HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — A proposal to launch commuter rail service in Halifax was killed Tuesday as the regional council voted unanimously to no longer pursue the concept.
The council’s motion sites infrastructure requirements, financial implications, and operational constraints for the decision. The vote came after a closed-door session to discuss confidential information, News 95.7 radio reports.
Council member Tim Outhit, a proponent of the commuter proposal, wrote in a Facebook post that the council has not been able “to reach an acceptable terms, conditions, pricing and track access agreement with [Canadian National].” Expanded rail traffic from the port of Halifax was also a factor, he said. Rail and light rail remain long-term possibilities, he wrote, but immediate efforts will shift to highway improvements and possible Bus Rapid Transit.
If BRT is preferable then then they must be 100% electric buses rather than poisonous diesel buses.
Been to Halifax several times over a span of year to two years but that is was 15ish years ago. The concept sounds good but can’t recall a jobs center or downtown core employment area that would justify a fixed rail cost. The idea of Bus Rapid Transit sounds much more feasible for the size of Halifax.
Thanks Mr. McGuire, you’re expansion on the toll road idea to include all forms of transportation is right on the money. I’ll guarantee that if that were the case the outrageous waste in building and maintaining roads, waterways, airports, buses and yes even trains and track would stop. I’m sick of public rail transit being singled out for wasting public dollars. It’s ALL forms of public transportation. Make it all private and on equal footing and let the chips fall where they may.
As I admitted below, I’ve not been to Halifax. As for its population being in the 400k range, I’d have to look at that number closer. Canada typically has regional governments so that number possibly may include much of suburbia. So (possibly) 400k might not be as many people as it would seem to be to an American, in whose country the central cities of whatever people count are surrounded by belts of more and more people. When Winnipeg (Manitoba) annexed St. Boniface decades ago, that was something like half the population of province the size of Texas.
Charles – you just can’t resist using sarcasm can you?
Galen or Penelope – When did you last visit Halifax? I’ve not been there either but I doubt it looks much like LA or Houston.
To repeat my earlier posts, freeways are what freeways are. Rail might provide an alternative to freeways but rail doesn’t divert enough traffic to lessen the need for freeway lanes.
Closed door – confidential meaning the bribe money from the oil & other hwy interests was passed out. Bus Rapid Transit means a nicer bus stuck in the same traffic with the cars.
1950’s ideology trumps passenger rail projects again. It is a matter of time before Halifax has two-block wide freeways like Houston and Los Angeles.
Interesting Mr McGuire, you’d have people pay the actual price to fly. That should put them out of business rather soon since no one would be able to afford to fly. Sure makes AOC’s green deal work with no airplanes to pollute the air.
Robert, you left out barge and shipping companies that use locks, waterways and port facilities maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers through tax dollars. Also ethanol subsidies, and all farm subsidies for that matter. Agriculture has become the new welfare class.
Personally, I support rail and public transit. I object to it being singled out for criticism as being subsidized when virtually our entire “free” economy is subsidized in some fashion.
Halifax Transit the public transport provides service with over 96k rides a day . Halifax Transit provides a regional service utilizing 2 ferry routes, 57 conventional bus routes. Halifax is the 14th largest city in Canada. Population of over 400k
That they are considering rail(both heavy and lite) is not surprising. Halifax provides service for the dollars spent.
Charles,
There’s a simple method to make rail so attractive that it can’t help but draw the numbers to significantly reduce traffic, and that is to stop expanding the freeways and roads. If traffic become so congested that what should take 30 – 45 minutes now takes 2.5 – 3.5 hours instead, but you can take a train, relax, and do the trip in 1 – 2 hours instead which would you choose?
Assessing highways and airports with property taxes, just as railroads are, would also help level the field.
Chris Thompson: Great idea!! I’ve been suggesting it for years. All interstate highways should be tolled. The tolls should be high enough to cover all operating costs. Then, we raise the fares on public transit and Amtrak so that they too cover the cost of operations. Do the same with the airlines. All fares reflect the costs of operation. All modes of transportation become self-sufficient. Gas tax revenue only goes for state and local road improvements no raiding it for Toonerville Trolleys to nowhere. I bet that will make the pro-government people unhappy. No more subsidies, no more reason to add/raise taxes and no more buying votes through promising things that other people will pay for..
Halifax having a population of almost 300K made the right decision.. BRT would make more sense..
Same ole same ole, spend money on anything but rail. I along with many others on this site believe rail is most always a viable alternative to spending more tax dollars on already congested highways. I’m tired of my tax dollars being wasted on building and widening roads. Let’s get the government out of the road building and operating business and make them all toll roads. That’ll make the anti government folks happy I’ll bet.