Welland Canal Is A Red Herring For GO Transit Service To Niagara

(Niagara At Large is pleased to post this commentary by Niagara Falls, Ontario Mayor Jim Diodati, as the push is on from Niagara, Ontario’s regional government and local municipalities to persuade the Ontario government of Premier Kathleen Wynne to expand Go Transit Services into and through the Niagara region.)

By Jim Diodati

It was disappointing to see a Twitter exchange last week with (Ontario) Transportation Minister Glen Murray, where he cited the outdated and erroneous argument that a crossing of the Welland Canal is a problem that needs to be resolved before GO Transit can expand daily commuter trains into the Niagara Region.

Niagara Falls, Ontario Mayor Jim Diodati

Put simply, the Canal is not a barrier to running two trains to Niagara Falls in the morning, and two more in the evening.

We have proven it.

First, some background. While the Liberal government and Metrolinx has been rolling out GO Transit announcements across Southern and Central Ontario, Niagara remains on the outside of the conversation. When prompted about this on Twitter, Murray responded, “Because buying the track & solving the bridge problem is not complete & ridership is low. Working on it.”

Murray also refuted a comment from St. Catharines City Councillor Laura Ip that transit is a “Build it and they will come” type of project.

“Transit is not a ‘build it & they will come’ exercise. It is a ‘build where people want to go’ exercise,” Murray Tweeted back.

Let’s start with his misguided statement about the “bridge problem.”

In partnership with the St. Lawrence Seaway, we ran “ghost trains” in 2011 to gauge the impact of Canal traffic on the train schedule.

What we found is that with proactive scheduling and strong communication, we can limit any conflicts between trains and boats at the Welland Canal to almost zero.

The St. Lawrence Seaway Management Group has clearly stated that it is willing to be an active partner to minimize scheduling conflicts, and will introduce a proactive scheduling strategy with good communication to minimize the number of true crossing conflicts to almost zero.

As such, there is no need to build an expensive bridge or tunnel crossing the Welland Canal to facilitate the trains.

That Murray is still talking about this as an issue is another disappointing indication that Niagara is not on the province’s radar when it comes to public transit expansion.

Murray’s second Tweet is problematic on a couple of levels. First off, there is an implication there that people don’t want to come to Niagara. We know that is not true.

Furthermore, his statement is in stark contrast to the Metrolinx position on the demand for GO Transit. Metrolinx has acknowledged that every time a GO line is expanded, people consume it. These transit hubs become economic drivers and incentives for private sector investment. Companies invest near transit hubs, which in turn spurs productivity and sustainable development in the surrounding area.

Metrolinx does not just make these claims off the cuff. In fact, it can use Niagara as an example. The GO buses that serve the region continue to exceed ridership expectations. They brought the service, and people are using it. The same will happen with trains.

That a senior government official continues to rely on misleading — and wrong — information underscores the challenge Niagara is facing when it comes to GO Transit. From the moment Metrolinx launched The Big Move, the conversation about provincial public transit networks has ended in Hamilton.

That has to change. Niagara is an integral part of Ontario, but it has its economic challenges. Go Trains are part of the solution, and expanding them to Niagara will not only benefit the region, but the province as a whole.

Jim Diodati is the Mayor of Niagara Falls, Ontario.

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