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Removing rails would be short-sighted

If the potentially future mass- and rapid-transit corridor E&N railway line is ripped up and replaced with a rarely used bicycle trail, future generations will look back at ours and wonder how we could have been so short-sighted.
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If the potentially future mass- and rapid-transit corridor E&N railway line is ripped up and replaced with a rarely used bicycle trail, future generations will look back at ours and wonder how we could have been so short-sighted.

There is understandable frustration with the time involved in trying to repair and replace infrastructure that was purposely degraded in order to show “losses” and let VIA rail out of their responsibilities to operate the railway line in perpetuity. Let past mistakes inform a better way forward, and not throw out such a valuable transportation resource. Even in the Netherlands, where bicycles are everywhere, there is an efficient rail system for longer-distance transportation.

There will soon be a million people on Vancouver Island. Ensuring that we remain dependent on cars for transportation would be highly irresponsible, and short-sighted.

Roy Stewart

Parksville