Lac‑Mégantic Bypass Consultation on Groupe Conseil UDA Report and CMQR’s response

Background

The Canadian Transportation Agency (Agency) is reviewing an application for the construction of the Lac-Mégantic rail bypass, submitted by the Canadian Pacific Railway Company (doing business as CPKC) as the operating railway company and on behalf of Central Maine and Quebec Canada Railway Inc. (CMQR). This application is being reviewed under Section 98 of the Canada Transportation Act.

The public consultation held from November 12, 2025, to January 30, 2026, generated 340 submissions. The main concerns raised by participants related to potable wells, wetlands, groundwater, surface water, and forest and agricultural lands. These concerns were also raised during in-person sessions in Lac-Mégantic attended by over 100 participants.

Comments submitted during the previous consultation are available at Consultation on the Application for Authorization of the Lac-Mégantic Rail Bypass Project.

As part of its review of the application, the Agency panel retained Groupe Conseil UDA to conduct a hydrogeological assessment of the proposed bypass route. In its assessment, Groupe Conseil UDA concluded that the Lac-Mégantic Rail Bypass Project is not expected to cause water-related impacts that would be simultaneously permanent, impossible to mitigate and significant enough to prevent the project from moving forward. However, it expressed the view that impacts on groundwater, wetlands, and surrounding ecosystems are expected, and that some uncertainties remain. It recommends additional measures to help prevent and manage these potential risks to communities and the environment more effectively.

The hydrogeological assessment, as well as CMQR’s response to the assessment, form part of the evidentiary record that will inform the Agency’s decision on the application.

Call for comments

The public is now invited to submit comments in writing on the UDA report, as well as CMQR’s response, including the measures it proposes to implement to address the potential risks identified in the report. Both documents are available below.

Comments must be limited to matters addressed in the UDA report and CMQR’s response.

How to submit comments

You have until 11:59 pm Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on June 29^th, 2026, to submit your comments using the submission form.

All information received by the Agency on the subject of this consultation will be posted below. Comments, including the author’s name, will be published on the Agency’s website.

Following the close of the consultation period, the Agency will complete its review and issue its determination on the application.

For media inquiries, please contact media@otc-cta.gc.ca.

Reference documents

• UDA report (PDF, 3.7 MB)
  Note: As the report was submitted in French, the French version will be placed on the record as the official version.
• CMQR’s response (PDF, 320 KB)
• All application material can be found on Transport Canada Lac-Mégantic Rail Bypass website.
• Consultation on the Application for Authorization of the Lac-Mégantic Rail Bypass Project (November 12, 2025, to January 30, 2026).

Disclaimers