Source Link: by Paul Langan, GuelphMercury.comk

Dear Editor – Longtime advocates of improved passenger rail service in Guelph have a right to be excited.

I remember vividly the fight to convince Via Rail, less than a decade ago, to add a second morning train from Guelph. It seemed like a miracle at the time when Via announced they would add the new train service to Guelph.

In the near future, Via Rail is poised to announce major track and service improvements for the line going through Guelph. GO Transit is already set to bring GO rail service here in the next few years. That is good news.

But is it not time that the people of Guelph and our elected officials on all levels consider moving forward to implement high-speed rail service in Guelph? This would complement the future existing GO and Via service.

The idea is not new.

A 1995 Canadian-Ontario-Quebec government study clearly showed high-speed rail was a viable option.

The preferred alignment from Windsor to Toronto was through the Guelph area.

This high-speed rail line also connected with Pearson airport.

I am outraged at the fares I have to pay for using companies such as Airways Transit and Red Car Airport Service that operate services to Pearson from the Waterloo Region and Guelph.

On Dec. 20, the Toronto Star leaked another study commissioned by the Ontario government stating high-speed rail lines were economically feasible and recommended their implementation in Ontario to help jump start our economy.

Again, Guelph was a preferred alignment for one of the high-speed rail lines.

In the United States, president elect Barack Obama has announced he is very supportive of a passenger rail renaissance, and massive funding is set to be given to passenger rail service there. Senator John Kerry has unveiled the High Speed Rail Act of America. The government has recently requested proposals to build and operate 11 high-speed rail corridors in the U.S.

In Canada, Prime Minister Stephen Harper has not signalled any intentions on where money will be spent to renew our economy.

It would be beneficial for the people of Guelph to learn about the benefits of high-speed rail in Canada. There is a free one-day high-speed rail symposium in Kitchener, Jan. 31 from noon to 5 p.m. at the Region of Waterloo council chambers, 150 Frederick St.in Kitchener.

It is put on by High Speed Rail Canada, a national citizen advocacy group for high-speed rail. To learn more about the symposium and register to secure a seat go to the website highspeedrail.ca.

The future planned GO and Via train service (the top speed Via Rail trains now travel at from Guelph to Toronto is 112 km/h) travelling in the current rail corridor could still exist.

The addition of a new high-speed corridor moving people and light freight quicker, more efficiently and economically at speeds between 200 km/h and 300 km/h into Toronto and west into Kitchener/London makes sense.

The people of Guelph deserve better.

– Paul Langan, founder, High Speed Rail Canada, Cambridge