Proposed High Speed Rail Would Cut Through Oxford

Monday, 30 November 2015 05:44

A board member from Transport Action Ontario warns the proposed high speed rail might not hold a lot of benefit for this immediate area.

OXFORD COUNTY - Oxford County could see a high speed rail service come through the north end.

Board Member with the not for profit organization Transport Action Ontario, Ken Westcar, explains how this would affect those living in the county. "The new plan is based on the province's intention to proceed with the high speed rail plan and its impact on Oxford County, particularly Woodstock, Ingersoll, and Brant County, including Brantford as it may bypass those communities." This has been successful in Europe and is most effective with stops approximately 125km apart as it takes time for the rail service to reach maximum speed.

It is being proposed to run from Toronto to Milwaukee and would head through the north tip of Oxford County. Westcar discusses if this would benefit local residents. "This area - the high speed rail would have very minimal benefit, because it would probably go through north Oxford County without stopping. You can't mix the road and the rail together. It would mean that certainly the major roads would have to have bridges over the railway, which is very expensive. The concession roads would have to be looped, and there would have to be a detour to the next available concession road that goes across the high speed line."

Westcar spoke with Heart FM about where the rail service would go and how fast. "If the alignment is what we think it will be, it will leave Kitchener and it will come down towards Tavistock on a roughly slight angle to highway 7 and 8 down into Middlesex County and on into London. The Provincial Government is calling for true high speed rail which the trains run at 200mph or 320km/h."

The high speed rail service would cost anywhere between 2-3 times more than the current train system we have now.