Consultation on the Application for Authorization of the Lac-Mégantic Rail Bypass Project

Table of contents

• 1. Background
• 2. Project information
• 3. Map
• 4. Call for In-Person or Written Comments
  • 4a. How to submit written comments
  • 4b. In-person public consultation session
• 5. Media
• 6. Reference documents
• 7. Submissions
• 8. Responses
• 9. Milestones

1. Background

The Canada Transportation Act requires Agency approval for the construction of all federally-regulated railway lines. For this purpose, two Agency members have been designated to determine whether the requested construction must be authorized, authorized with conditions or dismissed.

Agency members are appointed by the Governor in Council and issue decisions based on arguments and evidence found in the application record and any other information that they may request. It should be noted that members act independently, that is to say that they do not represent either the government or the railway company and that no party is authorized to influence their decision. When they assess a construction application, their role is to render a decision based on the proposed route and not to determine the optimal route. Therefore, in the case of the Lac-Mégantic rail bypass, members will rule on CPKC’s proposed route.

In order to assess applications for the construction of a railway line, the Agency will follow the four steps of the process as shown below. We are now at step 2.

1. Confirmation that the application is complete for consultation purposes
2. Consultation period
3. Member deliberations
4. Final member decision (determination)

The Agency will authorize the construction of a railway line if it determines that the location of the line is reasonable based on the following factors:

• requirements for railway services and operations; and
• interests of the localities affected by the railway line.

For more information on the Agency’s process, please refer to How to Apply for Approval to Construct a Railway Line: A Guide for Federally Regulated Railway Companies.

2. Project information

On July 6, 2013, a freight train made up of 72 tank cars carrying crude oil was parked at the top of a hill in Nantes, Quebec, and derailed in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec. The ensuing tragedy left 47 people dead.

On May 11, 2018, the Prime Minister of Canada and the Premier of Quebec announced project funding for a 12.5 km rail bypass in order to avoid going through Lac-Mégantic’s downtown core.

At Transport Canada’s request, CPKC filed with the Agency an application to construct a railway line, pursuant to section 98 of the Canada Transportation Act.

CPKC proposes constructing a new railway line with a route that would cross the municipalities of Frontenac, Lac-Mégantic and Nantes between mileage 113.27 in the Moosehead Subdivision and mileage 3.49 in the Sherbrooke Subdivision.

3. Map

4. Call for In-Person or Written Comments

The Agency finds that the application for authorization of the Lac-Mégantic rail bypass project filed by CPKC is complete for the consultation’s purposes.

The public is now invited to submit comments either in writing or in-person on the following questions:

• How would the location or operation of the proposed railway line affect you? Describe any expected benefits or concerns you have with the proposed line.
• If you have concerns about the proposed railway bypass, what could be done to address them

4a. How to submit written comments

You have until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on January 30, 2026, to submit your written comments to megantic@otc-cta.gc.ca.

All information received by the Agency on the subject of this consultation will be filed in the application’s public archives. Comments, including the author’s name, may be published on the Agency’s website.

4b. In-person public consultation session

For interested persons and organizations, the Agency will hold in-person consultations at Lac-Mégantic on December 2, 2025, at the Complexe Sportif Mégantic, Bestar room (5400 Papineau, Lac-Mégantic). Two meeting times will be offered: the first from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and the second from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. It will not be possible to participate virtually.

Persons or organizations who would like to participate at one of the two in-person consultation sessions must register ahead of time by sending their full name and which session(s) they wish to attend to megantic@otc-cta.gc.ca. Please note that the registration period for speaking is now closed.

5. Media

Media interested in attending the consultation session being held at Lac-Mégantic on December 2, 2025, must register ahead of time by sending an email at media@otc-cta.gc.ca.

By registering, media are expected to respect the following rules:

• Photographing and recording is permitted only in a designated area until the end of the session’s opening remarks.
• Media are not authorized to speak or ask questions during the consultation session.
• Interviews with interested parties must take place outside the room where the consultation session will take place.

6. Reference documents

All reference material is found on Transport Canada website.

7. Submissions

Disclaimers

Third-party information liability disclaimer

Some of the information on this web page has been provided by external sources. The Canadian Transportation Agency (Agency) is not responsible for the accuracy, reliability or currency of the information supplied by external sources. Content provided by external sources is not subject to official languages, or privacy and accessibility requirements. All submissions are made available in the official language in which they were received.

Privacy notice

Participants were advised that all submissions would be considered a public document and may be posted on the Agency’s website. Participants were advised not to include any personal or confidential information.

8. Responses

9. Milestones