Video: High Speed Rail vs High Performance Rail

At the InterCityRail Town Hall meeting on Wednesday, 18 April 2018 I learned about the difference between High Speed Rail and High Performance Rail. Although I entered the meeting as a proponent of High Speed Rail (using a dedicated rail corridor), I became convinced that High Performance Rail (slightly slower than HSR, using the existing rail corridor) is a better option for the citizens of South Western Ontario.

YouTube: High Speed Rail vs High Performance Rail: BobJonkman

Q: Is there room for some level of compromise? One of the big concerns for the Green Party of Ontario is the reduction of fossil fuels, and that generally means the electrification of all manner of transit systems: Buses, cars, and rail as well. Is there still room in your plan for electrified High Performance Rail, rather than relying entirely on diesel and fossil fuels?

A: I think at this point there is room for any of the options. From our perspective, if we’re going to invest this kind of money to improve the transportation system within South Western Ontario we should be looking at all the options, and essentially expand the EA process to do just that, so that we have investigated High Performance Rail that is electrified, perhaps High Performance Rail that’s diesel powered, and perhaps High Performance Rail that’s hydrogen powered, or enhanced VIA, or any of the… There’s many options that could be considered, and High Speed Rail is very restrictive in this situation.