VIA Rail

[nfitz]

So no building any improvements anywhere unless we plan for improvements everywhere?

I'd agree with you, if they hadn't have tacked Montreal-Quebec onto it ... despite the availability of an HFR alignment from Toronto to Windsor through Kitchener.

 

[kEiThZ]

I'd agree with you, if they hadn't have tacked Montreal-Quebec onto it ... despite the availability of an HFR alignment from Toronto to Windsor through Kitchener.

I'm no fan of the Montreal-Quebec segment becoming included this time, to be clear. But I really don't see how that has any bearing on going west of Union. Building anything west of Union was always going to be difficult until Metrolinx has all their development sorted out. This was especially the case when HFR was first being formulated almost a decade ago. Not to mention the province had its own HSR plan at the time. It's amazing how everybody has forgotten Wynne and her government's HSR plan already.

 

[Bordercollie]

I recently rode train 71 to Windsor and then 78 back to Toronto.

Train 71 becomes train 78 and lays over at the station for 5 hours.

I did see the train leave the platform after it arrived in Windsor, but why would they wye a train with a loco on each end?

The next train isn't set to arrive in Windsor until after 9 pm so what's the reason to move the train at all?

I also found the push pull operation to be jerky. You can feel the locomotive in the back pushing the train and the front locomotives pulling the train, and isn't completely in sync.

A lot of work going on, on the Chatham sub with ballast being laid beside the main line.

Possibly building a new siding? Looks like all the signal boxes have been moved to make space for another track?

 

[nfitz]

I'm no fan of the Montreal-Quebec segment becoming included this time, to be clear. But I really don't see how that has any bearing on going west of Union. Building anything west of Union was always going to be difficult until Metrolinx has all their development sorted out. This was especially the case when HFR was first being formulated almost a decade ago. Not to mention the province had its own HSR plan at the time. It's amazing how everybody has forgotten Wynne and her government's HSR plan already.

Probably best to put both on hold.

But I don't see what Metrolinx has to do with it at this stage, other than timing. The design for the Kitchener line is already well defined - and if an extra track or siding is required in any locations, probably best to put it.

 

[Bordercollie]

Probably best to put both on hold.

But I don't see what Metrolinx has to do with it at this stage, other than timing. The design for the Kitchener line is already well defined - and if an extra track or siding is required in any locations, probably best to put it.

Does anyone know why they didn't replace the seats in the rebuilt LRC cars but swapped out half the coushons?

Or was this a case of a car being half rebuilt?

I prefer the brown leather seats.

 

[kEiThZ]

Probably best to put both on hold.

I would prefer to see the business cases broken out.
But if they've done the work and the business case is reasonable why put it in hold?

Also, TKL HSR is on hold as long as this provincial government is in power. At minimum. And it's not even clear the last one was all that sincere.

But I don't see what Metrolinx has to do with it at this stage, other than timing. The design for the Kitchener line is already well defined - and if an extra track or siding is required in any locations, probably best to put it.

First off, the Wynne plan at the time negated any need for VIA to plan for an HFR West extension. The Wynne HSR was even going to serve Pearson. So I don't think anybody can fault them on focusing on the TOM HFR first. Until mid-2018, they might well have been facing the end of service on the Northern Mainline.

Next, you're an engineer. You should know about scope creep. Adding, Montreal-Trois Rivieres-Quebec City is already a substantial expansion of scope. Adding Toronto-Pearson-Kitchener-London on top would probably have made the project a no-go from the start.

Lastly, Metrolinx building the Kitchener Line isn't enough. There needs to be a plan on what services will be offered by whom. Especially with the UPE and Pearson hub added to the mix. Would VIA have the ridership to make an HFR case on the Northern Mainline with all those competing services?

 

[Bordercollie]

Are all of the HEP cars sidelined with the recent reduction in service? I see them all coupled together at TMC. Seems like all the trains assembled are LRC's.

There are some pretiege sleepers for the Canadian parked there also, I guess they have been there since the beginning of the pandemic?

 

[roger1818]

Are all of the HEP cars sidelined with the recent reduction in service? I see them all coupled together at TMC. Seems like all the trains assembled are LRC's.

There are some pretiege sleepers for the Canadian parked there also, I guess they have been there since the beginning of the pandemic?

I don't have any inside information, but it certainly wouldn't surprise me if all of the corridor HEP (and Renaissance) cars sidelined (HEPs are almost certainly used elsewhere in the network). The LRC coaches are probably the cheapest coaches for VIA to operate, since, being made out of aluminum instead of steel, they are likely significantly lighter. LRCs represent 2/3 of VIA's corridor coaches (ignoring baggage and service cars), so with the reduced number of corridor trains, it should be easy for VIA to meet their current requirements with only LRCs.

 

[Bordercollie]

I don't have any inside information, but it certainly wouldn't surprise me if all of the corridor HEP (and Renaissance) cars sidelined (HEPs are almost certainly used elsewhere in the network). The LRC coaches are probably the cheapest coaches for VIA to operate, since, being made out of aluminum instead of steel, they are likely significantly lighter. LRCs represent 2/3 of VIA's corridor coaches (ignoring baggage and service cars), so with the reduced number of corridor trains, it should be easy for VIA to meet their current requirements with only LRCs.

It sucks that we can do round trips from Toronto to Ottawa in one day, and with Greyhound not running, driving would be the only option.

