AHN Staff
Ottawa, Ontario (AHN) - Four federal Tory and opposition MPs will visit New York and Washington next week to observe the Amtrak high-speed rail system. The Canadian MPs want to be sure Ottawa is prepared for linkage with American rail systems to more Canadian destinations after U.S. President Barack Obama promised $13 billion to improve passenger rail service in a dozen American rail routes.
The rail routes are expected to spill over to some Canadian cities like Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Windsor.
The MPs will particularly try Amtrak's Acela Express, which runs the Boston-New York-Philadelphia-Washington route.
Among the aspects of the proposed U.S. rail link expansion the Canadian lawmakers are studying is the cost of the rail link to Canadian commuters.
The four MPs are Conservative Party members Mervin Tweed and Brian Jean, who belong to the House of Commons transport committee, Liberal Transport critic Joe Volpe and Bloc Quebecois Transport Critic Mario Laframboise.
Canadians had a foretaste of the expanded rail service after Amtrak's Cascades train started its second service between Seattle and Vancouver in British Columbia on Aug. 19. It is an extension of current service between Bellingham and Vancouver.
The service is on a pilot run until the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in a bid to boost cross-border tourism between the two North American neighbors. A southbound Cascade train which leaves Vancouver at 6:40 a.m. will arrive in Portland, Oregon at 2:45 p.m.
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