NDP works up steam on railways

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 17/11/2015 (3791 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Since it came to power in 1999, the NDP has not made railway relocation in Winnipeg a priority. The party even rejected the city’s efforts in 2002 to launch a campaign that would have forced railway companies to relocate or share tracks to ease congestion and reduce the cost of building and repairing underpasses and bridges.

The NDP’s argument was the railways were major employers and the government did not want to do anything that might force them to shed jobs in Winnipeg.

But the dream of relocating some rail lines, particularly the CP marshalling yards that divide north and south Winnipeg, never went away. Indeed, it has been around for the last 40 years.

Now, suddenly, Premier Greg Selinger sees the merits of launching a campaign to dramatically remake the city by working with the rail companies to move some of their operations outside the city.

“For far too long,” Monday’s throne speech said, “rail lines have divided our capital city. It is time to move the tracks and open up opportunities for urban renewal.”

The timing is political, but at least a process will be started. At least we will get the facts, including the cost for such a massive endeavour, as well as the benefits to the community and the railways. It should provide a basis for determining realistic options.

The railways have not agreed to move a single line. “It would be very costly and complex,” a CN official said following the throne speech.

A CP spokesman said they like their current location, but they are prepared to talk and participate in a study. That’s good enough, for now.

Unfortunately, the tepid responses mean nothing is likely to happen for a very long time. The railways also have history and federal legislation on their side, meaning they won’t move or change unless doing so improves their bottom lines.

It means the city will still have to spend hundreds of millions of dollars repairing and building new bridges over rail lines, constructing new underpasses at places such as Waverley Street and other crossings where people are tired of waiting for trains.

And trains are getting longer as railways seek greater efficiencies, meaning those infuriating wait times will also rise without new underpasses.

All of this will fuel the movement to convince railways they would be better off bypassing the city.

Indeed, railways generally find navigating large urban centres difficult because they have to slow down, build and maintain level crossings, carry hefty disaster insurance and hire extra employees to manage the complex urban environment.

It remains to be seen if the NDP will be around after the April election to convince railways of the mutual benefits of relocation. There’s no reason to fear, however, that the Progressive Conservatives will kill the initiative if they are elected.

It’s hard to find anyone who doesn’t see the wisdom of rail-line rationalization in urban centres. In the end, however, it all comes down to cost, affordability and priorities.

For their part, the railways are highly competitive, and they have always resisted the idea of rationalizing their networks and sharing lines.

Relocating CP’s marshalling yards may turn out to be too complex and expensive, but some experts believe CN could move its main line around the city with minimal disruption to its operations.

Ideally, the railway issue should have been resolved decades ago.

History, however, doesn’t always unfold the way you want. But now the government has the ear of the rail magnates, there is still a chance the city could make history again.