VIA Rail

[Allandale25]

Statement from VIA Rail today on the challenges over the holidays. Apparently they will also before a Parliamentary Committee.

STATEMENT FROM VIA RAIL ON THE DECEMBER 2022 TRAVEL DISRUPTIONS

/CNW Telbec/ - VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) issued the following statement today regarding the travel delays and train cancellations which occurred from December...

www.newswire.ca

Source.

 

[Northern Light]

Statement from VIA Rail today on the challenges over the holidays. Apparently they will also before a Parliamentary Committee.

STATEMENT FROM VIA RAIL ON THE DECEMBER 2022 TRAVEL DISRUPTIONS

/CNW Telbec/ - VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) issued the following statement today regarding the travel delays and train cancellations which occurred from December...

www.newswire.ca

View attachment 449623

Source.

From the news release/belated apology:

****

This is already meeting with online blowback for being both too little and too late.

I am entirely on board w/that. A formal apology was due last month. For the delay in that alone, irrespective of the poor incident response, the CEO should be relieved of his employment for cause.

 

[Urban Sky]

I am entirely on board w/that. A formal apology was due last month. For the delay in that alone, irrespective of the poor incident response, the CEO should be relieved of his employment for cause.

Martin Landry had already announced his decision to retire as Chief Commercial Officer when he was asked last year to act as CEO (after the resignation of Cynthia Garneau) until the federal government fills that role again…

 

[Northern Light]

Martin Landry was already retired as Chief Commercial Officer and was reactivated last year to act as CEO until the federal government fills that role again…

Nice to know the government is moving to fill that role in a timely fashion!

 

[kEiThZ]

Some of Spain's HSR stations have (or did have) much stronger security than most airports.

Madrid had baggage screening, a separate locked waiting room prior to boarding [entry to this room was not allowed when boarding began, and both locked doors and gates to access track level.

Yep. I found either airport style security to get onto the platform or at smaller stations, to enter the station itself. I would assume some of their history with terrorism has to do with that.

 

[littlewill1166]

No amount of studying commuter and regional rail networks and their procedures will change that their operational and commercial needs are as fundamentally different as their timetable characteristics are (e.g. frequency, number of stops, scheduled dwell time at stations), which is the main driver for their operational procedures (and for why they differ so notably between each other - almost universally across this planet).

Also, if you want lower ticket prices, you should put your hopes on a decrease in demand or an increase in supply, but certainly not on a decrease in higher average costs. The minimum price a carrier may charge its passengers is the marginal cost of transporting its passengers and that is negligible for a passenger railroad (e.g. incremental fuel cost for transporting X kg of additional weight over a distance of Y km)...

VIA has already taken pages out of regional rail networks in recent years.

• They removed checked baggage service from corridor trains allowing for lower staffing, track access charges, etc.
• They added push/pull consists to reduce the need to wye trains at terminals, reducing turnaround times, and increasing supply. This also reduces locomotive engineer staffing costs but is offset by the cost of having an extra locomotive.
• With the new fleet, they are adding destination signs to the sides of trains, and emergency call alarms like those found on rapid transit.

Taking ideas from regional rail networks has allowed for increases in supply by VIA. Between 2016 and 2019 when the first two initiatives were implemented, VIA's cost per available seat mile was below the rate of inflation (39.69 cents in 2016 and 40.87 cents in 2019) a 2.97% increase over 3 years. In this period, VIA introduced pass products including the Unlimited Student Pass, and the 2017 Canada 150 Youth Pass.

For boarding, VIA should take a page from GO and not announce the gate until the train is ready for boarding. This way, people don't know where to line up.

One big difference between commuters and intercity travelers is luggage. What percentage of commuters have a large suitcase in tow? Now what percentage of intercity travelers do?

The three stations in discussion only have one escalator to each platform. With commuters, you can set it to the up direction and have most people use stairs to go down and the few people with luggage can use the elevator. Redirecting people with luggage to elevators doesn't work well if the passenger volume using them exceed its capacity throughput. Having a second escalator that runs in the opposite direction helps significantly.

Of course the other issue is what to do with people who get on the wrong train (which one reason to check the ticket before you get onboard). With a commuter train, the first station will be much sooner than with an intercity train, and in most cases it is easier to backtrack to your origin.

Union has 3 escalators up to platform 16/17 in the VIA concourse. Platform 20/21 also has 3 escalators in the VIA concourse, this platform is shared with GO, so there is stair access from the GO concourses. I would be surprised if people haven't already used those stairs to bypass the lines in the VIA concourse.

Montreal has stairs like GO in its concourse, they're just closed off a lot. In Ottawa, there are ramps and escalators, but they control boarding access, by using the escalator for boarding as well. For commuter trains like 71, 75, 82, 83 there are a lot of people with just a backpack (I was one of them) who don't mind using stairs. I was taking escalator space away from someone with a lot of luggage. It doesn't really make sent to me why VIA isn't maximizing the utilization of the vertical access available at these stations.

