LAC-MÉGANTIC, Quebec — Negotiations for purchase of the land needed to build a rail bypass around Lac-Mégantic and the surrounding area have begun, Transport Canada reports.
The submission of the first offers is part of an ongoing process of rerouting the Canadian Pacific main line away from the community devastated by the 2013 derailment and fire of a runaway oil train that killed 47 people.
“I want to reiterate that the Lac-Mégantic rail bypass will continue to be a priority for the Government of Canada until it is fully completed in 2023,” Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra said in an update. “We will make every effort to move the work forward and complete the project, and ensure that this line is operational in support of rebuilding the communities of Lac-Mégantic, Nantes, and Frontenac.”
The Canadian government will have to buy 80 parcels of land, belonging to 44 owners including the town of Lac-Mégantic and the Quebec Ministry of Transport, as part of the process. Initial land offers will continue for the next several weeks.
Meanwhile, plans and specification for the 12.8-kilometer (8-mile) route have reached 30% completion and have been submitted to the Canadian Transportation Agency to begin the approval process. Studies on soil and water quality, vehicle traffic, and archeology — part of that planning process — have been completed, with other environmental protection studies under way.
Engineering work on the $133 million project was completed earlier this year [see “Digest: Engineering work advances …,” Trains News Wire, May 12, 2021].
As the ‘Cable Guy’ says, “GET HER DONE”
Sounds good. I know most of the people around there want the by-pass built. But just wait for the NIMBY get going an see what some of the prices for the land will be.