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VIA Rail

Allandale25 said:
HSR No. 2 on the policy vote result list for the LPC convention.

2023.liberal.ca

2023 Open Policy Process | 2023 Liberal National Convention | Liberal Party of Canada

Hearing ideas from Canadians is what keeps our Liberal movement strong, growing, and innovative - and we want you to be a part of it.
2023.liberal.ca 2023.liberal.ca
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ssiguy2 said:
Couple interesting notes about their platform about Corridor services...........they say HSR and not HFR and they state the service would be a Windsor to Quebec City route, hence including SWO.
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cplchanb said:
Source?
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I think @ssiguy2 is referring to my post above about LPC members adopting a HSR policy at their recent convention. Link in my post above but here is the extracted text.

1683839989925.png
 
Allandale25 said:
I think @ssiguy2 is referring to my post above about LPC members adopting a HSR policy at their recent convention. Link in my post above but here is the extracted text.

View attachment 476384
Click to expand...
really mixed to negative feelings about this. on one hand its good that they recognise the importance of HSR but on the other it means scope creep, hence more money and more STUDIES... which means the HFR project
wont be realised for another 20 years/AKA ill be dead before it runs
 
cplchanb said:
really mixed to negative feelings about this. on one hand its good that they recognise the importance of HSR but on the other it means scope creep, hence more money and more STUDIES... which means the HFR project
wont be realised for another 20 years/AKA ill be dead before it runs
Click to expand...

Worth noting here, what gets approved as party policy at conventions is not binding on the government and is unlikely to affect near-term plans.

There's already a process underway, its Toronto-Quebec City; the feds have already made noises about extending this west at least to Kitchener and perhaps points beyond, but that will be a separate project.

Which is to say, the current process and budget will not be beholden to any south-westerly extension.

Also, the project is already electric, and already allows scope for high(er) speed rail.

Its really up to the proponents what they pitch and then what the government chooses to accept.

I imagine you'll see a lot of proponents provide a base-case option that fits within scope, and then elective upgrades which could be delivered either in phase 1, or at a future point in time.

I don't know that, to be clear, that's just the rumblings I'm hearing.

***

I think there are plenty of reasons to be concerned about the belaboured timeline and process already laid out for this project. But I would not consider what got passed at the Liberal convention to be material to that.
 
dimonpc said:
Does anybody know how many new Siemens trainsets have arrived? As of April it was just 4 and only one in service (Ottawa <-> Montreal), is that still the case? With this pace it will take years for all 32 trains to see in service...
Was hoping to ride a new one this summer from Toronto, but it doesn't look feasible.
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4 have arrived, and while only one has been in service thus far anther set or two was out and about earlier this week.

The plan was always that the first couple of sets (originally 3) were to arrive in advance of the rest of them, in order to allow for testing and any modifications that might be needed. Now that the testing phase is completed they can start completing and shipping the rest of the trainsets. My understanding is that Siemens should start shipping the remainder at a rate of 1 a month.

dimonpc said:
Was trying to find an app/service like flightradar24, but for trains, can't see anything. Is there a way to check what kind of train is that by train number?
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No such service exists in North America. The railways are notoriously secretive, and what few methods that there are to keep an eye on trains publicly have been in spite of the attempts of the railroads, not because of them.

That said, if you don't mind putting in the legwork, there are other ways around it. Radio scanners are getting less and less expensive, and allow you to listen in on the radio communications between crews and the RTCs. The Canadian Trackside Guide is an annual publication that lists almost every single thing that you may want to know about the railways in Canada, including subdivisions and train numbers. And finally, in certain areas there is limited tracking of the trains themselves (but not what they are) via an older signal system called ATCS that broadcasts via cellular frequencies versus wire or fibre optic. There is a very, very good group on it on groups.io, and if you're serious I would suggest joining it to find out more.