 

[cplchanb]

I don't have any inside information, but it certainly wouldn't surprise me if all of the corridor HEP (and Renaissance) cars sidelined (HEPs are almost certainly used elsewhere in the network). The LRC coaches are probably the cheapest coaches for VIA to operate, since, being made out of aluminum instead of steel, they are likely significantly lighter. LRCs represent 2/3 of VIA's corridor coaches (ignoring baggage and service cars), so with the reduced number of corridor trains, it should be easy for VIA to meet their current requirements with only LRCs.

Well they are supposed to be LIGHT....RAPID AND COMFORTABLE....

 

[EnviroTO]

OMG, that Auditor General's report makes you both laugh and cry. The budget went up 1400% over the original estimate, and in the end VIA trains are slower and more unreliable, and CN wins... they can direct VIA onto the new tracks they built to pass them LOL. Yes, lets spend more on projects like this.

 

[EnviroTO]

There certainly should be improvement to SW Ontario services. The lack of any service improvements to London, Kitchener, Brantford, or restoring Hamilton service is unfortunate, while pushing this HFR scheme for other cities. (gosh, they've been playing with running some Montreal/Ottawa services through to the new suburban station at Aldershot for years now. Why not try extending one of those to the Hamilton Hunter Street terminal and see what that would do).

Considering VIA owns the corridor Windsor to Chatham, Metrolinx owns Kitchener to near Georgetown and Bramalea to Union, and the conflicts with freight are mainly limited to Komoka through to the Western Fairgrounds, Stratford to Kitchener, and Georgetown to Bramalea, I'm not sure that the HFR scheme is as relevant in Southwestern Ontario. Really the worst section for speed was Kitchener to Georgetown and Metrolinx is improving that section.

For Hamilton/Niagara Metrolinx owns Union to near Aldershot, and the only contention is Aldershot onwards, and Metrolinx is putting in investments there... so again does it make sense for VIA to put HFR money there when the goal is to have corridors where passengers come first?

If there was to be HFR money spent in Southwestern Ontario the best investment is to help Metrolinx pay for a freight by-pass Bramalea through the 407 corridor to south of Milton, and to have VIA buy the corridor Kitchener to London, and maybe a basket-weave at Komoka depending on the challenges scheduling trains from there onto the north track at the London station. For Hamilton/Niagara the best investment is to buy the south half of the corridor from Aldershot to Bayview junction, the creation of a basket-weave to keep GO to the south side of the corridor as it turns back east towards Hamilton, and to buy the south half of the corridor Bayview Junction to Stoney Creek, and the whole corridor to Niagara Falls. That basically creates corridors where passengers can run unimpeded by freight for most of the trip achieving the goals of HFR.

 

[ManyQuestions]

Considering VIA owns the corridor Windsor to Chatham, Metrolinx owns Kitchener to near Georgetown and Bramalea to Union, and the conflicts with freight are mainly limited to Komoka through to the Western Fairgrounds, Stratford to Kitchener, and Georgetown to Bramalea, I'm not sure that the HFR scheme is as relevant in Southwestern Ontario. Really the worst section for speed was Kitchener to Georgetown and Metrolinx is improving that section.

For Hamilton/Niagara Metrolinx owns Union to near Aldershot, and the only contention is Aldershot onwards, and Metrolinx is putting in investments there... so again does it make sense for VIA to put HFR money there when the goal is to have corridors where passengers come first?

If there was to be HFR money spent in Southwestern Ontario the best investment is to help Metrolinx pay for a freight by-pass Bramalea through the 407 corridor to south of Milton, and to have VIA buy the corridor Kitchener to London, and maybe a basket-weave at Komoka depending on the challenges scheduling trains from there onto the north track at the London station. For Hamilton/Niagara the best investment is to buy the south half of the corridor from Aldershot to Bayview junction, the creation of a basket-weave to keep GO to the south side of the corridor as it turns back east towards Hamilton, and to buy the south half of the corridor Bayview Junction to Stoney Creek, and the whole corridor to Niagara Falls. That basically creates corridors where passengers can run unimpeded by freight for most of the trip achieving the goals of HFR.

Is this the hydro corridor freight bypass that was cancelled by Ford? I'm not up to date with southwest Ontario rail plans but recall that there was an initiative to reroute freight trains off the Kitchener line to enable all day go service. Thought I might just be confusing that with some parts of the Wynne promise of high speed rail over the existing corridor.

 

[EnviroTO]

Is this the hydro corridor freight bypass that was cancelled by Ford? I'm not up to date with southwest Ontario rail plans but recall that there was an initiative to reroute freight trains off the Kitchener line to enable all day go service. Thought I might just be confusing that with some parts of the Wynne promise of high speed rail over the existing corridor.

It is mainly driven by a desire for frequent service on the Kitchener lines (beyond Bramalea) and Milton lines. Ford government's assures us it isn't necessary "because they have found a way that doesn't require it", which is absolute nonsense unless they are really saying the way not to do it is to not be frequent. Seriously, they expect us to believe they have the ability to increase service on the line without the by-pass, but for some reason the frequent service planned and electrification will end at Bramalea instead of Brampton downtown or Mount Pleasant (Metrolinx station naming rule error detected). Who believes that? End service in Bramalea?? Makes no sense for what they are saying.

 

[ManyQuestions]

It sucks that we can do round trips from Toronto to Ottawa in one day, and with Greyhound not running, driving would be the only option.

I'm honestly amazed by how little the federal government has done to ensure the availability of essential intercity transportation throughout the pandemic. While VIA has received support to provide a skeletal service, nothing has been done to address the departure of greyhound and how it has left Ottawa without any intercity bus service other than Ontario Northland to North Bay. They old (and unpleasant) greyhound terminal is already in the process of being redeveloped and there seems to be no plan to construct a new station.