Vancouver Islanders appear to be in strong support of revitalizing the rail corridor, according to a recent survey.
The Island Corridor Foundation has released the results of a recent survey they conducted, aimed at collecting input from Island residents regarding rail service.
According to the data, 80 per cent of survey respondents believe that the Federal and Provincial governments should fund a modern and revitalized rail system for Vancouver Island.
The majority of respondents (89 per cent) also felt that they would utilize a rail service, if it met their needs, while 79 per cent felt that rail service would positively impact tourism in the area.
The survey also shows that 81 per cent of respondents believe that rail service should also receive a subsidy to support ongoing operations.
The Island Corridor Foundation highlighted that the strongest areas of support were in Vancouver Island’s two most populous cities, Victoria and Nanaimo.
Although the big cities showed the most support, the foundation added that there was seemingly a high level of positive interest from communities right across Vancouver Island.
“We appreciate the time Islanders took to provide their views on the restoration of rail service. The tremendous response underscores the importance of this issue for our communities. The results should leave no doubt in anyone’s mind that the people of Vancouver Island want to see rail service restored,” said Larry Stevenson, CEO of the Island Corridor Foundation.
Mayor Leonard Krog echoed the sentiments of Stevenson, suggesting that Islanders are sending a message.
“The people of Vancouver Island have spoken loud and clear. They want the Province to get on board with all of us who want our railway restored.”
The survey was conducted from September 18 to September 26 by a third-party contractor, Webstation Global Systems Inc.
According to the survey results, 3533 responses were received and 2979 of those responses gave a valid postal code for Vancouver Island regions adjacent to the corridor.
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Graham Cox
