High Frequency Rail Corridor is Coming Through Peterborough

Officials announced plans for a high-frequency rail corridor to lay tracks through Peterborough on Thursday morning.

Officials holding a sign from an old Peterborough train station. Back row: Peterborough Chamber of Commerce president Stu Harrison, Via Rail president Cynthia Garneau, Havelock-Belmont Methuen Township Mayor Jim Martin, Selwyn Township Mayor Andy Mitchell. Front row: Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, Peterborough-Kawartha MP and minister for women and gender equality and rural economic development Mayam Monsef, Peterborough Mayor Diane Therrien. Photo By Angela O’Grady

The press conference was held at the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce building which was formerly a Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) station.

Plans state that the new passenger rail stretching from Toronto to Quebec City will not share tracks with freight trains in hopes to cut travel times.

Maryam Monsef, Peterborough-Kawartha MP and minister for women and gender equality and rural economic development highlighted the positive impact this new infrastructure would have on the community.

The high-frequency rail corridor will unlock economic potential, offer new jobs and allow community members to travel elsewhere for work if needed according to Monsef.

“We’re getting this done because in a post-pandemic Canada, we are all aware of how vital our connections are,” she said.

Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra says he hopes that shovels will hit the ground in the next three to four years and the rail will be functioning by 2030.

He noted that the environmental impact this rail may have is being considered in the planning process and about 90 percent of the new service will run on electricity.

“Equally, maybe even more importantly, this project is about nation building, about connecting our communities,” explained Alghabra.

When asked about the location of a station, Peterborough Mayor Diane Therrien said an official decision has yet to be made.

“Right here seems like a great place though,” she said, standing outside the former CPR building.

Both Therrien and Monsef noted that First Nations communities are being consulted before construction begins.

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