Canada’s new rail safety improvements, especially regarding climate change, demonstrate their commitment to the safety of Canadians, a greener economy, and creating good middle-class jobs.
Yesterday July 4, Omar Alghabra, the Minister of Transport and Diane Lebouthillier, the Minister of National Revenue and Member of Parliament for Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine, brought forth a multi-year investment project of more than $10 million towards a rail infrastructure project in Port-Daniel-Gascons, Québec.
This project will include some significant installments, such as a large retaining wall to protect the cliffs along the coastline from further erosion and possible collapses and has an expected lifespan of 75 years. The wall will be designed with the forces of waves and tides expected in the future in mind and based on climate change predictions up to the year 2050.
There will also be repairments made to railway tracks, installing a water drainage system beneath the railroad on the side of the retaining wall and ditches between railways and adjacent roads. A portion of the Gaspésie Railway is subject to waves, storms, and flooding during severe weather events and rising water levels; climate change will decrease winter ice cover, posing a powerful threat to coastal infrastructure and areas.
“As we all know, with repeated and increasingly severe sea storms and the resulting accelerated erosion of shorelines, the Gaspé Peninsula and the Magdalen Islands have a front-row seat to climate change.” Diane Lebouthillier said. With yesterday’s announcement, the government is taking concrete steps to adapt our rail infrastructure, strengthen our supply chains and thus continue to build a strong economy that benefits our beautiful region.
This project will therefore increase rail safety in the area as part of the 39 total approved projects across Canada under the new Climate Change and Adaptation to Extreme Weather Infrastructure component of the Rail Safety Improvement Program (RSIP) with an over $29 million total investment over the next three years.
The funding through the Rail Safety Improvement Program will allow recipients to improve rail infrastructure, look into innovative solutions, and teach Canadians more about railway safety. RSIP also provides funding to governments, as well as road and transit authorities, crown corporations, for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, academia and Indigenous communities. The goal is to improve railroad safety and reduce railroad-related injuries and fatalities.
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