^ It would be foolish to conceive a GTA bypass proposal without considering and applying the needs and lessons of other major cities eg Winnipeg Regina Saskatoon Calgary Edmonton, for whom the removal of downtown rail lines in favour of bypasses is equally a game changer..... and then add up the cost to the nation to implement all of these. The GTA won't see federal money for this idea without including all of these cities in the plan. Can Ontario go it alone on funding ?
Now add up all the extra miles that such a bypass would add to the routing, and the competitive impact of that added train-mileage and trip time, on CPKC, and the difficulty of establishing a method to equilibrate the "fairness" of this impact between CP and CN. And consider the impact on the valuation of CP's assets.
I really think this idea makes eminent sense, but is a "bridge too far" for our system. While I would not argue for the total expropriation and nationalisation of the rail system, we may benefit from a "key corridors" program whereby all rail corridors in key urban locations are considered public property and/or shared resources, and used on a user pay basis similar to toll highways.
But realistically, this may be a 2060 discussion, when the impacts and befefits feel a bit more urgent.
- Paul
