Relocation of Ring Road train tracks to be discussed further by city council: Regina mayor
Regina city council will be taking a step forward with Ring Road rail relocation talks in August.
Over the past few years, residents have heard the city discuss what it could mean to relocate the rail tracks that cross Ring Road.
Mayor Sandra Masters said council will discuss hiring a design consultant.
“It’s not just talk anymore. There is a real kind of focused outcome that we are looking for,” Masters said.
“Not just about the rail in the Ring Road, but how to we position our city for that rail access to give us a better competitive advantage over other cities in terms of locating and needing that rail transport in and out of frankly a commodity based province.”
In 2019, council approved hiring a consultant to look into preliminary discussions about the relocation of the rail tracks.
Next month council will look at a report on hiring a preliminary design consultant, which is set to cost about $2 million.
Masters said the goal is to take the rail line off of Ring Road and branch into the north part of the city, preferably away from residential areas.
This discussion has been pushed to the forefront after Viterra announced it’s building a canola crush plant just north of the city.
“We have some other economic opportunities that may come to pass as well which means that having the rail relocated would ease the amount of train traffic, not just on Ring Road, but also perhaps in the city and really play to our strength of being a transportation corridor with both CP and CN Rail,” Masters added.
The mayor said both rail companies have spoken to her about their interest in moving the rail tracks as well.
“They’re already talking to the consultant we had in the previous phase and so all parties are at the table and in fact will be looking towards the provincial and federal governments as well in terms of the bigger picture initiative about how when this goes ahead, how do we all work collaboratively on a tri-party basis,” Masters said.
She hopes council will approve the preliminary design consultant so that the rail relocation work could run in tandem with the construction of the canola crushing plant.
Right in the middle of the potential project is the Co-op Refinery Complex.
It said over the years it has built around the rail track, but relocating them could open opportunities for the plant.
“It will allow us an opportunity to really take a look at that railway infrastructure and hopefully will allow us to create some efficiencies,” Brad DeLorey, director of communications and public affairs for the Co-op Refinery, said.
DeLory added that the refinery has been consulted on this and looks forward to more discussions going forward.
Council will discuss this report on August 11.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.