Commuter rail open house held in Bedford

Halifax residents can take a look at what rail commuting options the city is considering creating at an open house tonight.

CPCS Canada, acompany hired by the city to investigate the cost of a commuter rail line in Halifax, will be revealing what theyve found so far from 5p.m. to 8p.m. atSunnyside Mall in Bedford.

A commuter rail line is something Fall River-area councillor Barry Dalrymple says hes been hearing about since he first ran for council in 2008.

I have heard in my district over and over over again:Why, with all the traffic issues and coming traffic issues in the HRM and especially out this way, why are we not using commuter rail like it used to be 25 years ago, 35 years ago, 40 years ago? And with a set of train tracks right there, said Dalrymple.

Time for action

Bedfordcouncillor Tim Outhit says hes heard strong support for rail, but he also heard a lot of people say its time to make a decision about what to do about commuting in the city.

If it is viable, lets get on with it even though it will be a gradual implementation, he said. Or if it isnt then lets look again at ferries or expanding bus services, widening roads, etc. But lets make the decision and then get on with it and not just talk about it for another 20 years.

A commuter rail line connecting Bedford and Fall River with the peninsula would be a good start, saysSean Gillis, chairmanof the public transportation advocacy group Its More Than Buses. But hethinks its just part of the picture.

People are travelling from so many different locations and the rail cut can do useful things, but it cant get everyone everywhere. So the more good transit you have built around the system the more useful the whole thing would be.

Its the only open house scheduled for commuter rail discussions,which is something both Outhit and Dalrymple expressed concerns about.

Its not a Bedford-only project, said Outhit.

It also benefits the peninsula by getting cars off the road, he said.

There will also be a way to view the materials and submit feedback on the feasibility study onlineafter the study is presented.