NEWS RELEASE
2007 06 28

ROBERTS BANK RAIL CORRIDOR ANNOUNCEMENT IS BAD NEWS

VALTAC spokesman Lee Lockwood stated today that the works proposed to facilitate freight movement to Roberts Bank are bad news for the people of Langley. “The public interest is being ignored by Federal, Provincial and Local governments and the interests of the Port and Railways are not being effectively served either.”

ALTERNATIVE STUDY NEEDED
No money should be spent on the works announced today until the alternative of putting Delta Port traffic back on the original industrial haul route has been properly studied. Even without this study, some benefits are apparent:

• Heavy rail would be strategically positioned to use a new rail crossing of the Fraser River, short circuiting trips between intermodal yards and allowing one way freight traffic west of the Mission Rail Bridge.
• The route is almost entirely in Industrially designated land and partially sheltered from residential areas by cliffs.
• The route is flatter, avoiding an energy wasteful climb over the Langley uplands.
• The amount of double tracking required is reduced by about a third.
• Far fewer grade separations are required. Only the communities of Annieville and Fort Langley warrant protection.

GRADE SEPARATIONS INADEQUATE
Many more grade separations are warranted and necessary if the Delta Port Diversion continues to transect Langley Regional Town Centre. The recent Morris Report identified 7 grade separations currently warranted by Canadian Transportation Agency criteria with two additional needed as heavy freight traffic increases. 9 overpasses will have devastating impact on the businesses and people at the heart of the Langleys. Choice of locations shows this is strictly a programme to turn the community into an industrial conveyor belt. A grade separation at 232 allows a rail siding to be lengthened and is not warranted from a traffic perspective. No grade separation is proposed at 200th which is the most important north / south traffic arterial in the community

PUBLIC INTEREST NOT CONSIDERED NOR SERVED
The taxpayer and the consumer, who will fund every nickel of the cost of these projects have not been served well by their elected representatives. Their interests have not been served at all. VALTAC strongly urges that the alternative route be studied before a bucket of concrete is poured or a dollar of taxpayer’s money is wasted.

VALTAC is a group of professions and citizens who have consulted with all levels of government concerning transportation matters.

The goals of VALTAC are a comprehensive long range master transportation plan for the Lower Mainland, mitigating the impacts of the two heavy freight corridors in Langley, implementing Community Rail on the existing Interurban corridor and incorporating the plan in Regional Planning instruments.

Mr Lockwood is available for comment at 604-856-7377.