News   Apr 18, 2024
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VIA Rail

Possible, but why would you call such a budget item "Investing in VIA Rail Trains and Infrastructure"?

VIA runs a Winnipeg to Churchill train using some of that track; I believe it is the section from The Pas to Churchill.
 
VIA runs a Winnipeg to Churchill train using some of that track; I believe it is the section from The Pas to Churchill.
Infrastructure upgrades of the Churchill line will undoubtedly benefit VIA’s Churchill services. However, that doesn’t change that it’s in investement into (infrastructure owned by) the Hudson Bay Railway, not VIA Rail’s trains or infrastructure. If your electricity supplier upgrades your local transmission station, they are investing into their own infrastructure, not your house…
 
Wow; a new and sort-of separate entity to operate both HFR and existing/remaining corridor services. No more book-juggling to have the corridor help pay for the rest of the network. I don't know if that will bode ill or well for the rest of the network, or possibly set it up for downloading to the provinces.
I sure hope not. Nothing in this country can be national anymore, it seems. It's apparently fair game when our 2-bit provinces regularly muscle in on federal jurisdiction, but the reverse sends the premiers into a rage.
A pan-Canadian (and North American) view of rail is why we have a standard rail gauge across the country, and Australia as an example has differing gauges by state.

Our most important passenger rail corridor is interprovincial, so I don't see any benefit in downloading it to the provinces.
VIA needs an overhaul, not disintegration. Too bad it's on the way out.
 
I’m curious what car type this was measured on. This is important information that is conspicuously absent. i can imagine the Skyline and Park cars have significantly worse air than other car types (especially in the dome.
Katie Mack is working at Perimeter, so probably whatever stock is doing Sarnia-Toronto at the moment
 
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Katie Mack is working at Perimeter, so probably whatever stock is doing Sarnia-Toronto at the moment

Certainly possible, but even if it is, she still doesn’t say if it’s HEP or LRC (not likely Renaissance). I would guess HEP,, but whatever it is, it will soon be replaced. Presumably the Venture cars will have much better ventilation. Spending money to upgrade cars that will soon be retired doesn’t seem like a good use of money.
 
^I’m inclined to give VIA the benefit of the doubt. One would have to know more about how the measurements were taken and where in the trip cycle they happened.
My impression is that especially post covid, the hvac in VIA’s passenger cars does draw in lots of fresh air, at least by design. I’m surprised by the findings.
I know that the shop practice for warming up some types of HEP cars after layover or out of service is to do so with the blowers off……, apparently the cars warm up faster that way. Possibly the train had cooled down overnight and somebody left the fans off during startup.

- Paul
 
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^I’m inclined to give VIA the benefit of the doubt. One would have to know more about how the measurements were taken and where in the trip cycle they happened.
My impression is that especially post covid, the hvac in VIA’s passenger cars does draw in lots of fresh air, at least by design. I’m surprised by the findings.
I know that the shop practice for warming up some types of HEP cars after layover or out of service is to do so with the blowers off……, apparently the cars warm up faster that way. Possibly the train had cooled down overnight and somebody left the fans off during startup.

- Paul

Since they don't have MU cables the second train is dead in tow?

How will they J train two Siemens trains? With one train dead in tow? And what if the first locomotive has an issue? You cannot use it as a cab car. Is that not an issue?
 
Conduct an engineering simulation of predicted HEP car collision performance and provide to Transport Canada a report summarizing the assumptions and findings by October 31, 2022.
Conduct a tear down inspection of four HEP cars with structural defects to identify whether additional structural conditions, which are only visible in this invasive-type inspection, are present and provide Transport Canada with a copy of the inspection report and a list of recommended actions by January 31, 2023.
Conduct a static structural test (compression test) to the requirements of the Association of American Railroads - S034, of at least two unrepaired HEP cars, to validate the structural capacity and provide Transport Canada a copy of the test report and an assessment of how the test outcomes will inform future repairs and mitigating measures by January 31, 2023.
Provide the final report of the engineering simulation, incorporating findings from tear down and static structural tests required in item 3 and item 4 by March 31, 2023.
Conduct a static structural test (compression test) to the requirements in the Association of American Railroads - S034, of at least one fully repaired HEP car, to validate the repair methodology and provide TC a copy of the test report and an assessment of how test outcomes will inform future repairs and mitigating measures by December 31, 2023

So they need to crash them, determine how to fix them to be stronger, test them and present it within 2 months. I would think that they are closer to figuring out how to fix them at this point. But then again once they understand the weaknesses, computer modelling can tell you what to fix.
 

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