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Orangeville-Brampton Railway (OBRY)

Transportfan said:
The last point seems a little melodramatic. Its not as though mainlines are in any danger of being closed down.
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Maybe, but I can't say I disagree. Is it a good idea to be closing any more railways in a growing region while roads are endlessly expanded without a second thought? If you actually look at what has been going on with the OBRY it is tantamount to sabotage.
 
alexanderglista said:
End of the line: Service on the 100-year-old rail line through Orangeville to cease Dec. 31, 2021
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I'd prefer to see this line active, providing it made the remotest economic sense to do so.

Absent that, however, I insist the route be retained as a recreational trail.

I see musings about considering that in the above article; though those certainly fall short of a clear commitment.

I presume there are yards and such that could be disposed of; but I think the focus should be on preserving the corridor as a recreational asset.

It would make for a nice trail/access point to Forks of the Credit Provincial Park..............
 
Best of both worlds. Wolfville, Nova Scotia literally buried the old tracks with gravel for a trail, but also for easy rail reactivation.
0634B0FD-8FF1-4782-AF8B-475AC587EB06.jpeg
 
Northern Light said:
I'd prefer to see this line active, providing it made the remotest economic sense to do so.

Absent that, however, I insist the route be retained as a recreational trail.

I see musings about considering that in the above article; though those certainly fall short of a clear commitment.

I presume there are yards and such that could be disposed of; but I think the focus should be on preserving the corridor as a recreational asset.

It would make for a nice trail/access point to Forks of the Credit Provincial Park..............
Click to expand...

I think Brampton would be eager to redevelop the old station grounds at Queen Street, but otherwise, I can't see much of the railway land through Brampton useful for much besides a recreational trail. It would connect several parks along the Fletchers Creek ravine (perhaps finally making a full north-south ravine-based corridor happen) and it would finally provide an easy, safe route across Highway 407 in the west end and provide a lot of the route necessary to complete the Credit Valley Trail through Peel and Halton Hills.

I would be sad to see the railway gone - it ran close to where I grew up in Brampton and I remember regularly hearing the whistles of the old CP "Moonlight" freight run in the mid evening. But I'd be eager to ride the route on a bike (and not just on the Credit Valley Explorer) should a trail replace the tracks.
 
alexanderglista said:
Best of both worlds. Wolfville, Nova Scotia literally buried the old tracks with gravel for a trail, but also for easy rail reactivation. View attachment 289779
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The situation down there is weird, and confusing. As far as I can understand it, the section of the Windsor and Hantsport Railway between Oxford Jct. (junction with CN) and Oxford reverted to CN, but the trackage west of there has only been embargoed. I was down there a couple of years ago and there was still rolling stock stranded on the tracks.
 
^ Part of the issue I believe is the property taxes and the tax classification the OBRY route is in. There was even a court case on this and the judge did not rule in OBRY's favour. So advocating on that might have to be part of a strategy.
 
Generally, we need to find a way to advocate. It is great that we are having these conversations, but they are ultimately meaningless if they don't leave these forums and get out to representatives.

The biggest question is, what do we do?
 
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