The rail lobby group All Aboard Northern Ontario says the federal budget ignores rail passenger service in the north. Group founder Eric Boutlilier says the federal government has no problem using our tax dollars to fund rail service in major centres to improve services. However he says that’s where the allocation stops and adds the north is not a beneficiary of those federal dollars. Boutilier says the feds pay little to no attention to the Northlander corridor and argues it should not be exempt from federal money.
Boutilier says the north is now only left with one passenger rail service and that’s the Canadian which connects Sudbury and points west to Southern Ontario. However he says the train can be late six, eight and 10 hours and on at least one occasion was 48 hours late. Boutilier says it will take a collaborative effort from northerners to lobby the federal government for more dollars if we’re to see better rail service.
Moose News asked Boutilier if he was aware if the Ontario Liberal government asked the federal government for federal help. He said he wasn’t aware of any kind of effort. Boutlier says the lack of federal rail funding sends a message to northerners that they just don’t matter.