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At its meeting Tuesday (Aug. 11) morning, Elgin County Council threw its support behind a move to advance a modern passenger rail network in southwestern Ontario.
The coalition of mayors, colleges and universities, chambers of commerce, economic development organizations, tourism agencies, and transit advocacy groups known as Southwestern Ontario for High Performance Rail is looking to advance three shared priorities.
These include:
- Funding the restoration of cross-border passenger rail service between Windsor and Detroit, with funding included in the upcoming federal fall budget;
- Investing in High Performance Rail infrastructure along the Toronto–London Windsor corridor to deliver faster, more frequent, and more reliable passenger rail service;
- Build an integrated southwestern Ontario mobility network by improving station infrastructure, local transit connections, intercity bus service, and links between regional transportation systems.
The group is urging the federal and provincial governments to promote High Performance Rail as a nation-building investment that will improve economic competitiveness, enhance mobility, reduce highway congestion and emissions, and better connect businesses, students, workers, residents, and visitors throughout southwestern Ontario.
Written by Ian McCallum
