News   Mar 28, 2024
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  1. F

    VIA Rail

    That is to say, we clearly have been doing something right. If only Government would stop standing on Via's neck...
  2. F

    VIA Rail

    For what it's worth, took two Amtrak trips in the past week, and while it was pleasant to move on electrified trains at higher speeds, Via's cleanliness and customer service is clearly superior.
  3. F

    VIA Rail

    What about just installing a bunch of Displays and Cameras? I can't imagine this would be that expensive, although it wouldn't be particularly sightly.
  4. F

    VIA Rail

    Also I live in a town in BC which has among the highest per capita rates of car ownership in the country, and will never have passenger rail service again. I also have relatives that have been directly (by Ford) and indirectly (as an HVAC tech) employed in manufacturing in SWO.
  5. F

    VIA Rail

    Just to be clear Keith, I (speaking with my economist hat on, here), like many others are not opposed to cars per se. I am opposed to the massive subsidies that are given to them implicitly and explicitly. For instance, a lot of these subsidies are given via the legal system...
  6. F

    VIA Rail

    The example doesn't exist because the infrastructure doesn't exist to run it on. There's a chicken and egg problem here.
  7. F

    VIA Rail

    5% is the important number. Even the industry association claims it's around 800,000 jobs, which is big, to be sure ( https://www.gtai.de/resource/blob/64100/8fc3cff5774c2ec699172cd823a0ec0e/20220711_IO_Automotive_WEB.pdf), but around 11% of total manufacturing employment (7.5 million). I agree...
  8. F

    VIA Rail

    I think the 19% figure is for Automotive's share of Manufacturing's value added (which is about 25-30% of the German total). The differences between value added and GDP reflect tariffs and subsidies for the most part, which are not order of magnitude factors in general. I suspect the 19% figure...
  9. F

    VIA Rail

    The American defense department purchases a lot of American made defense products, allowing the domestic industry to acquire the economies of scale and leading edge technology that have made it a very successful export industry. This is not so different than what we're talking about with the...
  10. F

    VIA Rail

    Supporting manufacturing doesn't have to mean supporting automotive manufacturing. Improving our ability to retain the kinds of high value added manufacturing that other rich countries do (e.g. Germany, Japan, Switzerland) requires a lot more than just throwing money at carmakers, like improving...
  11. F

    VIA Rail

    Why not subsidize a rolling stock factory? The cumulative loss of manufacturing jobs in SW Ontario includes a lot of jobs connected to railway manufacturing, like EMD in London. If the aim is preserving skilled manufacturing jobs, it shouldn't need to be tied to the automotive industry specifically.
  12. F

    VIA Rail

    I don't think the government should be in the business of subsidizing capital intensive industries in the name of preserving jobs, whether it's battery plants or the transmountain pipeline. Rail lines have enormous positive economic and environmental externalities while cars (even electric) have...
  13. F

    VIA Rail

    Since there is not a lot going on to be excited about in terms of H*R or anything else, I wanted to ask this group of wise folks a wild-ass hypothetical. Suppose, instead of giving 13 Billion in subsidies to VW for a battery plant, the federal and Ontario governments gave this money to Via. How...
  14. F

    VIA Rail

    Heard this on the radio yesterday: https://ici.radio-canada.ca/ohdio/premiere/emissions/midi-info/episodes/786012/rattrapage-jeudi-26-octobre-2023 French Language interview of Martin Imbleau. For what it's worth he does come across as enthusiastic.
  15. F

    VIA Rail

    Is the corpse of Van Horne eligible?
  16. F

    VIA Rail

    Also possibly relevant---the Ontario Line has apparently started construction: https://www.masstransitmag.com/rail/infrastructure/press-release/53067117/metrolinx-metrolinx-begins-work-on-ontario-line
  17. F

    VIA Rail

    I am perversely curious as to what ridership an L0 series maglev would spit out over the HFR route. Probably cost 150 Billion CAD or something, though.
  18. F

    VIA Rail

    A lot of serious players missing. I suspect that several of the consortia participants are interpreting this the same way we are---that this won't lead to actual construction, but a succession of future studies.
  19. F

    VIA Rail

    I've been trying to figure out whether Via actually owns Pacific Central Station recently, does anybody know? Given Translink's move to start a development arm that could potentially cross-subsidize transit operations (a la CPR, Brightline, and Japanese rail operators), and the BC government's...
  20. F

    VIA Rail

    I hate to be pedantic, but it's kph. 250 mph would make it the fastest intercity line in the world.

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