Emon address council regarding the Alto project | Photo Credit: Town of Renfrew
Renfrew Reeve, Peter Emon, sparked discussion at Renfrew Council last night (April 14) regarding the proposed high-speed rail project (HSR), dubbed Alto.
Various municipal figures, administrative organizations and individuals living in rural communities have opposed the project; citing it will divide farmland, trample ecologically significant land and cause local service disruptions.
One organization displeased with the lack of public information is the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus; they have officially opposed the project in its current form and said “Eastern Ontario municipalities and residents have not received sufficient detailed information regarding potential local impacts, including land use, environmental effects, municipal infrastructure interfaces, and long-term financial or operational implications.”
Although reeve Emon said a lack of information shouldn’t necessarily be a deterrent especially regarding a project, which if completed, would provide a new level of service for Ontario and Quebec.
An electrified HSR service, under its current proposal, would link Toronto with Quebec City and propel passengers at speeds of 300 kp/h.
One concern about the project is how it will perform in Canada’s harsh winters.
This past winter saw record-breaking snowfalls and frigid temperatures across most of Ontario, which Ontario Landowners Association president, Jeff Bogaerts, said in an emailed press release “is a uniquely Canadian challenge — and it has not been addressed,” referencing the high-speed rail systems of France, Spain, Japan, the United Kingdom and California.
However, China has seen HSR success in an alpine climate.
The Harbin–Dalian HSR is just one part of China’s 50,000 kilometre high-speed rail network and it operates in much colder climates compared to other routes in the country.
Since 2012 it has connected Harbin, the capital of China’s Heilongjiang province, to other cities in the North and commonly operates at ambient temperatures of -20 C during the winter months.
The CRH380BG High-Speed Cold-Resistant EMU locomotives, used on the Harbin-Dalian line, can reportedly handle temperatures as low as -40 C.
In the winter the train operates at a limited speed of 250 k/ph, compared to summer speeds of 350 k/ph, reducing the travel time of the 921 kilometre journey from three-and-a-half hours to around five hours 20 minutes.
Emon took a recent trip to Europe and was impressed by the level of service an established rail network delivers.
Other concerns brought up by Bogaerts include land use; the route will navigate through wetlands, floodplains, environmentally sensitive areas and farmland.
Alto has stated they are researching a 10 kilometre-wide study corridor, but the actual land use due to rail placement will range from 40-60m wide, although it is unclear if this figure includes accompanying infrastructure such as fencing and substations for the power grid.
While Alto has yet to publicly disclose how the land will be exactly used, Emon said there is a need for an improved rail service.
myFM has reached out to Alto in hopes of clarifying residents’ concerns about the lack of publicized information, but Alto has not responded to the inquiries.
(Written by Mik Horvath)
