Quebec-Windsor Corridor

[kEiThZ]

As long as there is no decision on HxR, there certainly won’t be any additional order. Should HxR go ahead in the HSR variant and require an entirely new fleet, there will be more than enough fleet for any foreseeable Corridor application…

I presume then than VIA's options will expire without being exercised, looking at the HFR timeline.

 

[dowlingm]

I presume then than VIA's options will expire without being exercised, looking at the HFR timeline.

I brought up the options on here a while back and someone asserted that they had expired already. I don’t know how we would get clarity on that. It would have possibly been sensible for example for ONR to take up VIA options for their trainsets given the similarity of requirement. That they didn’t (or at least that it hasn’t been said publicly) indicates to me that it’s probably the options are no longer operative.

One thing to keep in mind here is that the longer VIA goes before ordering more coaches, the more supply chain realities will result in more and more component differences. This has occurred with the Irish Rail 22000 class order for 41 intermediate cars - the commissioning of these has taken a long time as a result.

 

[Bordercollie]

I brought up the options on here a while back and someone asserted that they had expired already. I don’t know how we would get clarity on that. It would have possibly been sensible for example for ONR to take up VIA options for their trainsets given the similarity of requirement. That they didn’t (or at least that it hasn’t been said publicly) indicates to me that it’s probably the options are no longer operative.

One thing to keep in mind here is that the longer VIA goes before ordering more coaches, the more supply chain realities will result in more and more component differences. This has occurred with the Irish Rail 22000 class order for 41 intermediate cars - the commissioning of these has taken a long time as a result.

I don't think it's sensible to "commute" to Toronto past Peterborough unless there is faster rail service beyond 160kmph. The cost and time is just not with it. Now that doesn't mean that you wouldn't commute to Oshawa.

With the cost of living becoming astronomical in Toronto people will choose to live in Cobourg and possibly work in Oshawa.

Going to the city will be for a Jays/Leafs/Raptors game or for connections to the airport.
Or a night out in town, but what you can't do in Cobourg you can do in Oshawa. I'm sure this would become the norm, so what we will need is an InterCity train service running express from Toronto to Cobourg stopping in maybe Guildwood, Pickering, Oshawa, Cobourg running every 15min. Then you can transfer to a local train or bus (GO transit) to get to your local destination.

You would need to get from Union Station to Cobourg in 60min or so which should be possible at 160kmph running.

This type of model exists in japan. To go from Tokyo to Yokohama you can take the bullet train, premium express, regular express, or local train. The travel time would range from 15min to 90min. And you can transfer to get to destinations in-between.

 

[dowlingm]

This type of model exists in japan. To go from Tokyo to Yokohama you can take the bullet train, premium express, regular express, or local train. The travel time would range from 15min to 90min. And you can transfer to get to destinations in-between.

I am not conversant with Japanese train organization - does one organization (e.g. JR East) operate all trains and infra in their region of operations, or do regional train operators run the local trains? Is there a similar situation to the CN/VIA/GO/Metrolinx setup we have in the GTA where demand is suppressed in one mode because a different mode owns the infra?

 

[Urban Sky]

I am not conversant with Japanese train organization - does one organization (e.g. JR East) operate all trains and infra in their region of operations, or do regional train operators run the local trains?

The JR companies generally operate all trains from Shinkansen over intercity to commuter rail. In metropolitan areas, there are also non-JR railroads, but they mostly have their own infrastructure.

Is there a similar situation to the CN/VIA/GO/Metrolinx setup we have in the GTA where demand is suppressed in one mode because a different mode owns the infra?

Given that the modal share of rail freight is microscopic in Japan (I saw a single freight train in three weeks of railing across the country), they have virtually no impact on the operation and expansion of passenger rail services…

 

[Bordercollie]

I am not conversant with Japanese train organization - does one organization (e.g. JR East) operate all trains and infra in their region of operations, or do regional train operators run the local trains? Is there a similar situation to the CN/VIA/GO/Metrolinx setup we have in the GTA where demand is suppressed in one mode because a different mode owns the infra?

In Tokyo the JR train company competes with Keykyu and Keio railways. The metro is run by the municipality. Bus companies compete in this space also and is much cheaper but less comfortable.

 

[dowlingm]

According to the Transport Action Canada Twitter, a Venture set operated train 78 in service. According to the account this was the first revenue operation of Venture in SouthWestern Ontario

https://twitter.com/x/status/1770241100487217432

 

[Bordercollie]

Are baggage cars making a return to the.corridor? Or is it a dead head move?

