A Shawnigan Lake based advocate for the resumption of rail service on Vancouver Island says a consultant’s report for the Cowichan Valley Regional District shows the idea has not been derailed, but more time and consultations will be required.
Warren Skaalrud was “pretty happy” with the report recently presented to the CVRD board by Stantec.
“It basically validates everything that we’ve been saying for ages, and that’s the corridor’s of great value, that there would be significant ridership, the transit oriented development around stations could provide up to 74,000 additional homes, just in the CVRD area.”
He’s also pleased the report suggests new stations do not need to be where the heritage stations exist, and could be located elsewhere due to growth and development patterns.
Skaalrud says the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District has done some work but has now pushed its report back to the autumn, the Capital Regional District has not started its engagement yet, nor has the Regional District of Nanaimo, or the Comox Valley Regional District.
“There’s a lot of work that still needs to get done.”
Skaalrud says there is no doubt about the need for the railway and reports are consistent in saying there would be a lot of demand.
He currently has over 25-thousand names on a petition urging the provincial and federal governments to bring the trains back.
However, Skaalrud says with a Liberal Party leadership race underway and a federal election to follow, the momentum on bringing rail service back to Vancouver Island is largely on hold.
You can find the petition and a copy of the report on the website Restore Island Rail.
