Glen T.

Fisher
Railway Planning and Design Consultants

The Canadian Transportation Agency June 3, 2010

Attention: The Secretary
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A9

Application to Oppose the Transfer and Discontinuance of a railway line that is within
the jurisdiction of the Parliament of Canada

1. The Railway Line to be protected and not discontinued is the track and right-
of-way of the Canadian Pacific Railway, Montreal & Ottawa (M&O)
Subdivision, mile 0.0 to mile 16.45, that is, between Vaudreuil and Rigaud
Quebec.

2. The Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT) of Montreal has indicated that

it has negotiated to acquire this railway line from CPR and intends to
discontinue the existing commuter passenger train service between mile 8.42
and Rigaud, mile 16.45 and to sell the right-of-way and track.

3. This has happened as a result of the AMT notifying the city of Rigaud that it
will increase the yearly subsidy payment it requires of Rigaud from about
$150,000 in 2009 to over $300,000 commencing July 1st this year. Rigaud
has objected but was unable to reduce this large amount and so has had to
notify AMT that it will not pay the subsidy. AMT has reacted by serving notice
to terminate the small one-train-each-way Monday to Friday service it
provides.

4. Discontinuance of a service is usually only permitted when the incremental

cost of operation exceeds the incremental revenue from operating the service
and with consideration of transportation alternatives that could substitute for
the existing service. Environmental and social issues are also considered and
for federally regulated services are weighed with high importance and careful
evaluation..

5. The “variable cost” or incremental cost of operating this service is very small.
Crew wages might usually be a factor but for this commuter train the
Engineman and the Conductor who are paid according to mileage traveled,
are at the minimum base level of mileage-per-day. Reducing the mileage
worked by the distance between the points mentioned will not achieve any
saving in wages. Locomotive fuel can be calculated for such service at about
4.0 litres-per-mile and thus would amount to less than four dollars per mile or
about 32 dollars each way for the distance from Hudson to Rigaud.

Glen T. Fisher 1
Railway Planning and Design Consultants
Ottawa: 6 Glacier Street, Nepean, K2J 2M8, ON
Montreal: 555 Notre Dame St, Lachine QC, H2S 2B2
Tel: 514 634 3116 e-mail: glentfisher@videotron.ca
 Glen T. Fisher
Railway Planning and Design Consultants

6. Locomotive servicing is on a date-based schedule so this daily mileage factor

of 16 miles has no effect. The coaches would have only wheel wear as a
mileage related cost and it will be negligible for this small mileage.

7. Rigaud is at the end of the line and there is no extra train distance or crew
mileage to get there nor to return. The service is an early train in the morning
and the same train returns to Rigaud in the evening remaining there overnight.
There are no enroute expenses that are properly accountable to the Rigaud
segment of the service, not even train dispatching. There is no ABS signaling
as the signals were never repaired after the 1998 ice storm and with only one
train on the line at a time, the signals and Rail Traffic Control supervision is not
necessary beyond Vaudreuil.

8. Where does the subsidy paid to AMT by the City of Rigaud go in relation to
costs of Rigaud passengers in addition to the fares that they pay? It is usually
supposed that it goes to the cost of track maintenance. An inspection of the
track at the level crossing points shows that there have been no obvious tie
replacements for more than 35 years. Some replacements are needed now
according to the track maintenance expert advising me, Mr. Pierre
Laframboise, and the cost for the Vaudreuil-Hudson and Hudson-Rigaud
segments covering 16 miles would be about $875,000.

9. Over the last 10 years, Rigaud and the Town of Hudson have paid about $
one million each in subsidies or $ two million in total. Clearly if this money had
been spent on the track maintenance it was supposed to cover, then no
upgrading would be required now and there would not be a necessary slow-
order of 30 mph between Hudson and Rigaud.

10. It is important to recognize that the Vaudreuil-Rigaud line is part of an inter-

provincial railway, connecting into Ontario in the past hundred years and
probably again in the future, serving VIA and its passengers in western
Quebec and eastern Ontario. As such, this line must not be abandoned and
removed but kept available until the Ontario portion of the service is needed
again for social and economic development, and as the most environmentally
efficient alternative to highway transport.

11. The proposed purchase is by the Agence métropolitaine de transport which is

a not-regulated agency of the Government of Quebec reporting only to the
Minister of Transport. As a past and future inter-provincial railway link, it
should remain in the ownership of a Federally Regulated railway company,
CPR or possibly VIA Rail, if that seems desirable. There is no useful purpose
to be served by transfer of ownership and partial discontinuance, no cost
saving and there are no operational reasons. There are many reasons related
to future issues that should not allow transfer or discontinuance.

Glen T. Fisher 2
Railway Planning and Design Consultants
Ottawa: 6 Glacier Street, Nepean, K2J 2M8, ON
Montreal: 555 Notre Dame St, Lachine QC, H2S 2B2
Tel: 514 634 3116 e-mail: glentfisher@videotron.ca
 Glen T. Fisher
Railway Planning and Design Consultants

12. AMT should lease the track and infrastructure it that it needs from CPR or VIA
and should continue to operate trains and increase service to create demand
and the resulting convenience.

13. The missing track maintenance money must be located and recovered and the
surplus if any after carrying out the neglected track maintenance must be
refunded to the Town of Hudson and to the City of Rigaud. New subsidy
amounts must be reasonable and must conform to actual costs expended.

14. New markets for the train service to Hudson and Rigaud from Montreal should
be possible and would encourage better environmental awareness as well as
stimulate economic growth and well-being in this area of Western Quebec and
Eastern Ontario. It should be possible to establish local travel and commuter
service from the eastern Ontario towns into Montreal as each has much to
offer the other in agriculture, industry, development and quality living.

15. An example of possible new markets is an event planned (described in

Appendix-1) done by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA)
for its 1993 Annual General Meeting on the subject of Commuter Rail. For this
event a special commuter train opportunity was created using an STM train-
set to bring the entire meeting attendance and spouses to a sugaring-off party,
at a cabane à sucre near Rigaud. The Montreal new train equipment, fast non-
stop trip from Lucien’L’Allier to Rigaud, the cabane à sucre with horse wagon
rides was a superb dinner and after dinner fun. It could be done as a regular
event on several weekends each year for Montrealers and tourists alike.
During the winter Mont-Rigaud has superb skiing, day and night. And of
course the region has many summer activities too. Rigaud and Hudson area
residents should be able to take the trains after Normal rush-hours to attend
Montreal’s famous summer events such as the Grande-Prix, the Jazz Festival
and the Just-For-Laughs festivals.

16. Protecting, improving and keeping the train service to Hudson, Rigaud and
beyond is important for the future, for our common heritage and for our
prosperity and its environment.

Respectfully submitted:

Glen T. Fisher, P. Eng. B. Comm.

Copy to:
1. Canadian Pacific Railway, Vice President Law, Calgary AB
2. Agence mertrpolitaine de transport, Montreal, Attn.
Michel Veilleux, Vice President, Planning and Innovation

Glen T. Fisher 3
Railway Planning and Design Consultants
Ottawa: 6 Glacier Street, Nepean, K2J 2M8, ON
Montreal: 555 Notre Dame St, Lachine QC, H2S 2B2
Tel: 514 634 3116 e-mail: glentfisher@videotron.ca