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Ontario Northland/Northern Ontario Transportation

Latest update from the advocacy group pushing for the restoration of passenger rail service here:

https://allaboardnorthernontario.co...nK7DDXTnC3n0SL7hxMy2efmmMiVphcCkwLNj06MzeUilI

Here's the key paragraph that stuck out to me:

The complexities and unexpected complications involved in putting together this plan have, however, resulted in a need for additional resources. The biggest complication has been the simple fact that at virtually every step along the way, various parties have obstructed our progress either knowingly or unknowingly.

The first and most serious complication was the arbitrary cost limit placed on reviving the service formerly provided by the Northlander. During the provincial election campaign, the now in-power government said it would commit to $30 million in one-time capital expenditures and a $15-million annual operating subsidy.

Where these figures came from, no one can or will now say. Neither figure is accurate. The capital costs to revive the service on a sustainable, safe and cost-effective basis are considerably more than this amount. As well, the operating subsidy could be a bit lower than what was pledged, although that’s difficult to determine accurately until such time as discussions occur between the ONTC and CN, the latter being the owner of the required infrastructure south of North Bay. CN is in no way eager to see the passenger service revived and they can legally set a track access charge so high as to make it unjustifiable – unless some inducements can be provided to make it worthwhile from CN’s perspective.
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And yes, I realize some here will say, "not surprised".

Therefore, we look forward to hearing the views of both TMA and NEOMA, and any solutions you may be able to provide in order to bring Northeast Lynx forward as the credible, sustainable and affordable solution we know it to be.

Pending further funding developments, the project is suspended until further notice.
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^ Ah yes:
CN is in no way eager to see the passenger service revived and they can legally set a track access charge so high as to make it unjustifiable – unless some inducements can be provided to make it worthwhile from CN’s perspective.
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The very same CN that's all cozy and cuddly on the Georgtown Corridor (North Mainline) now...according to Yurek and yokels...

And yes "not surprised" but, but, but...I'm just so shocked, shocked I tell you!
 
Definitely deja moo all over again.

Much as the idea of the Northlander warms my heart, the numbers just aren’t going to be there.

And much as I’m no fan of the current provincial government, the idea of a government declaring a clear walk-away limit to a proposal’s cost idoes warm my heart. Did the proponents expect a blank cheque?

For all their efforts at advocacy, has there ever been a project that Gormick and his associates actually got all the way to opening day?

- Paul
 
crs1026 said:
For all their efforts at advocacy, has there ever been a project that Gormick and his associates actually got all the way to opening day?
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Ouch! Very good point, but well deserved. Gormick has no hesitation to diss others' ideas.

Some retrospect:
[...]
Ontario PC leader Doug Ford said on Wednesday he would bring the train back, in a speech at the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association conference in Kenora, Ont.
"It is time for real action, not more empty talk," Ford said in a Tweet on Thursday.
"I heard you loud and clear. You want the Northlander, and I will deliver it."

✔@fordnation
https://twitter.com/fordnation/status/992020524518653952

It is time for real action, not more empty talk. I will bring back passenger rail service to the North. I heard you loud and clear. You want the Northlander, and I will deliver it. We're going to respect Northerners and work with Northerners. Relief is on its way. #onpoli #pcpo

717
7:38 AM - May 3, 2018
Twitter Ads info and privacy
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309 people are talking about this
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The NDP have also vowed to restore the train service in its platform. The party said in a media release from November there has been no "cohesive public transportation" in northern Ontario since the train service was discontinued.
However Liberal leader and premier Wynne told reporters on Thursday her government has been working to build a transportation network in the region by expanding bus service.
"When I became premier in 2013, I made a commitment that we would not sell off ONTC. That we would work to build up that company and build up a transportation network in the north, that would serve not just the northeast...but would serve the northwest as all," Wynne said.
She added that Ontario Northland Railway was losing money "hand over fist" when the Northlander was running, pushing back against Ford's statement.
"For a business guy, who purports to understand how these things work, he's making a really irresponsible promise there."
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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/northlander-train-wynne-ford-1.4646789

Internet is littered with Ford's and Fedeli's promises and assurances...
 
