VIA Rail

[kEiThZ]

French lawmakers approve a ban on short domestic flights​

From link.


Helps when France has real high-speed trains.

Meanwhile, in Ontario...

nothing

It's like France is a different country with a different attitude to state planning, with a different attitude to "national champion" industries, and with a transnational rail framework which allows train operators to bid on a fair basis for access to the network, twice the population of Canada, and six percent of the Canadian land area.

We can't have this nationwide in Canada. But we could certainly achieve elements of this in the Quebec-Windsor and Calgary-Edmonton corridors. We just need better air-rail integration to accompany more inter-city rail. Montreal needs the Dorval REM extension. And Toronto needs the Pearson Transit Hub. Those two pieces of infrastructure with HFR would allow for reductions and downgauging on existing flights. Upgrade to HSR and more flights can be removed later.

 

[Allandale25]

Key context for folks from Ontario/outside of Quebec.
JDM is the Montreal tabloid equivalent of Toronto Sun.

Another article in the French Canadian press, published yesterday (I don't think it's been posted here). HSR Canada tweeted it out today. Not sure how this publication fares compared to JDM.

Corridor Québec-Windsor | TGV ou TGF, faites le bon choix, Monsieur Trudeau !

À l’aube de la présentation du prochain budget de la ministre des Finances, Chrystia Freeland, le cabinet fédéral annoncera probablement un important programme d’infrastructures. La construction, dans le corridor Québec-Windsor, d’une voie réservée à un train à grande vitesse (TGV) devrait être...

www.lapresse.ca

 

[SFO-YYZ]

Another article in the French Canadian press, published yesterday (I don't think it's been posted here). HSR Canada tweeted it out today. Not sure how this publication fares compared to JDM.

Corridor Québec-Windsor | TGV ou TGF, faites le bon choix, Monsieur Trudeau !

À l’aube de la présentation du prochain budget de la ministre des Finances, Chrystia Freeland, le cabinet fédéral annoncera probablement un important programme d’infrastructures. La construction, dans le corridor Québec-Windsor, d’une voie réservée à un train à grande vitesse (TGV) devrait être...

www.lapresse.ca

It's just an opinion article with zero new content, by a local tourism professor at UQaM. He's basically repeating the same old "HSR or nothing" mantra that HSR Canada has been touting out for the last 20 years.

Also, fun fact, the author represents the Transat Chair in Tourism, which is wholly funded by Air Transat. Go figure

https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/1-million-dollars-generous-donation-by-transat-at-inc-to-esg-uqams-chair-in-tourism-on-its-25th-anniversary-700692152.html

 

[AHK]

On a totally separate note - last night (Tuesday, April 13, around 7:30 PM) a VIA Canadian train consisting of four locomotives and around 25 - 30 passenger cars, including multiple observation cars, two of which were the end of train ones, as well as one of the newer, non-stainless steel cars, was headed west from Union Station towards the Mimico yards. No idea where they had been sequestered over the past year, but clearly heading for a check-over and freshen up in the Mimico shops before going back into service.

An boy, does it look strange to see an end-of-train observation car with additional passenger cars connected behind it...

 

[Allandale25]

On a totally separate note - last night (Tuesday, April 13, around 7:30 PM) a VIA Canadian train consisting of four locomotives and around 25 - 30 passenger cars, including multiple observation cars, two of which were the end of train ones, as well as one of the newer, non-stainless steel cars, was headed west from Union Station towards the Mimico yards. No idea where they had been sequestered over the past year, but clearly heading for a check-over and freshen up in the Mimico shops before going back into service.

An boy, does it look strange to see an end-of-train observation car with additional passenger cars connected behind it...

I think someone caught it leaving Vancouver on April 2nd: https://www.facebook.com/groups/VIA...08JzPpNCl3XC3N_tQ3r7_ev9fvLTdwY&__tn__=,O,P-R

(from the VIA Rail #1/2 "The Canadian" Facebook group)

 

[ssiguy2]

I think the French style HSR will be great and I can't wait for Ottawa to study it over the next 5 years so they can create another new report.

The problem for VIA {besides too little funding and grotesque political interference} is that it has a HUGE financial burden it is going to have to overcome in the next 20 years............decarbonizing it's fleet.

