kEiThZ
Superstar
Our entire rail network, and certainly the idea of traveling across the country by rail is an ananchronism. If you want to get from Halifax to Vancouver celebrating your own time, fly.
You could have Maglevs across the country and that would not change. Our country is the size of a continent. As such, going across, will always require air travel.
What strikes me as sad, is this reality (of needing air travel), driving us to underinvest in rail where there are clear benefits. Like Southern Ontario and Quebec and central Alberta. It's incredible that even with the housing pressures the GTA faces, for example, that continuous investment in regional and intercity rail is still seen as somewhat optional.
On a personal note, I've been especially disappointed with the Trudeau government. I really thought they'd make rail a priority. With their professed concern for climate change, I thought we'd finally get a government who understands the value of intercity rail in cutting aviation emissions in the Quebec City - Windsor corridor. But it seems to, at best, they seem to be content to avoid VIA Rail collapsing on their watch.