Despite my less than enjoyable Amtrak experience, I am someone who truly loves trains. They are more comfortable, more efficient, better for the environment and provide a perspective, a way of seeing the country that cannot be matched by car or bus. It is truly a shame that passenger service in this country is so lacking and that politicians are so ignorant to the benefits of rail. Which is why it caused my heart to jump a little when I heard that Elizabeth May was making a whistlestop tour an important part of her campaign. Something no national leader has done since John Diefenbaker in the 50’s.
Like many people, I have read about the glorious history of the whistlestop tour (and played a lot of Railroad Tycoon, which by default makes me an expert) and feel a little nostalgic for a those more honourable political times – even though I was not alive when they were going on. It coincides with that romantic notion of the train, a feeling that will never die – at least not in me.
I have long hoped for a politician who shares my affinity with this simpler means of transportation. I may not always support the Green Party, but I have enormous respect for this decision and the message that it sends to Canadians. If we hope to reduce our carbon footprint on this planet, we have to dive back into rail as a primary mode of transportation for people, and not just freight. We need to build new track, buy new trains, replace old bridges and adopt the most current signalling technology. This is the right decision, no matter who the idea comes from.
I’m not saying get rid of the car, the plane or the bus, but we need to understand rail better as country and the benefits it has to offer. We cannot let complacency, nimbyism, or ignorance rob Canadians of this opportunity to build a better country tied together by rail. Kudos to Elizabeth May. I hope the tour goes well.
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