To the Editor,
After my April 29 Alto letter to the editor, I researched the history of railroads across Prescott-Russell. At least two passenger railroads were started and never completed. Will Alto be the third? Other railway lines were abandoned a long time ago and have been mostly levelled. One exception–the Recreational Trail.
In 1906, plans were made for a passenger railroad line between Montréal and Ottawa. The Central Railway of Canada graded a railway line between McAlpine and Lemieux. The railroad bed passed just north of St-Bernardin and south of Fournier and Riceville. Plans were to later grade to Hawkesbury and to Limoges. This railway line was to cross the Ottawa River in Hawkesbury then go to Montréal on the north side of the Ottawa River. Sounds familiar? It gets better!
Land was purchased, surveyed, and prepared to receive thousands of ties and tons of steel rail. This project was likely seen as bringing great economic development for the communities. For instance, after the news, two banks rushed to open a branch in Fournier. A passenger railway line was surely exciting news given that people relied on horses for transportation and roads were rudimentary.
As per Railway and Shipping World, April 1906, ‘Senator Domville has returned from Great Britain where he has been for some time seeking to finance the construction of this projected electric railway from Montréal to Ottawa thence to Georgian Bay and on to St. Thomas.’ An electric railway almost 1,000 km long! Sounds so familiar yet again!
Why would a Senator be spending time looking for funds to finance this railroad project? In 1906, the four major sources of income for the federal government were Customs, Excise Tax, Canada Post and Railways. Income tax was introduced as a temporary measure to help fund World W War One in 1917. Therefore, back in 1906, investors were needed for major projects. They would have wanted to see solid business plans, guarantees and serious convincing. Today, the taxpayers are the investors. ‘Trust us, we know best’ is the prospectus!
The Central Railway of Canada stopped all work in 1913. The project never restarted. Lawsuits and injunctions ended it. There are visual remnants of this former railway bed between McAlpine and Lemieux.
As a side note, the construction of another short line for passengers between L’Orignal and Caledonia Springs started in 1874 and ended in 1876, with the railway bed and bridges completed.
One major difference between our abandoned railways and the proposed Alto railway line is that those railway beds were easily levelled. Not this proposed railway. If the project stops for any reason, and there are numerous risks, this massive infrastructure will continue to divide our communities forever! Risks like a change of government, an economic downturn, excessive financial costs or equipment/infrastructure failures could stop this project cold. So many things go wrong with major infrastructure projects these days!
Will our history with passenger trains repeat itself or will it be different this time?
Jean-Denis Methot