As for people getting on the wrong train. GO operates a single-direction peak service on the Milton and Richmond Hill lines. If you get on one of those by accident, you're stranded until the next morning if you choose to take the train back.

 

[Bordercollie]

From the news release/belated apology:

View attachment 449630
View attachment 449631

****

This is already meeting with online blowback for being both too little and too late.

I am entirely on board w/that. A formal apology was due last month. For the delay in that alone, irrespective of the poor incident response, the CEO should be relieved of his employment for cause.

It's basically saying we will look into it but basically it's out of our control.

Sorry better luck next time....


That's very reassuring...

 

[Urban Sky]

VIA has already taken pages out of regional rail networks in recent years.

• They removed checked baggage service from corridor trains allowing for lower staffing, track access charges, etc.
• They added push/pull consists to reduce the need to wye trains at terminals, reducing turnaround times, and increasing supply. This also reduces locomotive engineer staffing costs but is offset by the cost of having an extra locomotive.
• With the new fleet, they are adding destination signs to the sides of trains, and emergency call alarms like those found on rapid transit.

Taking ideas from regional rail networks has allowed for increases in supply by VIA. Between 2016 and 2019 when the first two initiatives were implemented, VIA's cost per available seat mile was below the rate of inflation (39.69 cents in 2016 and 40.87 cents in 2019) a 2.97% increase over 3 years. In this period, VIA introduced pass products including the Unlimited Student Pass, and the 2017 Canada 150 Youth Pass.

Thank you for recognizing the progress (and success) my former colleagues have made between 2014 and 2019, but how many "regional rail networks" have ever offered checked baggage service? The changes you've listed have been implemented in the entire global passenger rail industry and you really have to travel to certain corners of Europe or Asia to still enjoy trains without a locomotive or cab car at the rear end of their trains.

For boarding, VIA should take a page from GO and not announce the gate until the train is ready for boarding. This way, people don't know where to line up.

Union has 3 escalators up to platform 16/17 in the VIA concourse. Platform 20/21 also has 3 escalators in the VIA concourse, this platform is shared with GO, so there is stair access from the GO concourses. I would be surprised if people haven't already used those stairs to bypass the lines in the VIA concourse.
View attachment 449686
Montreal has stairs like GO in its concourse, they're just closed off a lot. In Ottawa, there are ramps and escalators, but they control boarding access, by using the escalator for boarding as well. For commuter trains like 71, 75, 82, 83 there are a lot of people with just a backpack (I was one of them) who don't mind using stairs. I was taking escalator space away from someone with a lot of luggage. It doesn't really make sent to me why VIA isn't maximizing the utilization of the vertical access available at these stations.

As for people getting on the wrong train. GO operates a single-direction peak service on the Milton and Richmond Hill lines. If you get on one of those by accident, you're stranded until the next morning if you choose to take the train back.

You either herd your passengers like sheep or you expect them to identify by their own the best way (and time) to walk towards and board their train. For reasons we have discussed here ad nausea, most "obvious" solutions are not practical within the existing infrastructure (among other) constraints...

 

[SaugeenJunction]

From January 17th - another VIA Charger/Venture trainset is headed to Canada (via Instagram).

 

[SaugeenJunction]

First HFR board meeting held on January 18th:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1615826512250540032

 

[Willybru21]

I think it's been there since the 90's.

It could easily be replaced with a giant LED TV. But if it ain't broke don't fix it.

But is is broken though, some days it doesn’t work and other days a bunch of panels are flashing or off on it.

 

[roger1818]

From January 17th - another VIA Charger/Venture trainset is headed to Canada (via Instagram).

From the second picture, the cab car is numbered 2302. I can't see any other numbers, but I assume it would be locomotive number 2203 and coach numbers 2602, 2702, 2802 and 2902.

According to Wikipedia, 26XX & 27XX are business class, and 28XX & 29XX are economy. Not sure which are Business 3A vs 3B, or Economy 1A vs. 1B and what the exact differences are between the A and B variants (presumably they are related to things like galley, bike racks, luggage space, number of seats, and accessibility features).

 

[Bordercollie]

From the second picture, the cab car is numbered 2302. I can't see any other numbers, but I assume it would be locomotive number 2203 and coach numbers 2602, 2702, 2802 and 2902.

According to Wikipedia, 26XX & 27XX are business class, and 28XX & 29XX are economy. Not sure which are Business 3A vs 3B, or Economy 1A vs. 1B and what the exact differences are between the A and B variants (presumably they are related to things like galley, bike racks, luggage space, number of seats, and accessibility features).

Is the second trainset in service?

Any results from the compression test of the budd cars?

 

[dowlingm]

Any results from the compression test of the budd cars?

Given there was one at the back of Canadian on the Davenport Diamond thread I would guess either “nothing” or “nothing good”

 

[Bordercollie]

Given there was one at the back of Canadian on the Davenport Diamond thread I would guess either “nothing” or “nothing good”

They where supposed to figure it out by the end of the month with an action plan.