I see that the City of Victoria has decided to close the E&N railway station, and in doing so, will no longer bother to accommodate rail service into the city.
This being confirmed by the replacement of the blue bridge with no rail facilities.
Let me see now, while the rest of the island is trying hard to find a way to improve rail service to the city of Victoria by spending many millions, our friends there don’t seem to want the train to run into their fair city.
We have our elected Vancouver Island representatives, both on the federal and provincial level, strongly supporting an infusion of $15 million to keep this rail service alive, knowing full well that it is merely a Band-Aid solution that will inevitably cost taxpayers far more.
We already have the Island Corridor Foundation on record as needing $104 million to bring the rail up to current standards and that was some four years ago. It’s now expected to be in excess of $150 million.
Just when will this ridiculous attempt at squandering our tax dollars end?
When will our political leaders begin to hear the debt drums sounding around the world? Any money spent on the E&N railway will be borrowed, as both levels of government are in deficit.
How about priorities? How long has Oceanside waited for a medical health centre? I am sure all up and down that old decrepit track there are communities that have far greater needs than having a few people riding on it.
And while we dither on this decision who will be responsible for the liabilities being incurred on a railway that is no longer running. You guessed it, the jolly taxpayer. In the meantime Via Rail is spending some $5.2 million refurbishing two bud cars in the event they ever run again. But then that’s OK, because Via Rail is subsidized, so it’s only our federal tax dollars.
Jim Bergot
Qualicum Beach
