VIA Rail

[crs1026]

I don't take the Peterborough option as the preferred route. I take it as the BATNA (the option that VIA has up their sleeve if CP and CN don't play nice).

If CP and CN ask $4B to do what is needed to put HSR on the Lakeshore line, and VIA can do the Peterboro route for $3B, then CP and CN have less bargaining leverage.

We want the Ford, but GM's price determines what we will offer Ford for the car. (Can you tell I was at the Auto Show last week?)

- Paul

 

[kEiThZ]

@crs1026

CN and CP playing with the Feds is not anywhere like them bullying around Metrolinx and Queen's Park. The Federal government can make life miserable for them if they don't cooperate.

 

[crs1026]

@crs1026

CN and CP playing with the Feds is not anywhere like them bullying around Metrolinx and Queen's Park. The Federal government can make life miserable for them if they don't cooperate.

If that's the case, VIA's Canadian would not be arriving at Toronto Union 10 hours late, as it did last week. The Feds have little leverage to force CN/CP to coproduction from Toronto to Belleville.

- Paul

 

[Urban Sky]

I have to admit it's not that easy to get much confirmed details about HFR available at this point. Nevertheless, there are three different articles written by or about VIA's CEO Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, which might clarify the strategic rationale behind the HFR proposal:

http://www.viaevolution.ca/2014/10/07/the-future-of-passenger-rail-in-canada/
http://www.railcan.ca/publications/interchange (the cover story of the Winter 2016 edition)
http://www.europeanrailwayreview.co...the-answer-to-congestion-on-canadas-railways/ (registration as a free user required, which takes about a minute)

In any case, if VIA's plan was really to abandon Kingston and all the other intermediary markets and focus exclusively on MTRL-OTTW-TRTO, I don't think the last big timetable change (June 1st 2015) would have featured the addition of stops in Oshawa (train 42), Cobourg (#68), Belleville (#55, #61 and #646), Kingston (#647, #69) and Brockville (#68 and #69) and the removal of restrictions (mostly: the requirement to book at least 40 minutes in advance of the train's scheduled departure at its origin) for stops in Guildwood (#59), Oshawa (#55, #59, #68 and #69), Trenton Junction (#59), Napanee (#655), Gananoque (#47, #48), Casselman (#33, #34, #38, #50, #633, #634) and Dorval (#68)...

 

[dunkalunk]

If that's the case, VIA's Canadian would not be arriving at Toronto Union 10 hours late, as it did last week. The Feds have little leverage to force CN/CP to coproduction from Toronto to Belleville.

- Paul

VIA is the more comfortable way to travel, not the best way to get across the Rockies in a hurry.

 

[Urban Sky]

VIA is the more comfortable way to travel, not the best way to get across the Rockies in a hurry.

The Canadian arriving 10 hours late is not just a minor inconvenience to its passengers: Arriving at 19.30 instead of 9.30 means that you've missed all connection trains (the last VIA train, #48/648, leaves at 18.35) and now need a Hotel before you can continue your journey the next morning. Furthermore, the locomotive engineers need a mandatory rest period of at least 6 hours before they can return with train #1 towards Capreol and the entire train (of 20 and more cars in the summer) takes at least that time to clean, get serviced and have all cars swapped which cycle to or from MMC. This means that all passengers waiting in the business lounge (Sleeper) or station catacombs (Economy) have to wait until (at the very best) 1.30 am until they can finally board their train. Our staff goes at great lengths to minimize the inconveniences to those passengers affected, but I think you underestimate the implications on passengers when such a delay occurs...

Nevertheless, I don't know who would deny that the Canadian is the most comfortable (and scenic!) way to get to the Rockies as I could confirm myself last summer...

 

[kEiThZ]

If that's the case, VIA's Canadian would not be arriving at Toronto Union 10 hours late, as it did last week. The Feds have little leverage to force CN/CP to coproduction from Toronto to Belleville.

- Paul

No federal government has made long distance rail a priority. But do you think CN and CP want to be seen as an obstacle if the Feds actually amount m announce HFR or HSR publicly?

 

[nfitz]

But do you think CN and CP want to be seen as an obstacle if the Feds actually amount m announce HFR or HSR publicly?

I don't think either CP or CN could care less how they are seen. They never have before. It's all about the profit these days - always has been for CP, and CN has slowly gone that way too.

 

[crs1026]

No federal government has made long distance rail a priority. But do you think CN and CP want to be seen as an obstacle if the Feds actually amount m announce HFR or HSR publicly?

The issue is what compensation they get if VIA builds on their property. Their shareholders would justifiably hold management's feet to the fire to get every last penny, and their management are pretty aggressive about this in themselves. At a high level, CN and CP would be eager to take the money, but the parties could be a Billion $ or more apart on the price. Ask Bautista how that works ;-)

The issue with the Canadian is that CN quite deliberately ignores it, even though the schedule is heavily padded. Originally the schedule was set at CN's request with assurances that If VIA agreed to it, it would be achievable. CN simply doesn't care, and VIA is helpless to deal with the problem.

- Paul

 

[Admiral Beez]

I was hoping to take the kids somewhere for March break on the VIA train. We've done Ottawa, so thought we'd try Montreal. But for a family of four it's over $700. So, we'd take the car and instead pay $60 in gas.

Where else can one do a train excursion for a few days from Toronto for under $500 for four?

 

[TOareaFan]

^ Guelph

 

[mdrejhon]

I was hoping to take the kids somewhere for March break on the VIA train. We've done Ottawa, so thought we'd try Montreal. But for a family of four it's over $700. So, we'd take the car and instead pay $60 in gas.

Where else can one do a train excursion for a few days from Toronto for under $500 for four?

For the future, visit www.viarail.ca on a Tuesday at least 2-3 weeks in advance to get the bargain fares. (More than a month in advance for popular weekends)
May need to book separate trips Guelph-Toronto and Toronto-Montreal.
However, it's too short notice to get any cheap VIA trips all the way to Montreal.
So car may end up being best for group of 4 at the moment, for March Break 2016.

 

[Urban Sky]

I was hoping to take the kids somewhere for March break on the VIA train. We've done Ottawa, so thought we'd try Montreal. But for a family of four it's over $700. So, we'd take the car and instead pay $60 in gas. [...]

I'm not familiar with school breaks in Ontario, but since you've mentioned "March break", I assume they apply to every school kid in Ontario and naturally a lot of families will have the same idea as you. With limited capacity and the guarantee to fill almost every seat, I can't really blame my colleagues at Revenue Management for restricting the number of Escape or reduced-fare Economy tickets in order to minimize the federal subsidy as mandated by the federal government. If you want lower fares, you may want to tell your local (federal) MP to ensure HFR will receive the green light (whether it will be funded publicly or privately remains of secondary importance) since high frequency does also mean high capacity...

 

[SaugeenJunction]

For the future, visit www.viarail.ca on a Tuesday at least 2-3 weeks in advance to get the bargain fares. (More than a month in advance for popular weekends)
May need to book separate trips Guelph-Toronto and Toronto-Montreal.
However, it's too short notice to get any cheap VIA trips all the way to Montreal.
So car may end up being best for group of 4 at the moment, for March Break 2016.

I agree, with VIA booking it's all about timing. I can do London-Oakville for under $30 if I book a few weeks in advance.

 

[ottbike]

I can do London-Oakville for under $30 if I book a few weeks in advance.

If I book early, I can usually get Toronto-Ottawa for $39-49, and even $29 if there is a sale.