Mayor Bill Norrie says his recent visit to a West German transit rail plant has persuaded him an electric, light-rail system is the answer to Winnipeg's traffic woes.
Norrie, a fierce opponent of light-rail transit in the 1970s, said his two-day visit last week to the Siemens Ltd. plant in Duesseldorf has changed his mind. "I think I've become a convert to the electric light-rail transit system."
Norrie said Siemens has developed technology for light rail vehicles similar to but cheaper than those in Edmonton and Calgary. The decade-old Alberta systems cost about $700 million each. Norrie estimated Winnipeg could get away with paying less than $300 million.
Norrie said Siemens officials will visit Winnipeg early in the New Year when a more accurate cost estimates would be available.
The mayor said a final tab depends on the size and type of platforms and other facilities Winnipeg will go for.
City council has allocated $58 million for a diesel-run busway system for the south Winnipeg corridor along Pembina Highway.
It will link downtown and The Forks park via a proposed transit mall on Graham Avenue. The system will eventually link downtown with suburban quadrants.
Norrie said Manitoba's abundance of cheap hydro makes the light rail system much more attractive — a point former mayor Stephen Juba used to urge one.
Juba quit as mayor in 1977 partly because of the civic administration's staunch opposition, supported by Norrie among others, to a light-rail transit system.
Norrie said a feasibility study will be complete in about four months. He will then take up the matter with the province and Ottawa. He said without help from the two senior governments, the city won't be able to do it.
He said light-rail transit is very quiet — a plus because the proposed south Winnipeg route goes through residential areas.
Meanwhile, the mayor said he was also impressed with a recreational facility in the Dutch city of Rotterdam.
Forks Renewal Corp. officials want a similar facility for The Forks park.
Norrie said a final decision on that facility, estimated to cost about $25 million, will be taken only if Forks officials can find a local businessman interested in forming a joint venture with a Dutch entrepreneur.
The plan is to lease part of The Forks park to the venture to build the domed facility which would have water slides, floatation centres, swimming pools and environmentally controlled health spas.
Norrie and Forks officials met with the Dutch businessman, but said those talks were very preliminary.