Canada and Ontario financially support preliminary engineering study for commuter rail

Written by jrood

The governments of Canada and Ontario announced funding to support a preliminary engineering study on a commuter rail link between Peterborough and Toronto, ON. Dean Del Mastro, member of Parliament for Peterborough and Jeff Leal, member of the Provincial Parliament for Peterborough, were joined by Tony Smith, founding president of the Shining Waters Railway, to confirm the successful negotiation of the funding agreements.

“I am very pleased to confirm federal funding for this study on restoring commuter rail to the Peterborough region,” said Del Mastro. “Rail transit helps to cut commute times and ease traffic congestion, promotes the efficient movement of people and goods and supports jobs and economic growth in our communities. Our government is proud to support informed decision making on potential infrastructure investments such as this one.”

The study will include preliminary engineering design work and will determine the upgrades needed to existing railway track to operate a commuter rail service between Peterborough and Union Station in Toronto. The federal and provincial governments are each contributing 50 percent of the cost of the study.

This funding agreement follows the federal government’s commitment in Budget 2011 to co-fund the study with Ontario, reaffirming its support for the Peterborough Commuter Rail Project. The federal contribution will be provided through the Building Canada Fund, Major Infrastructure Component, a program under the Building Canada Plan.

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