Stratford Mayor Martin Ritsma is ramping up the call for permanent passenger rail service in our community.
As of October 13th, a pilot project that saw Go Train service operate between London and Toronto, with stops in Stratford and St.Marys, will come to an end nearly two years after it began.
Metrolinx operates the service and says the decision to end it was made after Via Rail announced it plans to bring back its train that runs between London and Toronto.
Ritsma says he has a virtual meeting scheduled for September 12th with federal Minister of Transport Pablo Rodriguez where he’ll speak on how vital rail service is.
“Whether it’s Via, whether it’s Go, but the need of passenger rail service for a multitude of reasons, whether it’s climate, whether it’s providing transportation so that we take those cars off roads.”
Ritsma adds that he’s also been talking with Transport Action Canada, a non-profit, consumer-based organization that promotes sustainable transport, to advocate on the issue.
