Bridge, railway queries baffle city hall

City has been clear on plans, agency told

The City of Ottawa is annoyed that a federal regulator keeps pestering the municipality about the future of a railway and bridge.

In a letter sent to the Canadian Transportation Agency on Wednesday, city solicitor and clerk Rick O’Connor tells the agency that “the city is becoming increasingly concerned by the agency’s apparent reluctance to accept the city’s very transparent, very consistent and very clear confirmations and reaffirmations” to continue owning the railway north of Bayview station and on the Prince of Wales Bridge.

The Moose Consortium complained to the CTA that the city didn’t follow the proper process when it removed part of the tracks between Bayview station and the Prince of Wales Bridge to the north. The CTA suggested federal law compels the city to follow a “discontinuance” process, if even part of its rail line has stopped operations.

Other rail companies could get access to a discontinued rail line if the owner has stopped operating the tracks.

The city is building the Bayview LRT station and the old tracks north of the station are removed and blocked because of construction.

Still, the diesel-train Trillium line has always had a terminus at Bayview station.

Earlier this month, the CTA ordered the city to explain what’s happening and the agency gave a deadline of June 28. The agency wanted an update on the city’s operation of the rail line and the Prince of Wales Bridge, which spans the Ottawa River, connecting Ottawa with Gatineau.

O’Connor replied with an eight-page letter, underscoring the number of times the city has indicated to the CTA that it wants to run trains north of Bayview station in the future. Just because the section of railway is inactive now doesn’t mean it’s discontinued, he writes.

The city is baffled by the CTA’s continued questions about the line since the municipality’s intentions have been “straightforward” in several communications with the agency, O’Connor writes.

In a separate memo to city council, O’Connor says he doesn’t know when the CTA will make a decision on the issue or what the next steps would be.

Moose (Mobility Ottawa-Outaouais: Systems and Enterprises) has a dream of seeing the private sector fund, build and run a train service to Smiths Falls, Arnprior and Maxville in eastern Ontario, and Bristol, Wakefield and Montebello in western Quebec. The trains would run on existing rail corridors through Ottawa and Gatineau using the Prince of Wales Bridge.

The City of Ottawa owns the Prince of Wales Bridge. The bridge is no longer used as a train bridge and is considered closed to the public, although people trespass to hang out on the deck.

One day, the bridge will likely be used to extend the Trillium line to Gatineau.