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VIA Rail

kEiThZ said:
Yes and no. They've done more work than the OLP ever did on their proposal.

On the other hand, the Trudeau Liberals didn't say much about HFR after the 2015 election, till 2019 (JPO created). And then again in 2021 (Pre-procurement). So there's naturally a bit of suspicion that they could be stringing us along. Just wish they were a tad more transparent on where things stand.

All that said, I will concede that beyond railfans, not a lot of people care that much about VIA development. So it could be why, the government is less forthcoming, than on other initiatives.
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I‘d just like to remark that the first tangible federal commitment to HFR being more than just a fantasy entertained by VIA‘s management already came with the 2018 budget, which allocated $8 million of funding over 3 years to study HFR:
C39660FC-990B-481B-9E95-8DC330E7217A.jpeg
 
Urban Sky said:
I‘d just like to remark that the first tangible federal commitment to HFR being more than just a fantasy entertained by VIA‘s management already came with the 2018 budget, which allocated $8 of funding over 3 years to study HFR
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Haven't forgotten that. But $8M over 3 years was benchwarmer money. It helped keep the idea going without really making substantive gains. That only started with the creation of the JPO and the $70M they got for substantial engineering work and analysis.
 
Urban Sky said:
Are you forgetting that there have been 11 federal elections since then?
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My point wasn't so much related to how much time has past since that broken promise. But more that promises are often made, or at least implied, and seldom met. It's worth nothing unless there's construction on the ground - or at least major design efforts, including permit requests, community consultation, environmental assessments (sure a CEA must be done for this - and that's not a quick process), and design work released.

Look at the four subway line projects. They've advanced a lot more than HFR has in the same timeframe. Construction has already begun on one, and TBMs have been purchased on another. A third is having early works tendered, and the fourth is up to it's neck in community consultation.
 
While it is true that Ford is a straight shooter, the transit projects he is backing have a lot more voter support. Traffic in Toronto is horrible, and fixing that will generate significant voter support in the province. While intercity rail (be it HFR or HSR) has a lot of advantages, it won't do as much to reduce traffic congestion (in Toronto or elsewhere) as any of Ford's projects. Given that people don't use intercity rail as often as they use commute to and from work, it won't benefit people as much.

I am not trying to say that we shouldn't have or improve intercity rail, just that comparing the political support for it to transit implodents is really an apples to oranges comparison.
 
roger1818 said:
While it is true that Ford is a straight shooter, the transit projects he is backing have a lot more voter support. Traffic in Toronto is horrible, and fixing that will generate significant voter support in the province. While intercity rail (be it HFR or HSR) has a lot of advantages, it won't do as much to reduce traffic congestion (in Toronto or elsewhere) as any of Ford's projects. Given that people don't use intercity rail as often as they use commute to and from work, it won't benefit people as much.

I am not trying to say that we shouldn't have or improve intercity rail, just that comparing the political support for it to transit implodents is really an apples to oranges comparison.
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Governments of all stripes are happy to pull the plug on transit. As much as I think Ford's gov't is a dumpster fire, getting transit built this quickly isn't easy in this country.
 
Anything can be built if you're willing to spend. The problem is that quite often, governments find an excuse to spend on/prioritize something else.

In any event. I am cautiously optimistic. But it would be nice to know what the $80M this idea has had allocated has been spent on.
 
kEiThZ said:
Anything can be built if you're willing to spend. The problem is that quite often, governments find an excuse to spend on/prioritize something else.

In any event. I am cautiously optimistic. But it would be nice to know what the $80M this idea has had allocated has been spent on.
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The very interesting thing about transit is how government at all levels is desperate to firewall itself from the execution risks.

Ottawa of late has been eager to dispense cash but not take on execution of things.

I wonder if the HFR procurement is being held until, for instance, projects like the GO Oncorr procurement or various subway/LRT procurements are further out of the gate. Potential bidders may only be able to process so many bids at one time.

The fear of the unknown may be at play here… this government really hates looking bad (they shoot themselves in the foot enough as it is) and building a railway is a new unfamiliar task for Ottawa.

- PUl
 
crs1026 said:
The very interesting thing about transit is how government at all levels is desperate to firewall itself from the execution risks.

Ottawa of late has been eager to dispense cash but not take on execution of things.

I wonder if the HFR procurement is being held until, for instance, projects like the GO Oncorr procurement or various subway/LRT procurements are further out of the gate. Potential bidders may only be able to process so many bids at one time.

The fear of the unknown may be at play here… this government really hates looking bad (they shoot themselves in the foot enough as it is) and building a railway is a new unfamiliar task for Ottawa.

- PUl
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And long term, certainly in terms of political horizons. There's no photo-op of 'the big cheque' and they know the ribbon cutting will be done by somebody else. In Canada, the execution of big bucks in one part of the country has to balanced by big bucks in others, resulting in even bigger bucks and more anxiety.
 
This was shared today on Groups.io:
VIA Rail is pleased to invite all tier 1 original equipment manufacturers of intercity and long-distance rail cars and locomotives to attend the virtual VIA Rail non-corridor fleets renewal market day.
The day will be dedicated to both informing the market about the fleet renewal opportunity and addressing the context of the Government of Canada’s 2022-2023 Budget.
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Non-corridor Fleets Renewal Market Day - 202112030 | MERX

www.merx.com www.merx.com
 
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Bordercollie said:
Didnt they determine that this was not a worthwhile exercise and scrapped the idea?

Why are they doing this again?
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Would you mind being more specific? I have no idea what you are talking about, as I believe it to be rather obvious that you can’t extend the lifespan of a fleet of cars built in the 1940s and 50s much further…
 
Bordercollie said:
Didnt they determine that this was not a worthwhile exercise and scrapped the idea?

Why are they doing this again?
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I’m reading between the lines of certain words - “Budget 2022-2023” ….. if one were submitting a proposal for funding for consideration for a future budget, one would want to have talked to the vendor community to gauge what vendor interest there might be, how prices are holding up, and what might be possible/affordable/available……

- Paul
 
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