Ontario
February 10, 16
Dear Premier Wynne
The Coalition for Algoma Passenger Trains (CAPT) is a not-for-profit organization comprised of
individuals, businesses and other interests who recognize the significant economic, social, cultural,
historical and environmental value of passenger and freight rail servicing and interconnecting the people
businesses and communities of Northern Ontario’s Algoma District to each other, Ontario, Canada and
the rest of the world.
The ability to transport people and goods efficiently, effectively, safely and responsibly is fundamental to a
sustainable and competitive economy and culture. Transportation in Ontario is neither effective nor
efficient for transporting goods and people over longer distances, for transporting heavy freight, for winter
conditions, for people who are disabled and cannot drive, for people who cannot afford to drive, or for
people uncomfortable with driving longer distances. Inefficien and ineffective transportation puts Ontario
at a competitive disavantage in an increasingly competitive global economy.
Ontario has imposed a socio-economic dependence on roads by avoiding support of diverse
transportation options such as rail. To try to compensate Ontario has overbuilt roads, the most costly
infrastructure to build, maintain and use. Overbuilding and over-dependence on road transportation has
become a money-pit for Ontario’s taxes and economy.
Roads are important transportation infrastructure for what roads are effective for, local transportation of
small loads and small groups of people. In Ontario we try to use roads for everything even though we
have long travel distances, substantial freight transportation needs and winter.
Dependence on roads is a regression of our economy to the most primitive transportation infrastructure.
For all their costs, highways are essentially paved paths and automobiles are motorized carts. Roads
have refined over the millenia, however they are still a derivative of the paths used by our cave dwelling
ancestors. The second innovation was of coarse water, which is far more efficient but limited by where
the water flows and winter. Rail is essentially a modern technological innovation. Rail transportation is
only a little older than air transportation as a technology. Although some rail-like innovations date back to
the 1600’s, rail truly innovated as a successful technology with the development of inexpensive steel in
the 1800’s. And rail continues to innovate outside Canada. Bombardier, for one, now offers passenger
trains that reach 150 km/hour on regular tracks, winter or summer. Of coarse these trains are running in
many countries except Canada because rail is not supported here.
Why is rail not supported in Canada, and especially Ontario? We keep getting the dogmatic idioms of
“population densities” and “economies of scale”. What are the comparitive “economies of scale? Has the
Ontario Ministry of Roads, I mean Transportion, done studies on the comparitive costs, benefits and
optimal usages of various transportation infrastructures? When were they done and what are the actual
comparisons, not the dogma?
I have only seen one such study and it’s conclusions are distressing. A recent study was done on the
comparitive costs of a new rail line versus a gravel road for accessing the ring of fire. To be clear this is a
new gravel road compared to new rail line. The gravel road would only cost 30% less than a new rail line
however the costs of maintenance and use of the gravel road is almost 500% higher than the rail. The
conclusions are obvious, a road to the ring of fire would become a money-pit after construction and put
the ring of fire development at a competitve disadvantage on the world market. This does not count the
additional environmental and health costs of the greenhouse gasses produced by the less efficient road
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www.CAPTrains.ca
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traffic. And if a road were built to the ring of fire it would join with our northern highways. What would be
the additional maintenance and use costs on our northern highways as well as the public health and
safety impacts?
You probably have access to this transportation study on access to the ring of fire however, to ensure it is
readily available to you the report is at this link:
http://www.kwgresources.com/_resources/Rail_vs_Road_Tradeoff_Study_Report_FINAL_11Feb2013.pdf
, and their main website is here: http://www.kwgresources.com/
Ontario has become extremely dependent on roads. This results in significant public safety problems,
substantial pollution, public health issues, serious environmental impacts and an economy at a
competitive disadvantage. Ontario has become very dependent on roads and, although roads are very
effective and necessary local transportation infrastructure, roads are neither efficient nor effective for long
distance transportation, transportation of heavy freight or transportation in winter. Unfortunately in
Ontario, for the last few decades, we have tried to use roads for other than the local transportation for
which they are effective instead of adequately supporting more efficient and effective transportation such
as rail.
Ontario’s overdependence on roads has the following consequences:
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Ontario’s road transportation is one of Ontario’s greatest sources of pollution.
Ontario’s road transportation is one of Ontario’s greatest direct and indirect hazards to public
safety and public health.
Use of roads for primary transportation of goods, instead of more efficient rail inflates the costs of
transportation to Ontario manufacturers and other businesses.
