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By Corey Fischer
Electric Rail Service Could Be Future Fo

Electric Rail Service Could Be Future For Okanagan

Nov 15, 2018 | 11:00 AM

The cost would be big, but a Vernon councillor says so would the benefits of electric passenger rail service in the Okanagan.

Scott Anderson is urging councils in the valley to take a closer at the idea put forward by Dr. Gord Lovegrove, an associate engineering professor at UBC Okanagan.

“An article caught my attention Facebook proposing a hydrogen cell, I believe it is, railway, specifically between here and Kelowna, but he’s talking about a more regional design,” Anderson tells Beach Radio News.

The cost for the project between Vernon and Osoyoos is estimated by Lovegrove at 1.5 billion dollars, which he says would be cleaner and safer than cars and buses.

Anderson says this is a big picture idea that is worth looking into.

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“We tend to get bogged down in daily minutia and never look very far ahead. This is something I’d like to see us look a little farther ahead.”

Anderson says the line wouldn’t replace cars, but it could reduce congestion and use cleaner fuel.

“He’s talking about using either the roadways or the median or some existing thoroughfares. It’s not very land intensive.”

Lovegrove, who was a candidate for Kelowna council in October , is urging valley communities to start planning for the line now.

“While we enjoy this envious quality of life, we must also take steps to preserve it for our future generations , and to leave a legacy we can be proud of,” says Lovegrove.

Photo: Coradio iLint is an emission free electric train

by Corey Fischer

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