Build new Via Rail tracks where they’re needed

If you listen only to the folks at Via Rail, their grand plan for a new, multibillion-dollar passenger line between Toronto and Quebec City would be entirely worth its hefty cost to Canadian taxpayers.

But if you listen to two, independent consultants hired by the federal government, you’ll come away thinking Via’s plan should be, well, a lot less grand.

That’s because the reports from these two consultants seriously challenge Via’s business case for extending this new line from Montreal to Quebec City, at an estimated price tag of $1.14 billion.

And while Justin Trudeau’s Liberals haven’t had much to say publicly about these reports, they should take a second look at what Via’s asking for before committing any more public money to the project. Or making any promises before this fall’s federal election.

To be sure, there’s much to recommend Via Rail’s proposal for a new rail line from Toronto to Quebec City, running through Peterborough, Ottawa and Montreal. This new line would run north of the existing line Via must share with freight trains.

The hope is that if Via no longer had to work around freight train schedules on borrowed tracks and had its own dedicated line, it could deliver what’s known as high-frequency rail. That means more trains with faster travel times that would carry far more passengers. And it might even make money.

But Via may be biting off more than taxpayers can chew. According to a briefing document prepared earlier this year for Canada’s deputy finance minister, Paul Rochon, the firm EY warned that including the Montreal-Quebec City section of the new line would eat into the plan’s profitability.

Indeed, EY recommended the Quebec route undergo greater scrutiny given, in the words of the federal briefing document, “its high capital costs and poor performance on an operational basis.”

In addition, the consulting firm WSP Canada told the Finance and Transport departments the project could reduce Via’s reliance on public funding by attracting private-sector investment, but only if it’s implemented in the Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal portion. Forget Quebec City.

There are other weaknesses in Via’s proposal. The Crown corporation has repeatedly said the new line would benefit cities along the existing rail line. But federal officials have been warned a new line would mean reduced services for cities such as Kingston, Belleville and Drummondville along the current route.

Meanwhile, although Via Rail has assured the public high-frequency rail could shave up to 25 per cent off travel times, the gains for passengers would vary. The trip between Toronto and Montreal would be only six per cent faster than it is today.

This doesn’t mean Via’s proposal belongs in a recycling bin. A new, dedicated passenger rail line could help the environment by getting more cars, and their emissions, off our crowded highways. It could make travel easier for many people, too.

However, if new tracks are to be built, they should go where they’re needed. You needn’t be paranoid to wonder whether political considerations might factor into the government’s decision about building a new line between Montreal and Quebec City, fertile ground for Liberal votes.

Yet strangely, southern Ontario west of Toronto is left out of Via’s plans even though far more people live there than in and around Quebec City.

Considering the new rail line would cost an estimated $4.4 billion, the government needs to put Via’s proposal under a microscope.

This project needs further review, with everything laid out for the public, before the government says it’s a go.