Clean Train Festival: Olivia Pushes for Clean Transit, NTS
NDP Transport Critic Supports Electrifying GO Trains, Calls for National Transit Strategy at Festival
April 28, 2012
TORONTO – One element of public transit that is in dire need of an upgrade are the good old-fashioned commuter trains. The Clean Train Festival urges us to do so with electrified rail rather than diesel, which is what’s currently planned for the Toronto airport link and Georgetown corridor. Official Opposition Transport Critic Olivia Chow endorsed the push for clean trains, framing the investment need as a part of the for a National Transit Strategy.
With stable, predictable long-term funding for transit from the federal government, investments like electrifying commuter trains in Toronto would be easier to shoulder for provinces and transit operators, Olivia Chow argues. Currently, the federal government does close to nothing in helping getting Canadians the clean, reliable and rapid transit they need.
At the Clean Train Festival, Olivia Chow was joined by her New Democrat MP colleagues Mike Sullivan, Peggy Nash and Andrew Cash as well as provincial and local leaders. Drawing a crowd of several hundred people, the festival combined peaceful political protest for local action with entertainment and a celebration of the local community.
Further reading: Torontoist article
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