Nanaimo City Council will consider asking city planners to include the island rail corridor in future transit planning.
CEO of Island Corridor Foundation Thomas Bevin presented to council at a meeting on September 16 to discuss the state of the corridor and opportunities.
“It is important as this island starts to become more dense, more urban, more bottlenecks on the Malahat or getting to Port Alberni can be very challenging too,” says Bevin. “What are we to the future is our question.”
The Island Corridor Foundation is a non-profit organization which was formed to own and manage the rail corridor. It is advocating for passenger rail on the island, as well as a trail along the railway.
According to the foundation’s website, about 80 per cent of Vancouver Island’s population lives withing five kilometers of the railway, with the exception of the north island and Saanich Peninsula.
“In my personal opinion, the island corridor is just such an extremely important transportation spine on the island, with so much potential,” said Nanaimo city councilor Ian Thorpe.
The rail runs through fourteen Indigenous communities, and Bevin says it’s important for each nation to be a partner for any efforts to make use of the corridor. “The nations need to walk first,” Bevin claims. “We are directed by the nations and absolutely, where reversionary rights apply.”
Bevin is encouraging the city to consider the rail corridor when creating plans for urban areas, such as Woodgrove and the country club area.
Councilor Hilary Eastmure spurred a notice of motion which will be a topic of discussion at their next meeting, and city staff could be directed to create policies and plans which provide clear connection to the corridor.
