June 25, 2024
FREDERICTON – In light of recent news that train travel through New Brunswick will take even longer now due to lack of maintenance on the tracks in northern New Brunswick, Green Party leader David Coon is calling for the province of New Brunswick to buy that length of track and maintain it for passenger rail..
“The slow travel times on the VIA train through New Brunswick are unacceptable for a public service,” he stated. “The New Brunswick Transportation Authority needs to be reinvigorated and used to acquire this section of track and improve it for the benefit of New Brunswickers.”
To provide even more of a benefit to New Brunswickers, Coon is also calling on the government to use the New Brunswick Transportation Authority to launch a commuter rail service on the tracks between Campbellton and Sackville that will bind the north and south together. This will provide reliable and rapid public transportation to access healthcare, to commute to work and school, and keep families connected.
“With high gas prices, climate change and an aging population, New Brunswickers are looking for public transportation as an alternative to driving,” said Coon. “It is the responsibility of the government to make this investment in the future of New Brunswick, one that can bring long-term benefits to our economy, our environment, and our people.”
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