What does high-speed rail ‘mean for Uxbridge?’

Roger Varley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

That question was posed on Monday by councillor Pam Beach after council heard a presentation about a proposed high-speed railway service between Quebec and Toronto.

Joel Weibe, the senior advisor of community relations with the proposed Alto High Speed Passenger Rail Project, explained that Alto is a Crown corporation leading a project to construct a high-speed passenger railway system connecting Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Montréal, Laval, Trois-Rivières and Québec City through a network of dedicated electrified tracks.

Weibe said such a project would see a significant increase in intercity rail passengers, minimize financial costs to taxpayers and increase the availability of accessible and affordable services. Weibe concluded by outlining the key stages of the project and the public engagement timeline.

When asked by Beach how this would affect Uxbridge, Weibe said he didn't know. Beach then wanted to know if the proposed new rail lines would go through farm lands. Weibe said farmers will be consulted on the project and said he was to attend an agricultural meeting later in the day.

Councillor Willie Popp commented on the presentation by saying: "We'll be watching from the sidelines," to which Weibe replied: "We don't want you on the sidelines."