Ontario’s roads degrade rapidly because so much freight is transported on them.
One of the Ontario government’s greatest budget expenses is maintaining roads and constructing
larger roads and divided highways in an attempt to alleviate congestion and increase public
safety at the expense of increased pollution, environmental scarring and high taxes.
Increasingly isolated communities both economically and socially, especially in winter.
As people age or become disabled it becomes increasingly difficult to stay in their home
communities because they are isolated from access to medical facilities, government offices and
other services.
Decreasing travel independence and comfort of our growing elderly and disabled population.
Difficulties affording travel for youth, students, unemployed and other financially stressed
populations to move around Ontario, seeking opportunities and keeping connected with families
because most transportation in Ontario is dependent on automobiles which are expensive to own
and maintain.
Ontario needs a transportation strategy that supports a healthy and competitive economy and culture, is
also responsible to our environmental responsibilities, and facilitates public safety. Although Ontario has a
tradition of avoiding support of rail in favour of investment in roads, rail is far more effective, efficient and
safe for transporting both goods and people over longer distances; and rail is far less costly to build and
maintain. Rail creates a fraction of the pollution and environmental scars that roads create. In Canada
almost 70% of freight is moved by rail. Even a 10% increase in rail freight would decrease highway freight
by almost 30% making our highways safer and decreasing the need for substantial highway maintenance
and construction. Rail is very safe and comfortable for transporting both goods and people in any season,
including winter, and people do not need a driver’s license, the ability to drive, or the substantial expense
of owning an automobile, to travel by train. As a result, passenger rail service would make our elderly,
disabled and economically less fortunate more independent and give everyone more opportunity and
accessibility to travel for recreation, education, medical needs, employment, tourism and just the
enjoyment of connecting to our diverse communities.
We have all heard about the efficiency and effectiveness of European and some Asian rail transportation.
Although population density is often cited as a significant factor, the real difference is publicly owned and
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supported rail infrastructure in Europe and some parts of Asia which allows for passenger trains and a
competitive rail freight industry. In Ontario each rail freight company has a monopoly on the railway it
owns. Ontario has over 10,000 freight companies many of which would invest in integrating the far more
cost effective rail transportation into their operations for longer distances and heavy freight, if they had
access to publicly owned rail that operated essentially as a toll road. Open and fair access to rail by all
freight companies would take many thousands of trucks off our highways. A competitive rail freight
industry would substantially lower transportation costs to Ontario’s manufacturing industry enhancing their
ability to compete globally. And passenger trains could be viable and effective on publicly owned tracks
making access to medical treatments, education, other communities, recreation and tourism comfortable,
cost effective, and efficient for everyone, year round. Effective and efficient passenger trains would also
substantially boost Ontario’s Tourism industry. If we moved much of Ontario’s transportation of goods and
people from road to rail, Ontario’s highway maintenance and construction budget should decrease
substantially; and because rail is so much less expensive to build and maintain and our roads would
highways would last longer and be safer, the overall transportation infrastructure budget for both rail and
highways should still be considerably less than the current highway construction and maintenance
budget.
Ontario has a number of short line railways at risk of closure and abandonment. This is a significant
opportunity for Ontario to take a different track on transportation and move much of our highway traffic to
much more effective, efficient and responsible rail transportation that would makes our economy and
culture more effective, efficient, competitive and responsible.
The legacy of an effective and efficient multi-modal transportation strategy for Ontario would be a
healthy, competitive economy and culture that supports the broadest social and economic needs
while being environmentally and publicly responsible.
While Northern Ontario faces the challenges created by our current economic times, CAPT is promoting a
sustainable approach to supporting prosperity in the north and is endorsing rail as a shovel-ready
economic stimulus project. Because passenger rail service offers solutions to many of the challenges
that are affecting the north’s economic diversity and development; and because rail freight is vital to our
economic health and diversity, there are steps that need to be taken to bring the existing rail opportunities
back to full operating condition.
It is vital to the sustainability of the communities in our region that rail lines be supported, refurbished and
reinstated in order to connect our rural and isolated regions and communities to more densely populated
regions and larger municipalities both for freight and passenger. Otherwise we will become increasingly
isolated economically and socially – something our communities and Ontario cannot afford.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Al Errington
Co-chair of the Coalition for Algoma Passenger Trains
Coalition for Algoma Passenger Trains
www.CAPTrains.ca