NDP Transport Critic tables bill to give passenger trains priority, to prevent travel delays « Canada’s NDP

December 15, 2023 at 1:45 am  Federal, Politics

OTTAWA – On Wednesday, NDP Transport Critic Taylor Bachrach (Skeena-Bulkley Valley) tabled a bill, C-371, the Rail Passenger Priority Act, that would give passenger trains priority when they share the tracks with corporate freight trains, to prevent delays for travellers and people commuting.

“Canada lags behind much of the world when it comes to passenger rail. Passengers often experience delays in their travel, or see their trip cancelled,” said Bachrach. “One of the key things holding us back is the fact that Canadian passenger trains have to frequently pull off and make way for freight trains, resulting in poor on-time performance. New Democrats want to fix this problem.”

In October, VIA Rail CEO Mario Péloquin suggested Canada should pass legislation to give passenger trains priority, as a federal law in the U.S. already does. VIA Rail owns only three percent of railway tracks in Canada. The remainder are owned by private railway companies, with 48.8 per cent owned by CN Rail and 29.1 per cent owned by CP Rail. While VIA’s passenger trains run on-time on the tracks where they have the right of way 90 per cent of the time, it drops to 60 per cent on tracks they don’t.

“Every Canadian who has ridden the passenger train in the past decade knows how bad things have gotten,” said Bachrach. “It’s tragic that successive Liberal and Conservative governments have allowed privatization and deregulation to undermine such an important service. My bill would put rail passengers first and help Canada get back on track.”

Starting Sunday, MP Bachrach will be taking the train from Toronto to British Columbia. Along the way, Bachrach will be speak with passengers about his bill and discuss the future of passenger rail in Canada.

View the full article from the original source

No conversations yet

Activity Stream

Sat, Nov 2, 2024 at 9:00 am - Doug Smith posted on their blog: Across Greenstone Mountain – KamloopsTrails
Thu, Oct 31, 2024 at 8:00 am - David Suzuki posted on their blog: Nature-directed stewardship is good for cities and living things
Tue, Oct 29, 2024 at 3:32 pm - Darryl Schmidt posted on their blog: Is the BC NDP Ignoring the Interior?
Tue, Oct 29, 2024 at 9:00 am - Doug Smith posted on their blog: Lower Rose Trails – KamloopsTrails
Fri, Oct 25, 2024 at 12:36 pm - Darryl Schmidt posted on their blog: Is Privatization the Best Path Forward?
Fri, Oct 25, 2024 at 9:00 am - Doug Smith posted on their blog: A Hidden Homesteads Hike – KamloopsTrails
Thu, Oct 24, 2024 at 8:00 am - David Suzuki posted on their blog: War and climate change fuel a survival-threatening cycle
Mon, Oct 21, 2024 at 9:00 am - Doug Smith posted on their blog: Zoa Peak Hike – KamloopsTrails
Thu, Oct 17, 2024 at 9:00 am - Doug Smith posted on their blog: Sugarloaf (Lundbom) Hike – KamloopsTrails
Thu, Oct 17, 2024 at 8:00 am - David Suzuki posted on their blog: Politicians pour fuel on an overheating planet
Full Stream