Mr. Speaker, the transport minister is aware of the terrible traffic problems in my riding of Langley. I met with him and his senior staff in B.C. He knows a rail line runs right through the middle of Langley cutting the community in half. Many times every day, trains over 15,000 feet long close all five crossings at the same time, making it impossible for traffic, including emergency vehicles, to move.
The trains are bringing containers to and from the growing Deltaport container facility. This port needs to expand and is part of the rumoured $560 million gateway project for B.C. It would mean a dramatic increase in the number of trains which would be devastating to Langley. Solutions discussed at a stakeholder meeting include rail overpasses to remove the conflict between the trains and the cars, permitting safe movement of goods and people.
I hope the transport minister will guarantee that part of the $560 million will be used to support building rail overpasses in Langley.