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Ceasing Operations

Wednesday, 18 December 2013 14:14

St Thomas & Eastern Railway, will stop servicing Norfolk, Tillsonburg and Elgin County starting Friday due to costly rail upgrades.

Come Friday, six Tillsonburg businesses will be losing their only east/west rail connection.
 
Trillium Railway, which owns St Thomas and Eastern Railway announced earlier this week they would be ceasing local operations December 20 because the cost of updating bridges and trestles is just too high. 
 
Tillsonburg Mayor John Lessif says it comes down to a safety.
 
Lessif says the number one alternative to trains is truck transportation which will add significant cost to doing business.
 
"Not only that, if all the goods that are currently being transported by rail end up in transportation trucks, it could add another 4500 transportation trucks, from Norfolk to Elgin, St Thomas to our road system. That would not be a good thing either."
 
Lessif says the closure will have a real economic impact on those industries using the rail line.
 
"These are all very vibrant businesses that are using the rail line, it will add to the cost of them doing business. Any time you add cost to doing business, that impacts your profit, it could impact reinvestment in that business."
 
Lessif says if a new service provider cannot be found by CN by June 20, the line will be completely shut down and force the businesses using it to move to transport trucks to move their goods, a move that would significantly increase their cost of doing business.
 
Businesses using the line include Johnson Controls, Wellmaster Pipe and Supply as well as International Beams. 

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