robmausser
Senior Member
I can be very persuasive
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VIA Rail
- Thread starter ehlow
- Start date
Urban Sky
Senior Member
Seems like the announcement will start any second:
cpac.ca
Update:
As of 10:16 am, I still only see this:
Transport Minister on Next Phase of High-Frequency Rail Project
In Montreal, federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra announces the second phase in the procurement process for a high-frequency rail line project that will connect the city to Toronto, Ottawa, and Quebec City. He is joined by his parliamentary secretary Annie Koutrakis. Alghabra says the...
Update:
As of 10:16 am, I still only see this:
Last edited:
Allandale25
Senior Member
Press release:
www.canada.ca
And a website launched:
tgf-hfr.ca
Government of Canada launches the next phase in the procurement process for High Frequency Rail
High Frequency Rail will transform passenger rail service in Canada through the creation of a faster, more frequent, more accessible and more sustainable rail service among the major centres of Québec City, Trois-Rivières, Montréal, Ottawa, Peterborough and Toronto.
And a website launched:
Alto - Train à grande vitesse entre Québec et Toronto
Le réseau de train offrira un service fréquent, fiable et plus rapide grâce à des trains modernes, accessibles et écologiques.
tgf-hfr.ca
innsertnamehere
Superstar
LOL
nfitz
Superstar
Nothing on CPAC channel either (though one might argue the WHO update on Ukraine is more important).
I guess VIA Rail is late
Ah - it says the announcement by the minister already happened ... I guess something went wrong ... (edit at 10:30).
Ah, it's going now ... gosh, the sound level is very low. (edit at 10:31).
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nfitz
Superstar
She'll be coming around the mountain if she comes ...
crs1026
Superstar
It’s a legitimate step in the (ponderous) procurement process, but it’s a larger statement about how risk-averse government can be with things they don’t really know how to get on with. Push it into a process and hope that it stays on the rails somehow, and leave the hard parts for a later government to juggle.
If you think about it, neither VIA not anyone in Ottawa has actually put together this kind of construction project. Even if the decision to proceed is made, the next phase is all about what could go wrong. I bet the transport ministry people are scared stiff.
The good news is, HFR’s opening ceremony will include a fly-over by several of the RCAF’s new fighter planes.
- Paul.
If you think about it, neither VIA not anyone in Ottawa has actually put together this kind of construction project. Even if the decision to proceed is made, the next phase is all about what could go wrong. I bet the transport ministry people are scared stiff.
The good news is, HFR’s opening ceremony will include a fly-over by several of the RCAF’s new fighter planes.
- Paul.
innsertnamehere
Superstar
The feds procured both the Champlain and Gordie Howe bridges, which are similar scale multi-billion dollar infrastructure projects.
sacred
Active Member
The transport minister was asked if the tunnel would be used to take trains to the north shore and he said no, they would go around. Otherwise, very little information.
Northern Light
Superstar
Press release:
Government of Canada launches the next phase in the procurement process for High Frequency Rail
High Frequency Rail will transform passenger rail service in Canada through the creation of a faster, more frequent, more accessible and more sustainable rail service among the major centres of Québec City, Trois-Rivières, Montréal, Ottawa, Peterborough and Toronto.
And a website launched:
Alto - Train à grande vitesse entre Québec et Toronto
Le réseau de train offrira un service fréquent, fiable et plus rapide grâce à des trains modernes, accessibles et écologiques.
From the presser:
Also a link to this web page, which is really just placeholder for a page to be, LOL:
Alto - Train à grande vitesse entre Québec et Toronto
Le réseau de train offrira un service fréquent, fiable et plus rapide grâce à des trains modernes, accessibles et écologiques.
tgf-hfr.ca
****
Translation of the above, for the common folk.
1) We're not ready to talk yet
2) But we're ready to entertain the idea of talking to you, talk us into it.
3) If we think we might be interested in talking to you, then in 2023 we'll have a process to see if you qualify to be spoken to.
4) Thereafter we'll tell you what we want, one day, at a time in the undetermined future, and you can tell us how much that might cost, depending on what we say, and how long it might take.
VIA HFR taking the proven path of York Region Transit towards a 15-minute Frequent Service Network: One day, we promise, but you won't be alive to see it!
AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
True, but those two are very clearly defined in scope and focus - much less that could go wrong.
AoD
Allandale25
Senior Member
Excuse my lack of geography but is this Montreal related?
Mr Finish Line
Active Member
I'm not sure why we needed to wait 3/4 of a year to get to this stage. Why couldn't they have just done this last summer after the HFR plan announcement?
nfitz
Superstar
Seems a bit anti-climactic after 8 years of work. Not even an image for the event.
She'll be coming around the mountain, she'll be coming around the mountain ...
She'll be coming around the mountain, she'll be coming around the mountain ...
crs1026
Superstar
Yes, and there are multiple Canadian vendors with past experience in building just such structures (albeit smaller, perhaps) under Canadian conditions with Canadian content requirements.
Even writing the spec for HFR is new ground for Canada. There are vendors who build railway lines, off shore. The US lines are progressing but with lots of hard lessons learned. The political risks of a contract that is less than iron clad are apparent - look at Ottawa and Toronto Crosstown LRT’s, for instance.
I’m not saying it’s impossible, but for the Ottawa transport bureaucracy, even selecting a vendor and writing a contract is new territory and outside the comfort zone of many.
- Paul