Shawnigan rail petition organizer still optimistic, despite lack of commitment from feds – Cowichan Valley Citizen
Mar 28, 2024
Shawnigan Lake’s Warren Skaalrud said he’s not surprised by the federal government’s lack of response to a petition he began earlier this year, which garnered more than 12,000 signatures, calling for the restoration of passenger and freight train services on Vancouver Island.
He said he’s not sure how Pablo Rodriguez, minister of Transport, could have responded to the petition at this time.
But Skaalrud said that while the minister’s comments on the issue on March 22 didn’t answer the petition’s calls, it does show that work is ongoing on the issue, and that the Island Corridor Foundation, which owns the deteriorating 220-kilometre E&N rail line that stretches from Victoria to Courtenay, is actively engaging with Canada and British Columbia to bring about a solution.
