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Rail: Ontario-Quebec High Speed Rail Study

Is that 2 hours and 18 minutes with a stop in Ottawa? (Would it stop anywhere else?)? So the trip to Ottawa will be under 2 hours from Toronto? I could see that being competitive with air (if the price was similar).
 
According to High Speed Rail Canada, the latest study has been delayed.

The high speed rail feasibility study is being done to update the previous 1995 study on the Ontario-Quebec corridor. EcoTrain Consortium composed of the firms Dessau, MMM Group (formerly Marshall Macklin Monaghan Limited), KPMG, Wilbur Smith & Associates and Deutsche Bahn International (DB International) were awarded the $3 million contract in February 2009.

According to Bob Nichols, Communications Branch, Ontario Ministry of Transportation, the study is moving forward but due to the complexity of issues has been delayed. He was unable to give a date when the study will be completed.
 
Again?

Argh.

We don't even need this study to start this process. A lot of the preliminary public consultation could be done at this time, and would get people excited about this project in advance of the official EA.
 
It's crazy to think the federal government will support a proposal that kills off a cash cow (the airline sector) and generates enough revenue to let the airlines subsidize the rest of Canada. The only way this projec is going forward is if the two provincial governments put up the vast bulk of the funding and can offer some stops in the rural areas. I envisage 7 stops from Union to Ottawa (GTA East, Cobourg, Belleville, Kingston, Brockville, Smiths Falls, Fallowfield) and 2 in-between Ottawa and Montreal (Alexandria and Dorval). I think that's the minimum conditions you'll need to get political buy-in across the board. Anything else is a pipe-dream.
 
It's crazy to think the federal government will support a proposal that kills off a cash cow (the airline sector) and generates enough revenue to let the airlines subsidize the rest of Canada. The only way this projec is going forward is if the two provincial governments put up the vast bulk of the funding and can offer some stops in the rural areas.

I've been wondering if the latest study falls on deaf ears again, if Quebec would think about building the route from Montreal to Quebec City. According to the VIA FAST report in 2004, there are 6.9 million trips between the two cities a year, 90% by car. The Bloc is in favour of HSR, so no doubt they could make some back-scratching deal to with the Conservatives to pass some legislation with funding. Shorter route, should be cheaper to build with land acquistion costs - potentially could use much of the autoroute 40 corridor.
 
Hmm, I'm sure that has absolutely no correlation with the fact that rail is by far the worst service on the corridor, right? I mean, the trains average 70-80 km/h and cost several times of a bus, making it the slowest (except walking, I guess,) yet not the least expensive mode.

If you look at Europe, HSR has stolen almost all of the air travel across the continent, and has taken a huge chunk out of auto travel. The Quebec-Windsor corridor has that potential, easy.

The train is definitely not the slowest mode of travel. The bus and the car are both slower. Between Toronto and Montreal the fastest express train, Train 66/67 averages 120km/h. The slowest local trains, trains 57 and 60 average 98km/h. You might be able to average 98km/h by bus or car if the traffic is light, but there's absolutely no way you can average 120km/h.
 
The train is definitely not the slowest mode of travel. The bus and the car are both slower. Between Toronto and Montreal the fastest express train, Train 66/67 averages 120km/h. The slowest local trains, trains 57 and 60 average 98km/h. You might be able to average 98km/h by bus or car if the traffic is light, but there's absolutely no way you can average 120km/h.

You can average 120 by car off peak hours if you don't stop.
 
people using 400 series highways during off peak hours seriously treat them as if they are german, going 120 km/h you feel like your going too slow
 
people using 400 series highways during off peak hours seriously treat them as if they are german, going 120 km/h you feel like your going too slow

If you want to AVERAGE 120, you'll have to be going faster than 120 to make up for the time that you spend on slower sections, such as going into city centers.

If it's just about cruising speed, then I guarantee that you can't beat VIA's 160km/h.
 
Your right, you can't beat 160 km/h, with 120 km/h :p

Also, it's now very illegal to exceed the speed limit by more than 50 km/h in Ontario under the new street racing legislation. IMHO, this makes sense on residential streets but is a bit harsh on the 400 series.
 

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