Ontario Northland/Northern Ontario Transportation

[lenaitch]

Have they negotiated running rights with CN? Who owns the station property along the line?

I can only assume the negotiations are in progress. The station properties are in a variety of ownerships. Outside of the GTA (2 GO stations), many are going to be just kiosks. The few actual remaining station buildings on the CN ROW are either in private or municipal hands, I haven't heard if they are going to try and negotiate space in them or just plop a kiosk. An analysis of each station stop is in their business case.

 

[just east of the creek]

Money does not grow on trees, and the money that comes out of chromite mines has other uses.

I agree that this routing would be the perfect "tourism" ride, but it would require much of the cost of maintaining the Sudbury-Soo and Soo-Franz lines to passenger quality to be charged against the cost of operating the Canadian. That would put a dent in the train's economics, and since the train is already pretty well patronised on its existing route, there really isn't room for any upside in the revenue equation.

So, it comes back to the same question .... put the money available into this project, or into some other?

Again, I would say restoring bus service would be a better use of the money than making this change...as much as I would dearly love to ride this route, it's not a proposition that will get much support.

- Paul

I can't argue with any of your points...but it would be a great ride.

 

[ProjectEnd]

New liveries being voted on, I really like both of them so I don’t mind whichever one wins:View attachment 510598

DESIGN 01! DESIGN 01! DESIGN 01!!!!!

 

[Northern Light]

DESIGN 01! DESIGN 01! DESIGN 01!!!!!

As usual, there's no mistaking when PE has an opinion on something.

But his normal demeanor doesn't convey a 12 year old jumping up and down on his bed quite the way this post does. LOL That was good for a laugh.

 

[ProjectEnd]

Our very own little Nederlandse Spoorwegen!

 

[Kitsune]

They've started consultation on Section 2 of the Highway 17 twinning west of Kenora ... PIC 1 materials can be found here: https://4lanehighway17kenora.ca/wp-...Laning_Section2_Sept2023PIC_DisplayBoards.pdf . This section is slated for a 2025-26 start date on the highway program. Section 3, some 22km of it.. will prolly start after Section 2 is done. Assuming the new gov in Manitoba goes ahead with Highway 1 twinning from Falcon Lake to the Ontario border (it was announced in May 2023, although the conservatives kept the riding the highway goes through) .. those consultations should be starting up in the coming months. Those plans will be interesting .. Highway 1 in that section is a 1930s era super-2 (all be it with no center barrier) that had some very slight realignments since then. .. and is sandwiched between development and also sandwiched between Lakes. Not much if any room to twin it.

 

[Garuda]

New liveries being voted on, I really like both of them so I don’t mind whichever one wins:View attachment 510598

I really like the original design with navy blue.

 

[mind_the_gap]

I really like the original design with navy blue.

View attachment 445432

While I really liked the old design as well, it did feel somewhat like a rip-off of the Southeastern Class 395 ”Javelin” livery:

Source

View attachment 510598

Our very own little Nederlandse Spoorwegen!

And while Design 01 is a clear rip-off of the NS livery, it pays homage to the former Dutch TEE Northlander units:

Source

Personally, I love Design 02.

 

[crs1026]

I’m disappointed. Those are all pretty tame. Let’s see if they can find an Indigenous artist or two who can really go to town on these.
If Transpennine did this, ONR can do better.

- Paul

 

[lenaitch]

The new livery of the Polar Bear Express does include FN motifs.

Blue and yellow/orange have been ONR colours for many years, so who's ripping off whom?

To me, paint schemes and liveries fall under the category of 'sweating the small stuff'.

 

[mind_the_gap]

There will only be three trainsets... They could each have their own unique livery, similar to Brightline.

 

[Bordercollie]

There will only be three trainsets... They could each have their own unique livery, similar to Brightline.

Costs $$. Even if they are vinyl wraps

 

[crs1026]

Costs $$. Even if they are vinyl wraps

I'm actually mellow on this, although overall I don't care much about how they are painted.

There are many local vendors for vinyl wrap. And the artwork can be designed locally. As a percentage of the cost of the train, it's peanuts. Better to spend the decorating money on local wraps than on California painters. Deliver them in primer and let North Bay or Cochrane do the work.

- Paul

 

[lenaitch]

I'm actually mellow on this, although overall I don't care much about how they are painted.

There are many local vendors for vinyl wrap. And the artwork can be designed locally. As a percentage of the cost of the train, it's peanuts. Better to spend the decorating money on local wraps than on California painters. Deliver them in primer and let North Bay or Cochrane do the work.

- Paul

Or order them in the primary base colour and do the accents, graphics, whatever, locally.

 

[cplchanb]

I'm actually mellow on this, although overall I don't care much about how they are painted.

There are many local vendors for vinyl wrap. And the artwork can be designed locally. As a percentage of the cost of the train, it's peanuts. Better to spend the decorating money on local wraps than on California painters. Deliver them in primer and let North Bay or Cochrane do the work.

- Paul

if done locally i guarantee the govt will find some way to make the cost 5x higher than if it was factory painted/wrapped whether it be spinoffs or just being marked up.