New railway track to bypass downtown Lac-Mgantic

Nearly five years after a runaway train laden with fuel killed 47 people after it derailed and exploded in the centre of Lac-Mgantic, Radio-Canada has confirmed Ottawa and the province will move ahead with a $133-million project to build a new track bypassing the community.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard are expected to make the official announcement in Lac-Mgantic Friday.

Since the tragedy, many residents of the town 100 kilometres east of Sherbrooke, Que.,have been demanding trains stop running through the town.

Third option chosen

Last year, Quebec's environmental review board held public consultations in the community to evaluate three proposed routes for the new track.

The third of those options, which was approved by the review board and supported by elected officials in Lac-Mgantic, will go ahead.

The bypass will begin west of the village of Frontenac and cross the ChaudireRiver, then run parallel to existing tracks in Lac-Mgantic's industrial sector before ending at the intersection of highways161 and 262.

In March,Trudeau confirmed financial support for the rail bypass on social media, and federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau said Ottawa would contribute a "substantial amount." However, no money was set aside for Lac-Mgantic in the last federal budget.

Residents taken aback

Robert Bellefleur, the spokesperson for a coalition of concerned citizens in Lac-Mgantic said he's disappointed residents have been told nothing about the decision to go aheadwith the bypass.

"The province's environmental review board suggested the three municipalities affected be informed about the evolution of the project through public meetings," he said.

"But that never happened. We're hearing about this for the first time this morning."

"It seems the decision was made on the sly, behind closed doors," he said.

Bellefleur said he thinks the chosen route for the bypass will be divisive for the communities of Lac-Mgantic, Nantes and Frontenac.

"We would have preferred the route that runs further north, rather than that which has been chosen," he said.

"It would have been more acceptable for residents."

Bellefleur said the municipalities have already suffered enough, and the government should be trying to unite rather than divide them.

Two meetings are scheduled, with the mayor of Lac-Mgantic and with residents who will be affected by the new track, today and tomorrow.