VIA Rail

[dowlingm]

A good idea would be to start negotiating a lease with Metronlinx about leasing BI Levels and crews.

The notion that Metrolinx take over some VIA runs is hampered by the fact that even if equipment could be found, as oft discussed on GO threads they certainly have crewing constraints. Bilevels might work but there might be questions about paying ViA fares for GO comfort.

Exo also retired their 1989 Comet IIs in August, not sure whether they have anything left in them. I assume ONR don’t have enough suitable stock lying around to lease and make a dent in capacity constraints should things be as acute as posts above make it out.

 

[Bureaucromancer]

The notion that Metrolinx take over some VIA runs is hampered by the fact that even if equipment could be found, as oft discussed on GO threads they certainly have crewing constraints. Bilevels might work but there might be questions about paying ViA fares for GO comfort.

Exo also retired their 1989 Comet IIs in August, not sure whether they have anything left in them. I assume ONR don’t have enough suitable stock lying around to lease and make a dent in capacity constraints should things be as acute as posts above make it out.

What about leasing Amfleets as Siemens equipment comes online in the States?

 

[Bordercollie]

What about leasing Amfleets as Siemens equipment comes online in the States?

I believe they are going through an interior overhaul.

When the LRC'S had the issue with cracked axles and they leased GO equipment, who was crewing the trains? Did GO allow VIA crews to operate their equipment? (CN was the operator at the time for GO Transit) did VIA have their own crews?

I guess to get around it you could have the VIA locomotive pull the Bi-levels and use the MP40 for HEP. Defeats the purpose.

 

[roger1818]

Horrible news today. The new fleet won't completely replace the old fleet until 2025. Hinting that there may be further delays.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1580654657474465793

This isn't all that far off the original schedule. According to VIA Rail's presentation at the NGEC 2020 Annual Meeting, the schedual was as follows:

• First revenue Trainsets: Q2 2022
• Last Trainset: Mar 2024.

And then in their presentation at the NGEC 2022 Annual Meeting it says:

• Targeting start of passenger service: Q4 2022

Given the known delay of the start of passenger service and that the whole world is having supply chain issues, is it really any suprise that the delivery of the last trainset would be delayed from Mar 2024 to sometime in 2025? Trainsets aren't off the shelf items that you can order on Amazon and expect to receive the next day.

 

[Railrunner]

This isn't all that far off the original schedule. According to VIA Rail's presentation at the NGEC 2020 Annual Meeting, the schedual was as follows:

• First revenue Trainsets: Q2 2022
• Last Trainset: Mar 2024.

And then in their presentation at the NGEC 2022 Annual Meeting it says:

• Targeting start of passenger service: Q4 2022

Given the known delay of the start of passenger service and that the whole world is having supply chain issues, is it really any suprise that the delivery of the last trainset would be delayed from Mar 2024 to sometime in 2025? Trainsets aren't off the shelf items that you can order on Amazon and expect to receive the next day.

It’s a delay don’t sugarcoat

 

[roger1818]

It’s a delay don’t sugarcoat

I didn't say it isn't a delay. I said it isn't "Horrible News." That is hyperbole.

 

[Bordercollie]

I didn't say it isn't a delay. I said it isn't "Horrible News." That is hyperbole.

I think considering the circumstances and the world we live in today it could be much worse. Even having the two trainsets we have now in service would make a huge difference (provided that the LRC's can hold on a bit longer).

 

[nfitz]

Given the known delay of the start of passenger service and that the whole world is having supply chain issues, is it really any suprise that the delivery of the last trainset would be delayed from Mar 2024 to sometime in 2025? Trainsets aren't off the shelf items that you can order on Amazon and expect to receive the next day.

Railrunner didn't say that transet deliveries would stretch into 2025. They said that they won't completely replace the old fleet until then.

They've already started retiring the old fleet. I'd think that they wouldn't complete the retirements until not only after the last trainset is delivered, but also until it's tested and commissioned.

 

[crs1026]

^The VIA fleet is dying a natural death car by car. Some cars are already consudered beyond repair. It’s possible that Siemens deliveries will catch up with these natural attritions such that there is no impact to capacity. Possibly enough LRC cars can hang in there to stay ahead of the pace of new deliveries. Conversely, there may be some common mode defect that forces the entire remaining fleet to be condemned. We really don’t know, but it will sure be interesting to watch.
Crossing fingers.

