Rail supporters distribute petition

SYDNEY — The community group fighting to save Cape Breton’s railway infrastructure and to restore train service to the island has rolled out a petition it hopes will be signed by at least 10,000 people. The petition requests municipal, provincial and federal leaders to provide regulatory and financial support to preserve and maintain the rail infrastructure in Cape Breton. An initiative of the Scotia Rail Development Society, the petition can now be found online on the group’s website as well as at a dozens of locations, including shops, businesses, churches, and post offices across the municipality. Volunteers are also going door to door in various neighbourhoods. In a media release, the group stated that while it is off to a good start with the petition, more volunteers are needed for other parts of the island. The last train rolled down Cape Breton rails at the end of 2014. The rail line’s owner, Wyoming and Genessee, has declared its intent to divest itself of the railway due to a lack of freight traffic.