Ontario Chamber supports VIA HFR Project

Earlier this year the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) sent a letter to Minister Marc Garneau.

"The OCC believes in the merit of VIA Rail’s HFR plan. As shared infrastructure becomes more congested and Canadians demand more of their rail service provider, VIA’s proposal for a dedicated passenger corridor will create significant economic development along the route, including providing an estimated 336,000 person-years of employment. The HFR plan will increase access to affordable housing in the new rail corridor and provide new residents with a transit option for commuting. Increasing rail service will also provide an avenue for alleviating some of the ever-increasing road congestion in the heavily travelled provincial roads.

Additionally, hybrid electric-diesel trains running on this route would dramatically reduce carbon
emissions by 12.5 million tons of CO2, the equivalent of a car-pool reduction of 2.8 million vehicles.
In addition to the benefits of more efficient and environmentally-friendly inter-city travel, dedicated tracks for high frequency trains between Toronto – Peterborough – Ottawa will also ensure the corporation can maximize ridership and revenue, and improve their on-time performance to over 95%."

Read the Letter