The Rural Voice, 1989-05, Page 34RIGHT
OF
WAY
R
ailways, once promoted
as the force necessary to
bind Canada together
as a nat.on, are now having the
opposite effect across southern
Ontario.
Many of the auxiliary lines
funnelling freight from smaller towns
and hamlets in Ontario to larger cen-
tres are no longer viable because of
competition from other methods of
transportation, mainly trucking. This
has caused both of the country's major
railways — CN (government-owned)
and CPR (privately owned) — to
abandon these lines, creating the
dilemma of what to do with the real
estate they sit on.
There is no shortage of sugges-
tions. But many of these suggestions
are at cross purposes, so it is left to
government and the railways to decide
what new use this property could best
serve.
In the simplest of terms, the
players in this struggle fall into three
camps: landowners adjacent to the
rail lines, mostly farmers, who would
like the land tacked onto the back of
their farms from whence it came;
recreation people including hikers,
bikers, snowmobile clubs, motor-
cyclists, and horseback riders who see
the lines as a playground for outdoor
activities; and a leave -the -track -intact
group (Project Rerail) that wants the
lines sold to private business, which
would continue to use them for their
original purpose.
Initiating the recreation movement,
often referred to as "rails to trails,"
was the Maitland Trail Association
based in Goderich. It is a hikers'
group that is trying to have the CPR
Goderich to Guelph line converted to
a recreation corridor.
The 77 -mile line was closed
January 1. CPR started to untrack
shortly after by ripping up portions
of the line for salvage, much to the
chagrin of Project Rerail, which was
granted an appeal to stop CPR in
December by the National Transpor-
tation Agency. However, CPR
continued merrily on its way lifting
track because an order from the
transportation agency had not been
issued and the company claims the
rails are needed elsewhere.
And although the removal of rails
would be the first step in bringing the
recreation concept to fruition, the
Maitland Trail Association quickly
realized that such a large undertaking
would need widespread support. With
The
Controversy
over "Rails to
Trails"
by Bob Reid
this in mind, a February 25
meeting at Linwood organized
by the hiking group gave birth
to the more encompassing
Huron Tract Rails to Trails
Association.
Representatives from
various groups likely to use the corri-
dor, including a large contingent of
Mennonites, attended the meeting, but
the hybrid organization has created the
potential for internal conflict and a
"rails to trials and tribulations" scen-
ario. The mixing of horses and horse-
power has already been identified as a
potential source of trouble.
It was suggested in Linwood by
recreation supporters that the aban-
doned rail line would provide a safer
and more direct route to Kitchener for
Mennonites in the surrounding area,
keeping the slower -moving buggies
away from fast-moving traffic.
The Mennonites at the meeting
saw things differently, and in fact
presented a petition from landowners
along the rail line, showing that more
than 90 per cent were opposed to a
recreation corridor.
Elmira -area Mennonite Sidney
Martin pointed out that the rail beds
are only 12 feet across in some
locations, not wide enough for two
buggies to pass each other. "We
would all have to travel in the same
direction at the same speed," he said.
32 THE RURAL VOICE