Summit on Rail Transportation

The Quebec Ministry of Transport held a Summit on Rail Transportation in Drummondville, Quebec on December 9th. This Summit was the first of its kind in 30 years. The event which aimed to stimulate reflection and discussion on the future of rail transport in Quebec was part of a larger consultation strategy that started last June with sectoral meetings, followed by regional meetings throughout Quebec. Nearly 400 hundred people took part in these meetings and more than 60 briefs were submitted to the Quebec Ministry of Transport.

Rail safety was a subject that was raised many times during these consultations and is a shared concern of the government. The Summit on Rail Transportation offered an opportunity to take stock of priorities for intervention, to clarify the responsibilities of stakeholders, to consolidate the collaboration of the partners, including the Government of Canada, which has the majority jurisdiction, and to foster better consultation with municipalities. The concerns regarding proximity issues were discussed during the afternoon session and included questions related to the voluntary adoption of the FCM-RAC Proximity Guidelines by municipalities.