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Regina mayor says Ring Road rail line relocation discussions advancing

Regina Mayor Sandra Masters says discussions are advancing in a possible Ring Road rail relocation. Jonathan Guignard / Global News

Some Regina residents may be wondering if there will ever be a day where they don’t have to be caught in a long line up waiting for a train to pass through Ring Road.

Well, that day may come sooner than expected.

Regina Mayor Sandra Masters joined Global Regina’s Daniella Ponticelli on Friday morning to talk about a number of city hall-related topics. One of the questions on the show was regarding the relocation of the train tracks on Ring Road.

Masters noted how the previous city council in 2019 had voted to approve some money to go to a consultant, who works specifically with rail lines, to determine the feasibility of a relocation.

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Now that discussions are beginning to pick up, she said the next step for city council is to hire a preliminary design consultant — a cost of approximately $2 million.

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“There’s an increased sense of focus on this with the announcement from Viterra in terms of moving north of the city. There’s an alignment there since they need access to rail and we have a desire to move rail,” Masters mentioned.

The mayor is referring to Viterra’s announcement from April of a proposed canola-crushing plant in Regina, which the company said will be the largest of its kind in the world.

Masters added that the city has a good relationship with CP Rail and CN Rail, who have spoken to the city about the possibility of moving the tracks.

“We’re all at the table now talking about what that design could potentially look like, how it needs to look to satisfy all the parties,” said Masters.

The discussion will be back before council at their next meeting on Aug. 11.

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