The Vancouver Island Transportation Corridor Coalition is a nonprofit society incorporated under the laws of the Province of British Columbia. Its charter is to bring modern and efficient rail infrastructure on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, as the core of its future transportation system. Its tactical work includes growing a broad coalition of partners, including both government and non-government groups as well as individuals, to contribute to help achieve these goals.
This is not about bringing back the E&N Dayliner. The VITCC believes in modern, clean and efficient rail service that integrates with all other forms of transportation including cycling, bus, taxi and park & ride facilities and more. The facts are that rail service can move freight and people in comfort and with an efficiency of up to twenty five times less GHG emissions.
We want special excursion trains that can take people from every station along the corridor to Mt. Washington to ski in the winter and mountain bike in the summer.
Our members envision being able to hop onto a train running every 20 minutes between Westhills and downtown Victoria and bring our bikes on board. We see a workforce that can relax and work on their digital devices while commuting safely (economic productivity).
We believe our island industries can thrive economically and our economic outlook to be very economic. We want to leave our planet a better place by helping reduce tens of thousands of car trips every day and by building cycling infrastructure alongside the rail right of way.
The VITCCs' goal is to help facilitate positive political change to bring about financial, environmental and social benefits, a triple-net bottom line. Rather than transportation options being evaluated by their economic viability, the VITCC believes our society should pursue economic, social and environmental benefits. After all, what good are economic returns without considering drivers are losing 40 hours every month stuck in traffic? If commuters can work during their commute by rail, the economic returns to society are staggering. The environmental cost of up to 80,000 vehicle trips being made each and every day along the E&N corridor on the south Island alone is off the charts. After all, we are paying a Carbon Tax which is meant to be used to provide Carbon-free alternatives!
In accordance with the Province of British Columbia's stated usage of revenues from the BC Carbon Tax, our belief is that restoration of rail has already been paid for by taxpayers of Vancouver Island.
The Society strongly supports integration and cooperation with ALL other forms of transportation such as cycling and pedestrian pathways, as well as ferry, taxi, other public transport integration and to continue to build upon the more than 100+ kilometers of cycling trails alongside the former E&N rail line.
Now it is time to hold elected officials accountable. Pledge your support to vote for only MLAs who will keep their promise to support our future. Our future quality of life depends on it. There are two choices - start now (less expensive) or later (more expensive and past the environmental tipping point).
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ENVIRONMENTAL
SOCIAL
SOCIAL
ECONOMIC
Social benefits of Rail
Rail offers us a chance to recapture time currently lost commuting. A historic 1908 timetable shows trips via rail from the Six Mile Pub in Colwood to downtown Victoria took only 18 minutes to complete. That was using steam engine technology, which accelerates far slower than modern diesel or electric commuter trains.
By using modern rail cars, powered with high-torque engines (electric or diesel/hybrid), this trip could be done much faster.
Rather than evaluating rail ONLY in terms of economics, society needs to consider the social benefits, weighted equally to environmental benefits.