Bruce Hyer shed tears as he rode the last passenger train that travelled through Northwestern Ontario 23 years ago.
“It was a sad day,” said the Independent MP for Thunder Bay-Superior North.
Hyer released his independent member’s study on passenger rail along the North Shore Friday morning at the former CN station at Prince Arthur’s Landing.
The 90-page report titled A Wedding Band of Confederation: Restoring Rail Passenger Service to Ontario’s North Shore and Across Canada details the decline of passenger rail in the region, why it should be restored and the obstacles to bringing the service back.
It was prepared by Hyer and Greg Gormick, project facilitator for Transport Action’s National Dream Renewed campaign.
The study calls for a federal rail strategy, including legislation that would enable and support VIA Rail. But Hyer says nothing will be done until they solve the hyper-partisan politics in Ottawa.
“Can I do this by myself? Absolutely not,” said Hyer.
“It’s going to take other parties. It’s going to take other MPs. It’s going to take the public getting involved.”
The only way saving passenger rail service will even be seriously looked at is if the political parties work together.
It will also take municipal leaders from Winnipeg to Sudbury working together to apply political pressure and the public voicing their opinions as well, said Hyer, thousands have signed his petition (http://www.brucehyer.ca/?Petitions) to save passenger rail and he receives letters, phone calls and emails on a weekly basis from people wanting to see the service restored in the region.
Hyer highlighted some of the benefits of passenger rail. He said it is the safest form of inter-city transportation and has the highest energy efficiency of all modes of land travel. It also has a high degree of comfort and is easily accessible for people with special mobility needs.