- Paul

 

[roger1818]

Railrunner didn't say that transet deliveries would stretch into 2025. They said that they won't completely replace the old fleet until then.

They've already started retiring the old fleet. I'd think that they wouldn't complete the retirements until not only after the last trainset is delivered, but also until it's tested and commissioned.

That may be what @Railrunner said, but that isn't what VIA Rail said in the tweet he linked to as a reference. They said, "The new Quebec City-Windsor corridor fleet will be deployed progressively starting in Q4 2022 until 2025."

 

[robmausser]

^The VIA fleet is dying a natural death car by car. Some cars are already consudered beyond repair. It’s possible that Siemens deliveries will catch up with these natural attritions such that there is no impact to capacity. Possibly enough LRC cars can hang in there to stay ahead of the pace of new deliveries. Conversely, there may be some common mode defect that forces the entire remaining fleet to be condemned. We really don’t know, but it will sure be interesting to watch.
Crossing fingers.

- Paul

Safety rules have a funny way of wrapping themselves around the reality of a service situation.

If the Siemens cars were delayed say, any safety issues of the LRCs would suddenly become non-threatening and the cars would remain in service.

Its the exact same way that VIA operates on our Class 5 rail at 95/100mph while Amtrak in the USA is limited to 79mph. Same track condition, same locos, similar traincars, but somehow north of the border its safe to do so.

Its not really an issue though, most safety standards in north america are always double what is really needed, for these exact reasons (human error, etc)

 

[crs1026]

Its not really an issue though, most safety standards in north america are always double what is really needed, for these exact reasons (human error, etc)

It’s true that engineering and safety standards are arguable, as they include a margin of error based on probability. There is a temptation to accept the once in a century probability of failure, as opposed to the once in 500 year probability. (Ask the people who owned the Fukushima nuclear plant about that one).

Regulators make those allowances at times, but I’m not sure VIA could get that kind of relief in the current bureaucratic and political environment (ask Boeing about that one).

For all we know, VIA may already have been cut some slack, but further exceptions may not be forthcoming.

- Paul

 

[smallspy]

Its the exact same way that VIA operates on our Class 5 rail at 95/100mph while Amtrak in the USA is limited to 79mph. Same track condition, same locos, similar traincars, but somehow north of the border its safe to do so.

Uhhhh.......

There are lots of places where Amtrak does more than 79mph on Class 5 track. According to the FRA, passenger trains are allowed to do 90mph on Class 5 track, and that happens in lots of places every day.

It's not the track that is the limiting factor in determining that speed limit, it's signals and history.

Dan

 

[nfitz]

^The VIA fleet is dying a natural death car by car. Some cars are already consudered beyond repair. It’s possible that Siemens deliveries will catch up with these natural attritions such that there is no impact to capacity. Possibly enough LRC cars can hang in there to stay ahead of the pace of new deliveries. Conversely, there may be some common mode defect that forces the entire remaining fleet to be condemned. We really don’t know, but it will sure be interesting to watch.

I've been hearing rumours for a decade that there's big concerns about the potential failure of the main longitudinal aluminum structure (there's a word they use ... beam?). I wonder if that's why some are being pulled from service. If it becomes too widespread, I'd think they'd have to permanently withdraw the entire fleet.

Safety rules have a funny way of wrapping themselves around the reality of a service situation.

If the Siemens cars were delayed say, any safety issues of the LRCs would suddenly become non-threatening and the cars would remain in service.

Such things do happen. But if they start seeing catastrophic failure of the aluminum structure, I'd expect they'd all be pulled, or very closely inspected.

 

[Urban Sky]

I've been hearing rumours for a decade that there's big concerns about the potential failure of the main longitudinal aluminum structure failing (there's a word they use ... beam?). I wonder if that's why some are being pulled from service. If it becomes too widespread, I'd think they'd have to permanently withdraw the entire fleet.

Such things do happen. But if they start seeing catastrophic failure of the aluminum structure, I'd expect they'd all be pulled, or very closely inspected.

The entire fleet delivery schedule remains a race against the clock…