“Bring the damn train back!”
That was the loud demand made of VIA Rail by Northumberland-Peterborough South MP Phil Lawrence as he spoke
at a rally Saturday near the VIA Rail station in Cobourg.
The rally was attended by about 100 people, all pushing Crown Agency VIA Rail and Transport Canada to reinstate Train 651
which took passengers from Kingston through to Toronto in the early morning, making stops at communities along the way.
Crowd at Train 651 rally near the VIA Rail station in Cobourg Saturday September 24/22. (Photo: Quinte News)
Train 651 was pulled from the tracks with the onset of COVID-19 lockdowns and despite promises from VIA Rail it remains sidelined.
Almost all other routes across the country have been reinstated.
Lawrence summed up the main reasons the train was so important, not only to Northumberland County, but to this part of Ontario.
“Number one, the train provides an economic boost to our area. People need it to get to work. Number two, the train takes vehicles off of
the highway. It’s good for the environment. And number three, it provides safety.
Driving to the GTA is getting more and more dangerous. In the end we need Train 651 because it’s just the right thing to do.”
Lawrence is inviting the federal Minister of Transportation and the CEO of VIA Rail to come to the area to discuss the matter in an open forum.
MPP for Northumberland-Peterborough South David Piccini accused VIA of “abandoning our region”, adding it wasn’t fulfilling its mandate of
providing safe, reliable, affordable commuter service in all parts of the country.
“We’ve had thousands of names on a petition wanting the service back. Here we are working to improve public transit locally to fight climate
change and VIA simply turns its back on our community! They’ve cancelled two meetings with us recently.”
Mayor of Quinte West Jim Harrison told the crowd that a member of VIA’s Board of Directors told him that Train 651 wasn’t reinstated because of a shortage
of equipment. “We’re paying millions in taxes to the federal government for transit and VIA says there’s a shortage of equipment to serve the Kingston to
Toronto route. Unbelievable! We’re going to continue to go after them. We’re stronger together!”
Deputy Warden of Northumberland County Mandy Martin said Train 651 was important to the economy of southeastern Ontario adding that survey that
drew close to 3,000 responses showed that almost 100% of riders who used the train would be back with another 30% of respondents saying they would board
651 if was reinstated.
“This train is about our future. People need it to get to work, to get to school, and to get to medical appointments. With the cost of gas, the route makes more
sense than ever. We will not be derailed!”
Several members of the crowd got up to give their reasons for wanting Train 651 back with one man receiving cheers and applause after saying the train was
the place he met a young lady who eventually became his wife.
A woman describes her reasons for needing Train 651 as (from left to right) Northumberland-Peterborough South MP Phil Lawrence, MPP David Piccini, and Quinte West Mayor Jim Harrison look on. (Photo: Quinte News)
