VIA Rail

[dowlingm]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1430993016735637510

Let me explain why VIA and a single Exo line were kicked off the DM/Mont Royal tunnel in favour of a politically unaccountable transit solution by throwing up a superthread of maps positing an Exo-RER which is nothing to do with VIA.

I can understand why Exo was forced to stand still for this and not protect its own interest (wherein it now has a bunch of electric and DM stock which it can't use for its intended purpose). Does anyone know why VIA did?

 

[Allandale25]

Le service de train de passagers doit reprendre, ordonne une coalition de Gaspésiens - Radio Gaspésie

La Coalition des Gaspésiens pour l’avenir du train insiste pour que le gouvernement intervienne dans une reprise rapide et graduelle du service de train

www.radiogaspesie.ca

 

[SFO-YYZ]

Let me explain why VIA and a single Exo line were kicked off the DM/Mont Royal tunnel in favour of a politically unaccountable transit solution by throwing up a superthread of maps positing an Exo-RER which is nothing to do with VIA.

By politically unaccountable transit solution, you mean a transit infrastructure plan that for once doesn't let local politicians make arbitrary changes every 2 days, a transit plan that actually gets built on time? If that's what politically unaccountable means, I'll take it every time over a politically "accountable" plan.

 

[superelevation]

Let me explain why VIA and a single Exo line were kicked off the DM/Mont Royal tunnel in favour of a politically unaccountable transit solution by throwing up a superthread of maps positing an Exo-RER which is nothing to do with VIA.

I can understand why Exo was forced to stand still for this and not protect its own interest (wherein it now has a bunch of electric and DM stock which it can't use for its intended purpose). Does anyone know why VIA did?

There are many more examples than just this tunnel of VIA sitting around while infra it could have used is impacted. Perhaps the issue is VIA's management isn't fighting these battles?

 

[crs1026]

There are many more examples than just this tunnel of VIA sitting around while infra it could have used is impacted. Perhaps the issue is VIA's management isn't fighting these battles?

You mean poking bears publicly that might be controversial for the sitting government? Or in conflict with what the bureaucracy in Ottawa has decided?

One should not assume that VIA was even in the room or invited to comment.

That's the lamentable lack of independence that comes from VIA not having any legal status of its own.

- Paul

 

[kEiThZ]

So. Any ideas on possible ways forward if the CPC is elected. Does HFR get canned? Does the scope get reduced?

 

[rbt]

So. Any ideas on possible ways forward if the CPC is elected. Does HFR get canned? Does the scope get reduced?

Harper made some investment in Via infrastructure. CPC won't get a majority so they'll need BQ to support them. Quebec, both left and right, have interest in this project.

Based on those, I think if the business case is reasonable they'll probably go ahead on the route/track portion. Reducing long-term subsidies for VIA is a fiscal win for CPC.

Electrification may be delayed, but that isn't much of a loss. VIA doesn't really benefit from this until passenger demand requires ~20 minute frequencies.

 

[kEiThZ]

The thing is. Even in a minority government, they could just quietly scrap the project. Nothing says they have to RFP it. And they have a specific commitment to dismantle the CIB, a wish shared by the NDP. Some horseshoe politics on this one. That alone gives them the excuse to delay. No RFP is as good as dead. Nothing says they have to officially cancel it.

If they go ahead, I think two questions are valid:

1) Do they keep the Montreal-Quebec City portion?

2) Do they pursue electrification?

 

[Allandale25]

From the LPC platform released today.

 

[p_xavier]

"Remote Services" were the only one of VIA's historically five service categories which survived the 1990 cuts untouched:



It also puzzles me how you can create a map like this without realizing that allowing Montrealers to travel to Senneterre might not be the reason why taxpayers fund that service:
View attachment 344779

Rumours were that this routing was kept because it went to Jean Chrétien's riding.

 

[nfitz]

So. Any ideas on possible ways forward if the CPC is elected. Does HFR get canned? Does the scope get reduced?

Probably depends on what type of government. If CPC/BQ can get to 170 seats, but there is no majority, then I'd think that at least the Ottawa to Quebec City portion would move ahead.

But perhaps a better question, is what's is the CPC platform? I haven't looked at it.

Edit ... ugh, I shouldn't have looked. The only mention I can see of anything is stripping First Nations of blockading tracks, including in places where the government has recognized that the First Nations have legal right to the land, but the government has refused to come up with a solution! And I expect this has more to do with protecting big business, than in any interest in VIA Rail passengers. Meanwhile they name-check roads, airports, and nuclear reactors (and local transit).

And ... WTF ... the front page of their platform is their election logo (?) "Secure the Future"? I can't believe they've actually made their logo so similar to the white nationalist "14 words"?

 

[p_xavier]

A Conservative government will make historic investments in nationally significant projects across the country, such as the SkyTrain extension to Langley (British Columbia), Ontario’s GTA transit plan, Quebec City’s Third Link (Quebec), the Calgary Green Line (Alberta) and VIA Rail’s high-frequency rail project.

Getting Infrastructure Built - Conservative Party of Canada

The State of Canadian Infrastructure The centrepiece of Justin Trudeau’s 2015 campaign was his promise to invest $180 billion over 12 years in infrastructure. However, the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) found there was no additional infrastructure built in Canada over and above what would...

www.conservative.ca

 

[crs1026]

^ I would look to the quote in the CPC platform page 27 that speaks to cancelling the CIB and deploying the unspent money to valid infrastructure projects, and “continue already committed projects”. (It would be naive to expect them to refer to HFR by name, as it’s a Liberal branded project…. but just as GO RER became GO Expansion, a rose by any other….).

The parts of VIA’s BCS that have favourable ROI would be the best to hope for. The London-Windsor portion might actually play to a Ford-O’Toole “kiss and make up“ once the election is over.…. a CPC federal-provincial united team thing just in time for Ford’s next election.

- Paul

 

[kamira51]

Edit ... ugh, I shouldn't have looked. The only mention I can see of anything is stripping First Nations of blockading tracks,

You do understand how much havoc that caused right?

And ... WTF ... the front page of their platform is their election logo (?) "Secure the Future"? I can't believe they've actually made their logo so similar to the white nationalist "14 words"?

That's just you.

 

[p_xavier]

^ I would look to the quote in the CPC platform page 27 that speaks to cancelling the CIB and deploying the unspent money to valid infrastructure projects, and “continue already committed projects”. (It would be naive to expect them to refer to HFR by name, as it’s a Liberal branded project…. but just as GO RER became GO Expansion, a rose by any other….).

The parts of VIA’s BCS that have favourable ROI would be the best to hope for. The London-Windsor portion might actually play to a Ford-O’Toole “kiss and make up“ once the election is over.…. a CPC federal-provincial united team thing just in time for Ford’s next election.

- Paul

Québec City is conservative stronghold, so I doubt they would cancel that too. Anyways, the CIB was a great idea but poorly executed, like most Federal Government initiatives.