Commuter rail line for area
is still set to debut in 2014
by Blake Wolfe/The Scugog Standard

Plans for a commuter train, which would travel between Peterborough and Toronto along the eastern edge of Scugog Township, are still on track for a July 2014 debut.
_Peterborough MP Dean Del Mastro, who has spearheaded the movement to revive the line as the Shining Waters Railway, told The Standard that a call for tender for design engineering was put out recently, with four responses returned as of this past January. Upon award of the contract, the winning bid will have 16 weeks to complete an engineering study.
_The revival of the commuter service is planned to feature stops in or near Durham Region at Pontypool, Myrtle, Claremont and Locust Hill, with two stops in Peterborough and Toronto, including Steeles Ave. E. and Union Station. The total trip between Peterborough and Toronto is estimated at 90 minutes.
_Two daily trips both eastbound and westbound would take place Monday to Friday, with at least one return trip scheduled for Saturday, Sunday and holidays. The first train could leave as early as July 2014, a target date that Mr. Del Mastro said is still the goal for the project.
_“I’ve had some great discussions with residents from across the GTA, and people are quite excited about this plan,” he said. “People see the value in this, a transit service that is not currently offered. This is something significant - a direct link into the GTA economy which would have a profound economic impact.”
_In January 2011, politicians from across the GTA were among those in attendance at a meeting in Peterborough, where the latest information on the rail plan was discussed. The revival of the rail line was originally discussed in the 2008 federal budget, in which $150 million was pledged in infrastructure funding to bring the commuter service back on track. The province would match the federal contribution for a total $300 million cost. The plan also makes provisions for improved freight service along the line.
_According to an October 2011 report from Shining Waters, the service could potentially create more than 2,000 construction and railway jobs initially, with potential for new jobs each year as the service continues.
_Commuter have trains travelled the route on and off over the last 50 years, with the service (formerly provided by VIA Rail) most recently discontinued in 1990 - only five years after passenger trains returned to the tracks, following a previous service cancellation in 1982.
_According to Mr. Del Mastro, the plan’s biggest stumbling block is what he describes as “tepid support” from the provincial government, which he says has been dragging its heels on Shining Waters while it forges ahead with its own Metrolinx transit plan to connect the communities of the GTA. Recently, that plan has returned to Uxbridge Council chambers for discussion, regarding the possibility of a GO Transit hub in that North Durham municipality in the near future.
_“We need to get this done and running, so that we can start experiencing the benefits,” said Mr. Del Mastro. “With a project like the Pickering Airport creating something like 30,000 jobs, it’s absolutely critical that there is rail support for commuters.”