The transformation of a city striving for connection, unity and a new identity suddenly looks possible.

To put it in a pun, London may finally be on the track it wants.

Friday’s announcement that the province will begin the environmental assessment for a high-speed rail line connecting Windsor, London, Kitchener-Waterloo and Toronto means more than a quick ride to Blue Jays, Leafs and Raptors games — although there’s nothing wrong with that.

The line would connect this city, which can feel more an island surrounded by farmers’ fields, with the rest of the world in countless ways. And it could start soldering connections within the city that’s the dream of the London Plan and the thousands of people who support it and who voted in a radically different city council.

“This is a real game changer for London,” London MPP Deb Matthews said after the announcement by Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca. “We’ll actually be getting closer to Toronto than further away,” she said of the next step in the plan that could eventually give Londoners a one-hour, 15-minute train ride to the Big Smoke.

In recent years, she said, London seems farther and farther away from the big city because it takes longer to travel there.

“There’s no certainty how long it’s going to take to get to Toronto or back home again . . . that’s a big barrier to companies looking to locate or expand in London.”

The high-speed rail, she said, “opens up our world of opportunity.”

But the tracks won’t be on the ground anytime soon. Del Duca said he couldn’t even guess as to when construction might begin.

“It’s impossible to make that determination today,” he said after announcing the next stage of the project would begin early next year.

The environmental assessment, which could last as many as six years, includes consultations with municipalities, business leaders, First Nations communities and conservation authorities to determine the best route and technology for the rail, Del Duca said.

The high-speed rail line is one part of the Liberals $29-billion, 10-year infrastructure plan to address transit, roads, bridges and highways.

It’s been criticized for being too slow, but Del Duca said the process is quicker than it used to be. Before 2008, he said, transit environmental assessments could take more than a decade.

“People have to understand this is a very significant and massive transportational project,” he said. “It’s very important that we get this right.”

The London Free Press’s multi-year examination of the city’s identity, called What’s London, explored the concept of the city as a collection of disconnected elements in turn disconnected from the rest of the province.

The city’s ReThink London exercise and resulting London Plan, prompted in part by the newspaper series, concluded transit within the city and connections to the rest of the province were key to the city’s renewal.

“Exciting, exceptional and connected” is the London Plan’s stated vision for the city.

Many of the 11 new council members embrace that vision. Given London’s tight finances, that vision won’t be easy to accomplish without some kind of game changer from the province or elsewhere.?

So it’s no surprise the announcement was greeted warmly Friday by members of the business community, student leaders and several city politicians, including a pleased-looking Mayor Matt Brown.

“It’s good news for London. It’s good news for our long-term economic development strategy,” said Brown, adding a high-speed rail would complement London’s rapid transit program and overall London plan.

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WHAT OTHERS SAID

Teresa Armstrong, New Democrat MPP for London-Fanshawe: “Today Londoners got some bad news when they found out unemployment in London is up. But the government seems more interested in burying the news by doubling down on an unfunded high-speed rail promise. This latest study will create work for consultants, not people in the Southwest.”

David Billson, president of rtraction web design company: “This opens up opportunity. We are starving for talent here. We know that London is a great place to raise a family, but we haven’t been able to capture the imagination of the young professional who wants a Toronto lifestyle. Having the Toronto lifestyle an hour away by train makes our community more compelling. Someone can (live in London) but get to Toronto for a concert or a Blue Jays game.”

Kapil Lakhotia, head of London Economic Development Corp:“This is really welcome news, as we are looking to develop our knowledge base.”

Mayor Matt Brown: “I want you to picture if you could (that) London could become a transportation hub. If you live in St. Thomas or Woodstock or Strathroy, you could drive to White Oaks Mall, hop onto rapid transit here in London and connect to our high-speed rail and be in Toronto in no time.”

Matt Helfand,Western University Student Union president: “It’s a very exciting prospect. There’s something to be said about the ability to get back and forth from our hometown to university city in a quick fashion. We like the idea, it’s very exciting, we think it will be great for the overall economy, but for students to benefit it has to be affordable.”

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CURRENT TRAVEL TIMES

Getting to Toronto now from London:

ViaRail: Most trips take about two hours, 10 minutes.

Private vehicle: About two hours, 15 minutes via Hwy. 401, but traffic conditions can lengthen that significantly.

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THE VISION



The plan:High-speed rail to connect Windsor, London, Kitchener-Waterloo and Pearson International Airport (another high-speed connection will take passengers downtown from Pearson).

Travel time:Undetermined, but train with connections could get Londoners to downtown Toronto in one hour, 15 minutes.

Cost: No estimates, but the high-speed line is one part of the Liberals’ $29-billion, 10-year infrastructure plan to address transit, roads, bridges and highways.