Commuters say they need early train to return to service

Nothing else has worked so Brant MPP Larry Brock and Mayor Kevin Davis are ramping up their campaign to get Train 82 back on track, serving commuters who need to get to work in Toronto.

“It is unsustainable to have a two- or two-and-a-half hour drive to get to work,” said Lesley Langdon at a Bring Back Train 82 rally Saturday, led by Brock and Davis.

“I’m exhausted. I can’t do it much longer.”

Langdon said she and her husband – both civil servants – moved their family from Burlington and love Brantford.

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. I love this city and don’t want to leave this city.”

But, after enjoying a commute that was faster, cheaper and gave her the ability to sleep, eat or check email while travelling, she now has to drive to Toronto or take a late train which gets her to work unacceptably late at 10:30 am

Just one of about 75 people who attended the rally, Langdon was joined by others holding signs expressing their frustration.

Brock told the crowd that, as a Crown corporation, Via is pitting portions of the population against the government by ensuring certain services are offered in one area but not another.

Train 82 used to ensure workers in Windsor, London, Woodstock and Brantford could arrive in Toronto around 8:30 and be at their desks by 9 am

“Via’s decision to drop the train from the schedule during the pandemic may have been excusable,” Brock said, “but we are now in a post-pandemic environment. We’ve lost citizens of this wonderful city who had to move.”

Brock said writing letters, making requests and even speaking in the House of Commons hasn’t worked so he and Davis have a plan: they warned Via supervisors on a late morning train heading east Saturday to tell the Via president they’re coming to talk to him.

Davis and Brock plan to travel to Montreal by train, documenting their journey for social media and attempting to confront the Via leadership in person.

“Tell them we’ll be knocking on (the president’s) door,” Brock told train staff.

Davis said there’s no reason Train 82 couldn’t be reinstated within days.

“They have the ability. I’ve talked to many builders interested in developing Market Street near here for housing but they say there’s got to be train service.”

Another protester pointed out that all the former train commuters who now use cars to travel to work are adding to problems of traffic, air pollution and stress.

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