It’s been an inconvenience for many commuters in Regina for decades, but the city’s plan to relocate the rail tracks on Ring Road is a step closer to being materialized as city council looks into jumpstarting the preliminary process for it.
“So, in terms of how the city works through the process, we develop preliminary design, that according to..frankly federal law, and that’s worked out with a rail consultant, we take that to the respective rail companies to determine if that’s feasible and acceptable,” said Regina Mayor Sandra Masters on Wednesday.
Masters adds that the preliminary process will come with a hefty price tag and take at least a year to complete.
“Preliminary design funding needs to be approved, preliminary design over probably the next 12 months will be worked through and that can be delayed depending upon what other organizations have for emergent issues, everyone’s busy,” Masters said.
At the same time — the city is also ordering a safety report on the Ring Road.
“In terms of understanding future needs and capacity for the Ring Road, but also we’ve had growth, we’ve got more vehicles on the road and we need to understand how that’s impacting public safety,” she said.
When it comes to where the city will actually be relocating the rail line, Masters says the plan is to move it north and out of the city, away from residential areas as well.