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Moose Rail (National Capital Region)

^ I was never assuming that. I really meant it's a set back for their high level concept ideas which have no funding or approvals. You're correct that I haven't seen any recent posts by @Joseph Potvin
 

At this point, there were already so many hurdles to overcome that this decision almost doesn't even matter. And, with the recent news that the Alexandra Bridge is going to be rebuilt, opening up the potential for modern interprovincial LRT connections that actually directly serve key destinations in the two downtowns, the networks on each side of the river could probably handle as much as 95% of the current NCR's commuting needs.

A lot has changed in Ottawa in just 7 years, and any potential commuter rail plan should be a reflection of those shifts.
 
Interesting post here noting some recent Moose documents.

 
At this point, there were already so many hurdles to overcome that this decision almost doesn't even matter. And, with the recent news that the Alexandra Bridge is going to be rebuilt, opening up the potential for modern interprovincial LRT connections that actually directly serve key destinations in the two downtowns, the networks on each side of the river could probably handle as much as 95% of the current NCR's commuting needs.

A lot has changed in Ottawa in just 7 years, and any potential commuter rail plan should be a reflection of those shifts.

Why? The LRT reflects 30 year design and planning.....
 
Why? The LRT reflects 30 year design and planning.....

Design and planning is great, but it doesn't really mean much unless it actually gets built. Moose was first proposed in around 2010, right around the same time that Ottawa cancelled it's original large scale LRT project. There was a lot of uncertainty in the time that followed. Ultimately the LRT plan that Ottawa went with was much more ambitious and modern than the cancelled project and it morphed into the semi-commuter rail system that it is.

Moose took advantage of the vacuum around regional transit that existed at that time to get some initial traction and interest. It was a smart strategy, from their perspective. But once the city moved forward on the current LRT plan, and several of the rail lines became abandoned, that momentum faded very quickly. (Not to say a change in strategy would have saved them, but as soon as they started to focus on legal manoeuvring to try to maintain the status quo the writing was on the wall for them).

I
 
This is just kind of sad at this point. I'm still unsure how they intend to get anyone in Ottawa to support a plan that would essentially cripple the Trillium Line. Running trains in and out of Gatineau via the Alexandra Bridge is a much better idea than using the Prince of Wales bridge anyway, primarily because Rideau is a much better transfer point than Bayview (plus spreading out the transfer points in the system is a good idea regardless, given what we can see over-reliance on one transfer station has done at Bloor-Yonge)
 
^ Further, I thought Moose was upset that the City wasn't following the legal process to abandon (discontinue) a railway line. Isn't the Mayor indicating that they will now follow that formal process and therefore doesn't that make Moose's point moot?

After investigating a complaint from Mobility Ottawa-Outaouais: Systems and Enterprises (Moose), the Canadian Transportation Agency in February 2018 slapped the City of Ottawa with an order to make repairs to the Prince of Wales Bridge if the city received notice from the agency. The CTA gave the city another option: discontinue the rail line and bridge.
- Ottawa Citizen, September 25, 2019

Also, from the documents Moose posted:

Moose Consortium Inc. submitted an application to the Agency for a Certificate of Fitness in 2016 proposing an interprovincial passenger rail service that requires operation between the Ellwood Subdivision in Ontario and the Lachute Subdivision in Québec.

They don't specify if the Agency ever gave them the Certificate of Fitness, was denied the Certificate, or no decision has been made.
 
Yeah, I'm not sure "they aren't doing what we want" is much of a legal argument, but I'm sure Moose will try (and get laughed out of court).
Their argument is more based around the fact that an older ruling by the CTA was never dismissed or enforced, and as such the older order should be enforced.

As of now, the city has not started any of the formal discontinuance process (which at this point could take years to complete, just out of the way the process works, not even because of MOOSE).
 
^ Interesting. Wouldn't the easiest and fastest thing to do by the CTA would just to be to dismiss their prior order?
 

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