 

[Allandale25]

New hire at HFR:

Julie Boucher - Via TGF-HFR | LinkedIn

Je cumule plus de quinze ans d'expérience comme journaliste et à titre de gestionnaire de… · Experience: Via TGF-HFR · Education: Université du Québec à Chicoutimi · Location: Montreal · 500+ connections on LinkedIn. View Julie Boucher’s profile on LinkedIn, a professional community of 1 billion...

www.linkedin.com

 

[yrt+viva=1system]

But after decades of talks, Imbleau has to pardon the skeptics. When asked if he will see the project during his lifetime, he laughed.

“I would not be here if I didn’t think I would see it in my lifetime. I will be the first passenger on this train,” he said.

However, there is no budget or timeline involved in the project.

Three consortiums are in the running to develop the project.

The train will roll on 1,000 kilometres of dedicated tracks.

It will make stops in Trois-Rivières, Ottawa and Peterborough.

Imbleau says he has asked for two scenarios: a train that can travel 200 km/h at minimum and another where speed is not a concern.

The biggest hurdle of all?

“The government must not fall before the contract is signed,” said Prof. Pierre Barrieau, a lecturer in transportation and planning at the Université de Montreal.

The project is led by the Trudeau federal government, and an election is expected in the next year.

https://globalnews.ca/news/10306382/via-rail-high-speed-train-montreal-toronto-via-rail/amp/


I just realized it’s old news, my apologies if it has been already posted.

 

[just east of the creek]

The attached is an opinion piece from the G and M. The thrust of the article is where is the funding going to come from to meet Canadas NATO commitments given Canadas current 500 billion dollar budget and the government's current commitments. Where is the government going to find the 18 billion dollars needed? And as we were discussing the new Northlander (i was in North Bay for a few days on business and chatting with some colleagues) (and then whether it makes any real, hard economic sense over a much better and more frequent intercity bus service), the discussion drifted towards the proposed HSR from QC to Toronto via Sharbot Lake at the cost of maybe $21 billion (2021) CDN dollars, plus cost overruns, operating costs etc. etc. And exactly where is that money going to come from? Well you could take this article and rewrite it with the focus being the HSR. Same questions.

The political reality may be that if PP comes to power the project dies. And if the present government survives in some form, the project is ‘studied’ for some time and then reverts to possible upgrades to existing services for cost reasons.

I have thought for some time that HSR is pie in the sky in this country, especially with the present day routing. I live to be proven wrong, but I am not sure that I will be.

Anyways feel free to look the article over and comment.

So, what expenditures should Canada cut to meet its NATO obligations?
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/bus...ould-canada-cut-to-meet-its-nato-obligations/

On another note, as I was driving the Trans Canada to Montreal down the Ottawa Valley, I was pondering the lost economic opportunities of the rail line connecting North Bay to Ottawa, Montreal and points east. I think my next vehicle should have a HUD display and functionality incorporating Microsoft Office….

 

[Urban Sky]

And exactly where is that money going to come from?

I can’t really comment on how realistic this plan is, but the plan seems to be that the private sector shoulders most of that cost, and repays their share of capital costs through the operating profits HxR will generate, maybe supplemented by some annual subsidies. This might very well end up more expensive to the taxpayer than shouldering the capital costs upfront and letting VIA operate the thing, but it avoids adding an 11-digit amount to federal debts even before the first train has departed…

 

[just east of the creek]

I can’t really conment how realistic this plan is, but the plan seems to be that the private sector shoulders most of that cost, and repays their share of capital costs through the operating profits HxR will generate, maybe supplemented by some annual subsidies. This might very well end up more expensive to the taxpayer than shouldering the capital costs upfront and letting VIA operate the thing, but it avoids adding an 11-digit amount to federal debts even before the first train has departed…

Yes. I can see that and agree to that. However I can see the Feds shouldering loan guarantees (like they did with Trans Mountain). However I am not sure,, and have not had time to look, and maybe it’s not known yet, how the corporate structure of this venture will be organized in terms of raising the funds and making provisions for cost overruns. If the private sector is going to finance, then there must be some mechanism of generating an acceptable return, and most likely having some sort of guarantee rider. . That might also be an intriguing question.

 

[DirectionNorth]

Canada has a long and illustrious history with high speed rail, especially in the Quebec City-Windsor corridor, with dozens of studies ... I mean, improvements since the 1970s. Find out all about them, and more, in my new and 100% factual video!

 

[kEiThZ]

^ Nobody likes to say it out loud. But the Ford government offers the template here. They've cut back on social spending to facilitate infrastructure spending. When you pay for infrastructure you get to cut ribbons. When you mail a cheque or give a tax break you don't get much public recognition. Ontario Tories recognized this. And in a $450B federal budget, there is room to be able to fund a $2-4B annual spend on HSR construction over 6-8 years. Just means some difficult choices.