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thettctransitfanatic said:
"The internet is littered with Ford and Fedeli's promises and assurances", is a true statement.
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Yeah, I checked before posting, just to make sure the record showed what they had both stated. Both of them are outright liars, the problem being that they are on so many claims that so many believed at the time. Fedeli was even challenged on it in his own riding, and gave personal assurances that he stood behind the claim. I'm reminded of Goebbels: (gist) "Tell them a small lie, and they won't believe it. Tell them a big one, and they will".

For all that she was despised, Wynne, and McGuinty before her, got this exactly right. There's a few enduring lessons from this, but the one that bleeds the most for me is the inference of (gist) "How CN is on our side". Yeah, so's Al Capone. For the People!

Yurek had best start taking some dancing lessons, because he's going to need them when the train shit hits the fan on 'K/W all day'. I can see the headlines now: "Con Cabinet Minister caught in bed with CN executives performing 'all day services' on each other'. Both ways.

Addendum:
Quick Google:
Northeastern Ontario passenger rail plan soon to roll out

0ea01edaa7b7d91f5c4cf5cdfa353544
PJ Wilson Postmedia Network
Published on: October 11, 2018 | Last Updated: October 11, 2018 7:25 AM EDT
[...]
Fedeli says the government “is committed to fulfilling its campaign commitments, including passenger rail.”

Following his re-election in June, Fedeli said the government’s priorities included restoring passenger rail service.
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https://www.northernnews.ca/news/lo...ntario-passenger-rail-plan-soon-to-roll-out-2
 
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I wonder what the local reaction would be if VIA were contracted to run the route using Toronto (and perhaps Capreol) for maintenance rather than as a jobs programme for the North Bay shop...
 
dowlingm said:
I wonder what the local reaction would be if VIA were contracted to run the route using Toronto (and perhaps Capreol) for maintenance rather than as a jobs programme for the North Bay shop...
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Capreol is a CN rail centre, though not as important as it once was: the Canadian Northern Line through North Bay as far as Pembroke was abandoned in the late 1990s, while the Pembroke to Ottawa section (Beachburg Sub) was torn up quite recently. VIA only uses Capreol as a quick service stop on the Canadian (crew change and light train servicing) and for servicing the RDC to While River. Capreol is still technically accessible to the ONR, but via a CP short line that too has lost importance with loss of industry in Sturgeon Falls and the abandonment of the Mattawa-Smiths Falls section (at one time, the CP mainline).

If VIA operated it, light maintenance and crews would probably be out of Toronto, with Cochrane (where ONR serviced the Northlander and still services the Polar Bear Express) put out, not North Bay.
 
ShonTron said:
Capreol is a CN rail centre, though not as important as it once was: the Canadian Northern Line through North Bay as far as Pembroke was abandoned in the late 1990s, while the Pembroke to Ottawa section (Beachburg Sub) was torn up quite recently. VIA only uses Capreol as a quick service stop on the Canadian (crew change and light train servicing) and for servicing the RDC to While River. Capreol is still technically accessible to the ONR, but via a CP short line that too has lost importance with loss of industry in Sturgeon Falls and the abandonment of the Mattawa-Smiths Falls section (at one time, the CP mainline).

If VIA operated it, light maintenance and crews would probably be out of Toronto, with Cochrane (where ONR serviced the Northlander and still services the Polar Bear Express) put out, not North Bay.
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Which again would cause the ONR unions to do something to prevent it.
 
And the Minister seems to indicate the "return" is not dead yet and that a report by the citizen group's expert (see the link above) isn't needed (and that's not a comment on the merits of the expert, just what the Minister implied).

RETURN OF PASSENGER TRAINS NOT DEAD: FEDELI
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www.mytimminsnow.com

RETURN OF PASSENGER TRAINS NOT DEAD: FEDELI

Written by Rocco Frangione All Aboard Northern Ontario may be suspending its drive to make a case for restoring rail passenger service ... more ›
www.mytimminsnow.com www.mytimminsnow.com
 
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