10 March 2010

Petawawa Parley to Address Hwy. 17 Corridor Rail Concerns

Petawawa Ontario - Concerns about long-term operation of the CP Rail line between Mattawa and Sudbury is motivating local officials to attend a gathering of municipal representatives in Petawawa Thursday.
 
The County of Renfrew organized the meeting to discuss what options are available to stop sections of the east-west connection from being lost.
 
News broke in December the line between Arnprior and Smiths Falls is being abandoned and the line between Petawawa and Mattawa is next.
 
"This is another little nail in the coffin," said Jay Barbeau, chief administrative officer of West Nipissing, describing how industrial transportation life-lines for Northern Ontario are being whittled away.
 
Barbeau said West Nipissing attracted a manufacturer of mining-related ground control products because of the nearby CP line. About $2 million in public money was invested in infrastructure for a nearby industrial park, including a spur line so rail cars can access the facility west of Sturgeon Falls.
 
"They came on the assumption they could bring in raw materials by rail," he said about Jennmar, which expects to begin operation soon after several construction-related delays.
 
In a letter Mayor Joanne Savage sent to Minister of Northern Development and Mines Michael Gravelle, a potential biomass development will also hinge on rail access and further investment is threatened without long-term guarantees.
 
"The loss of such an infrastructure would prove to be very difficult if not impossible to re-instate in the future, and all of Northern Ontario would lose if such a decision was to be taken without serious consideration of the devastating outcome," Savage wrote.
 
"In a time of economic crunch, it is extremely disappointing for municipalities who work diligently towards attracting and retaining new industrial opportunities, to hear of the loss of rail service which is critical to the projects mentioned above, but to enticing any future possible enterprises."
 
Dave Linkie, chief administrative officer for North Bay, said there is a 5 Apr 2010 deadline for interested parties to provide CP with a notice of interest in the proposed shortline segments east of Mattawa.
 
Linkie said CP representatives told the city the line between North Bay and Mattawa is not targeted for abandonment at this time, but there's no guarantee how long it will be kept open.
 
"The issue from my perspective is that once they haul out the rails, it's not coming back," Linkie said, although he doesn't see how it can be kept alive if there's not enough business to justify maintenance costs.
 
He said he wouldn't recommend the city get into the rail line business, but other levels of government will have to consider the implications of losing a transportation corridor and business that may eventually be sent south.
 
Mattawa Mayor Dean Backer said two representatives from his community will attend the meeting and they're "very interested in what CP is proposing."
 
Dave Dale.