Vage 4A — THE SUNDAY — February 7, 1982 —

The Directors of the C.P.R. are | Calling for thei improvements,:. hopefully expecting the Provincial * Government to back out, or alternatively knuckle under out of necessity and that C.P.R. will obtain modernized track at no cost to.

. themselves plus user charges. By all « means let the Provincial Government spend $30 million but ownership >, * would revert io the people with C.P.R,

4 1 4 { 4

Editor:

Congratulations to Lee Rankin for his front. page article on commuter rail. | have long suspected that negotiations were in stalemate as” “tenders for park and ride construction should: have been called last October ; i ‘to meet. the ‘September 1982 opening date. *..

’ Port Coquitlam mayor Len "x ‘Traboulay is correct in assessing the Canadian Pacific Railway. as ‘Tenegging on its. intention to allow a ’ ‘commuter rail corridor.

Negotiations were progressing smoothly un‘il C.P.R. suddenly threw . .into the ring their demand forasum of: money-that originally was in excess of “the $30 million they are now quoted as 4 asking for track roadbed improve-.1 ments. The Canadian Pacific Railway ‘ “would have. us think that operating conditions have changed on the line. but the facts are that absolute volumes are down since last year and long slow trains are still sent up and down the . line on an as-come basis (accordingto ¢ the yard office) apparently with little or no schedule.

A railroad that permits such casual inefficient use as they come of the |? miles of track into Vancouver obviously has low operating and | overhead costs for such expensive real estate.

C.P.R. in calling for track road bed improvements are in reality asking the = taxpayer to carry out maintenance » that is urgently required at this time by the company and to avoid the cost of i modernization that is becoming more © necessary and would normally aiso be . a company expense. . a)

‘CPR is backt

“ paying

the lease.

The present day conglomerate of; hipuing air and other interests that has grown from the Canadian Pacific Railway owes its beginning to the ‘ concessions in land and rights of way given by the Canadian peoples. It is :

now time that the directors of the . recognize that a moral obligation exists to work in harmony

C.P.R.

From Page 4

- See Page 7A

. The ‘original Urban -

with adjoin-. » Transit Authority report

ving communities instead of Piling gain upon gain.

in today’s complex society the rights of way previously enjoyed

‘solely by the railway

companies now have

. multiple metropolitan

rolls in people transpor- tation. Fast trans porta-

‘tion between city and,

suburban centres will

- bring about demogra-

phic chan ges in commer-.

‘cialand residential

*, patterns that are vitally .

important to all munici-. oPalities bordering the ; line. .

; based on a Canadian ‘Pacific Consulting ~ Services feasibility study . in conjunction with an. independeent railway? consultant, allowed tha

commuter service was”

possible and in terms of

todays dollar, track and.

computerized traffic controls would Gost $6,

. million, in. a

, If the municipalities

~are to avoid delay or

postponement of .com-

: muter rail due to what

can only be described as *Legalized extortien by

nO S see

racking

C.P.R., their strength | ‘lies in coming togethert for concerted effort to apply pressure, that can .also be direct, at Local,’ . “Provincial and Federal, ,

"In the past | obtained municipal support for commuter rail and |

- believe it is even more

imperitive that the Mayors and/or their

“representatives come “together and discuss a

plan of action to put commuter rail back on the tracks... =

- To the res_ective “Mayors, Gentlemen, I

(request your support for 3 joint action. .- aoe Yours truly, . Keith Ballantyne, !Port Coquitlam