There is no way, in hell, that Ottawa will be able to dictate zero emissions targets for transportation but give it's Crown Corporation a pass. The entire network from Coast to Coast is going to have to switch over to zero emissions vehicles and the cost won't come cheap from both new vehicles and the needed infrastructure. That's not just the busy Corridor but also ridiculously remote service like to Churchill & Prince Rupert. That means the huge expense of HSR in the Corridor will have to be backed up by a clean nationwide fleet and when the costs are tabulated most Canadians will bulk at the idea.

 

[crs1026]

There is no way, in hell, that Ottawa will be able to dictate zero emissions targets for transportation but give it's Crown Corporation a pass. The entire network from Coast to Coast is going to have to switch over to zero emissions vehicles and the cost won't come cheap from both new vehicles and the needed infrastructure. That's not just the busy Corridor but also ridiculously remote service like to Churchill & Prince Rupert. That means the huge expense of HSR in the Corridor will have to be backed up by a clean nationwide fleet and when the costs are tabulated most Canadians will bulk at the idea.

I believe the commitment is to net-zero rather than absolute zero. Hypothetically VIA and other government agencies could offset emissions, for example, by planting trees.

This is not to say that VIA won't have to implement new motive power technology. But I would worry more about the impact on plenty of things before I would say VIA will be placed at risk by this commitment.

- Paul

 

[TerryJohnson]

The mayor of Perth hasn't given up on an HFR stop:

Mayor Fenik hopes VIA considers Perth as High-Frequency stop - Lake 88.1

Fenik described the idea as a "game-changer" for residents of Perth.

lake88.ca

 

[EnviroTO]

The mayor of Perth hasn't given up on an HFR stop:

... and they are worried about the undue traffic jams that 10 trains a day might cause.

 

[crs1026]

... and they are worried about the undue traffic jams that 10 trains a day might cause.

It's a bit comical, but it's more disturbing..... one would think that there would have been outreach so that town councils are better informed and don't make this kind of misstatement to constituents. Would love to see the faces when they find out how HFR will impact those crossings.

If Ottawa intends to approve first, and consult second, and maybe slide some key details by in dark of night, they must be using the same PR consultants that Metrolinx uses.

- Paul

 

[kEiThZ]

The problem for VIA {besides too little funding and grotesque political interference} is that it has a HUGE financial burden it is going to have to overcome in the next 20 years............decarbonizing it's fleet.

20 years is a long time.

And in that time technology is going to improve substantially, contributing to a lower cost of electrification. Given how efficient trains already are and that carbon taxes, hurt driving and flying more, there's no need to even really look at electrification until they can have built out the whole corridor and demand is such that they have half-hourly service. That's probably 2035 or beyond. That said, the Liberals virtue signalling by spending $2B in HFR electrification isn't beyond them.

 

[kEiThZ]

The mayor of Perth hasn't given up on an HFR stop:

Mayor Fenik hopes VIA considers Perth as High-Frequency stop - Lake 88.1

Fenik described the idea as a "game-changer" for residents of Perth.

lake88.ca

I really hope VIA gets to pass on this. For every rider that Perth adds, they might lose 2-3 in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal from the train slowing down for Perth.

If they need a stop between Peterborough and Smiths Falls, put it near Kaladar to ensure even access all around.

It's a bit comical, but it's more disturbing..... one would think that there would have been outreach so that town councils are better informed and don't make this kind of misstatement to constituents. Would love to see the faces when they find out how HFR will impact those crossings.

I'm thinking they only talked to the towns getting service improvements. And maybe ones where lots of work, track relocation, etc may be necessary.

 

[lenaitch]

The entire stretch between P'boro and Perth, particularly Perth to Medoc, is so economically depressed that they probably got excited with 'we're getting train service . . oh, wait'. I suspect much of the initial enthusiasm of enroute communities will wane once they realize that the only impact will be trains running through.

Kaladar would be an odd choice. Other than somewhat geographically central (~80km to Perth, ~110 to P'boro), there is no there, there. Folks in communities east of there aren't going to travel upwards of 80km west to travel back east, considering Perth to Smiths Falls is only 20 km.

 

[Allandale25]

^ Express and local HFR trains. Is it really that hard? There's already a train that stops once a day in Napanee, isn't there?

 

[crs1026]

^ I seem to recall that someone (YDS?) had made noises about how Perth would be a good place for a stop, but that doesn’t imply every train needs to stop there. One or two a day in each direction would not create any big concerns. We don’t know how many will stop in Smiths Falls, for that matter, so maybe one stop would be offset by not stopping at the other town.

Perth does have enough people and traffic, and busy streets with grade crossings, that one would hope they know what may be coming.

- Paul