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A Closer Look At Short Line Railways

Oxford County Council is taking a closer look at the benefits and high cost of short line railways.

OXFORD COUNTY - County Council is looking to empower the short line railways within Oxford.

Shippers and receivers transporting goods along main rail lines like the Ontario Southland Railway could use the short lines to distribute products to broader areas within Oxford County.

Warden David Mayberry says the downfall is short line railways can be expensive to repair and maintain.

"They're usually almost abandoned rail lines that the larger companies have decided they don't want anymore so their cost of repair is even higher than what it is for the main lines per kilometre of distance."

It's not uncommon for main rail lines to spend 20 to 25 percent of their gross income on repairs.

Mayberry will discuss short line railways with the Federal Minister of Transport and the Ontario Minister of Transportation. He hopes the governments will implement a tax credit program in order to help offset the costs of repair. He also would like the governments to update the eligibility criteria for short line railways to apply for federal infrastructure funding and he would like to help establish pooled insurance for short lines.

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