Dan
 
To expand on the above:

Via's tracking website:
tsimobile.viarail.ca

GO Transit's tracking website:
http://www.gotracker.ca/gotracker/web/

Third party website which consolidates Via and Amtrak train positions (but with about a minute delay compared to the original websites).
https://asm.transitdocs.com/

The Via data unfortunately does not include the train type, but you can sometimes determine the train type by cross referencing the speed with the speed limits for different types of trains. If you see a train going faster than the P+ speed, then you know it's either a P42 with Renaissance coaches or a Siemens Charger with Venture coaches. If it always stays below the P+ speed but does exceed 153 km/h where the P+ speed allows then it's probably a P42 with LRC coaches. If it never exceeds 153 km/h even where the P+ speed is 100 mph then it probably includes an F40 locomotive and/or Budd coaches.
 
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Garuda said:
It's so frustrating that we don't get the same information akin to Flight Tracking. For general travellers it can be so helpful to know ahead of time what to expect.
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??? That is precisely what these tools tell you.

Capture.PNG

Capture2.PNG
 
Finally white smoke in Ottawa:
Following an open, transparent, and merit-based selection process and after consultation with the Board of Directors of VIA Rail Canada Inc., the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, announces the appointment of Mr. Mario Péloquin as the President and Chief Executive Officer of VIA Rail Canada Inc. for a term of five years, effective June 12, 2023.

Mr. Péloquin has close to 40 years of experience in the transportation and rail industry. He possesses considerable executive-level experience, is an active member of his community, and brings a wide array of knowledge and expertise to this position.
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www.canada.ca

Minister of Transport announces appointment of President and Chief Executive Officer of VIA Rail Canada Inc.

Following an open, transparent, and merit-based selection process and after consultation with the Board of Directors of VIA Rail Canada Inc., the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, announces the appointment of Mr. Mario Péloquin as the President and Chief Executive Officer of...
www.canada.ca www.canada.ca
 
Urban Sky said:
Finally white smoke in Ottawa:


www.canada.ca

Minister of Transport announces appointment of President and Chief Executive Officer of VIA Rail Canada Inc.

Following an open, transparent, and merit-based selection process and after consultation with the Board of Directors of VIA Rail Canada Inc., the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, announces the appointment of Mr. Mario Péloquin as the President and Chief Executive Officer of...
www.canada.ca www.canada.ca
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Just checked his linked in... checks all the political boxes: aecon, aecom, snc, Siemens, speaks French... good luck I guess...🤷‍♂️ Hopefully he can use his previous connections to leverage better development for via especially on the hf/Sr front

 
Urban Sky said:
Finally white smoke in Ottawa:


www.canada.ca

Minister of Transport announces appointment of President and Chief Executive Officer of VIA Rail Canada Inc.

Following an open, transparent, and merit-based selection process and after consultation with the Board of Directors of VIA Rail Canada Inc., the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, announces the appointment of Mr. Mario Péloquin as the President and Chief Executive Officer of...
www.canada.ca www.canada.ca
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Lets review his CV and see if we think the experience lines up:

1684246771566.png

1684246827801.png

1684246880906.png


1684246931136.png



Hmmmm, certainly a diverse career in transportation............but....

Hasn't held a job for more than 1 year 1 month since 2016. That seems curious.
 
Northern Light said:
We did the exact same thing, at the exact same time and posted within seconds of each other.
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linked in is a very convenient tool for scrutinizing these high profile appointments. youre right... the fact he cant hold a position for a year since his time at Thales is eyebrow raising.... is he a journeyman trying to
climb the pay ladder or is he of questionable character... hopefully via got this guy right.... though it would be massively entertaining if we revisit this post next June when he has left for another job.
 
How old is he? Did he try out retirement and didn’t like it? Did he take a break to raise children? Was there a personal situation that prevented him from working?
 
PinkLucy said:
How old is he? Did he try out retirement and didn’t like it? Did he take a break to raise children? Was there a personal situation that prevented him from working?
Click to expand...

His entire CV is posted above, there are no material employment gaps. Just remarkably fast turnover the last several years.
 
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