Transport Canada has submitted an application to the Canadian Transportation Agency for the Lac Mégantic rail bypass, a milestone that shifts the project from planning to regulatory review.
The filing opens the door to a formal assessment and public consultation, requirements under federal law before any shovels go in the ground. The department announced the step on September 20.
The bypass would reroute trains away from the town center on a new alignment of about 12.5km, a change intended to reduce risk in a community still defined by the 2013 oil train disaster that killed 47 people.
The corridor would cross the municipalities of Frontenac, Lac Mégantic, and Nantes, replacing the current track that cuts through downtown.
Canadian Pacific Kansas City will manage and ultimately own the new line, reflecting its acquisition of the Central Maine & Quebec Railway in 2019.
Ottawa and Quebec first pledged to finance the bypass in 2018, with a cost sharing formula that committed the federal government to 60% of construction and the province to the remaining 40%.
In a brief statement accompanying the application, Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said the goal is clear, we will remove the railroad tracks from downtown Lac-Mégantic.
The department’s notice adds that all materials needed to begin the agency’s independent review have been provided, which allows the CTA to organize consultations and assess the project’s impacts under its permitting mandate.
The CTA’s review under section 98 of the Canada Transportation Act is the key gate before construction.
Transport Canada has said work can begin only after all regulatory authorizations are in hand, including the agency’s certificate. Timing will hinge on the scope of public feedback and any conditions the regulator attaches to a construction approval.
The project has moved unevenly in recent years while governments assembled land and funding.
Ottawa reported that the necessary parcels were acquired by mid 2023, and subsequent federal disclosures showed earmarks that included a significant authority increase for the bypass during the 2024 fiscal year.
Local opposition over expropriations produced legal challenges, although a Federal Court ruling in late 2023 rejected an attempt to halt the process.
The agency review gives opponents and supporters another venue to argue route design, mitigation measures, and community impacts.
A swift approval would allow CPKC to start detailed construction planning and procurement.
