The Island Corridor Foundation is supportive of a developer’s proposal to revive E&N Rail service in Greater Victoria, its CEO says.
Graham Bruce says the non-profit’s board members are waiting to see more details of Bayview Place developer Ken Mariash’s plan, but are optimistic about the result.
“We’re very much in support of what they’re trying to do. It’s encouraging that they’ve had a consultant working on the plan, and we’re all eager to see what’s able to be developed from that,” Bruce said.
Langford Mayor Stew Young and View Royal Mayor David Screech also said they’re hopeful the project will work.
Mariash, who owns Focus Equities, is proposing to get commuter service on the 15-kilometre stretch between Langford and his Bayview Place and Roundhouse property in Vic West as early as next year.
Focus Equities considered purchasing the full 200-kilometre corridor in the 1990s, before the Island Corridor Foundation, which now owns the railway line, was created.
“Everybody forgets we were a facilitator of that,” Mariash said.
The company is spending $300,000 to $500,000 to hire consultants to prepare a business case and studies for the project, in what Mariash described as a “charitable” venture.
What the service could look like has not been determined. But the corridor could be used for both train and bus services, if the corridor were widened; the trains could be diesel or electric.
Mariash estimates capital costs to get the rail ready for service at up to $10 million, but would likely be in the $6-million to $7-million range. Track rehabilitation will cost about $5 million and another $1 million will cover upgrades to deficient crossings, said municipal consultant Geoff Pearce, who is Langford’s former administrator.
The project will require a subsidy to help defray operating costs estimated at between $3 million and $4 million; fares are expected to cover only half of that.
“In many ways, you need to understand this is a public transportation service. And public transportation operates on a fare schedule that doesn’t cover all of its costs,” Pearce said.
While transit has a built-in funding model, there isn’t one that exists specifically for rail service on the Island, he said, although some models exist in Vancouver.
Pearce said the main hurdle will be getting all municipalities to sign on. “There’s a fair bit of interest politically, there’s community support. The trick for us will be finding all the answers to satisfy the elected officials.”
Both Young and Screech said the subsidy should come from the province.
Young said he’d like to see the province take jurisdiction for the railway from the non-profit foundation. “The way I’m looking at it now is that the province is responsible for moving people on major corridors, so we need to turn that corridor over to the province, since they have the expertise.”
He said a public subsidy makes sense and could end up costing less than supporting the foundation. He’s thrilled with the idea of a businessman taking charge, as he thinks it will be more efficient, but said he wanted to see a financial case for the project before committing Langford’s support.
Screech said he also wanted to see a definitive proposal, but is enthusiastic about the prospect of getting a service running.
Initial meetings with Mariash, B.C. Transit and other mayors have been positive, he said.
The group is hoping to meet Transportation Minister Todd Stone in the new year.
