A Notice from Fiona McMurran
For the information of Niagara At Large readers who live in the region, I’d like to pass on the following message I received this July 5 from Welland Riding MP Malcolm Allen as a follow-up to the meeting he convened in February on the cancellation of VIA services to Niagara.
“It has come to our attention that VIA Rail management has been invited to the Niagara Region to discuss the “business decision behind the recent changes in service delivery in South-Western Ontario,” said Allen’s message. “In the past you have expressed an interest in the VIA Rail issue and the reinstatement of service to the Niagara Region. We felt it pertinent to inform you of this meeting and apprise you of the opportunity to continue to express the need for there to be reliable, effective train service to the Niagara Region.
As other industrialized nations are moving toward high speed, integrated public transportation systems Canada is undermining the railway which was instrumental in building this country. We consistently hear from community members who previously took the train into Toronto, on a daily basis, and described the train as “to capacity.”
These people and many others continue to be inconvenienced as many of them now have to brave the GTA traffic in order to travel to Toronto. In addition, the lack of train service leaves the area isolated and contributes to a lack of growth, economic investment and potential for tourism.
Please take the opportunity to express your concert to VIA Rail upper management at either of the one hour sessions scheduled for Thursday, July 18, 2013. The first session will be at 10:30 a.m. at the St. Catharines train station , the second at 1:30 p.m. at the Welland Civic Center. Please RSVP to Fernand_LeFebvre@viarail.ca with your choice of location by Wednesday, July 10, 2013.
In addition, please pass this on to your contacts and other concerned citizens.”
Fiona McMurran is a long-time community activist living in Niagara, Ontario.
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Keep up the good work Fiona! This is one I believe can be successful.
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Frequent train service must be restored between Toronto and Niagara Falls! With stops at St. Catharines, Grimsby, HAMILTON, Aldershot and Oakville, at least. HAMILTON needs to be served rather than being bypassed. We have a beautiful ex-CN station with parking right on the CN line. The GO buses between Aldershot and Niagara Falls are a joke and should be stopped. They are caught up in the QEW traffic. Worst of all, GO buses DON’T have a washroom for the intercity trip. What are passengers supposed to do? Hold it all for 3 hours when caught in QEW traffic? Torture on the GO bus! Suggest 6 round trips per day between Niagara Falls, spaced out between 6 am and 11 pm for maximum rider flexibility for commuting and tourism.
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