VIA Rail

[Mihairokov]

I like this little detail

Great trip report! Next time you’re on the one that’s stuck for 10 hours please give us a play by play commentary as the train turns into Lord of the Flies.

I was on one recently that was five hours delayed due to the flooding in Toronto and various track issues throughout Ontario. Train sat at Oshawa for over an hour which meant the AC turned off and the train became very warm!

 

[micheal_can]

I was on one recently that was five hours delayed due to the flooding in Toronto and various track issues throughout Ontario. Train sat at Oshawa for over an hour which meant the AC turned off and the train became very warm!

Careful, someone will say Oshawa Station is not very easy to get to and alternate transportation could not be arraigned to get you to Union from there.....

Part of me hopes Via gets its act together, and part of me wants it to be shutdown and something else put in its place. You may argue 'acts of god', but that is not good enough excuse for shutting the AC or heat off.

 

[lead82]

I really hope that Via gets shut down. It’s a decrepit organization and can’t even run a basic few set of lines on time or deal with issues.

 

[Urban Sky]

I really hope that Via gets shut down. It’s a decrepit organization and can’t even run a basic few set of lines on time or deal with issues.

“… which is why the millions of Canadians depending on its services don’t deserve any service.”

*shakes head in disbelief*

 

[Frank_Lee]

I really hope that Via gets shut down. It’s a decrepit organization and can’t even run a basic few set of lines on time or deal with issues.

*kneels on throat*

"See, she can't even get up anymore. I think it's time for the vet."



(to be clear, kneeling on throat is an analogy for budget cuts by the feds)

 

[roger1818]

“… which is why the millions of Canadians depending on its services don’t deserve any service.”

*shakes head in disbelief*

Agreed. Similarly I hope the entire 401 (from Windsor to the Quebec boarder) gets shut down, since it looses massive amounts of money every year. That would save taxpayers a bundle.

 

[crs1026]

Agreed. Similarly I hope the entire 401 (from Windsor to the Quebec boarder) gets shut down, since it looses massive amounts of money every year. That would save taxpayers a bundle.

Yeah, we should shut down the 401…. It’s decrepeit and they can’t even keep a few basic sets of lanes open and on time or deal with issues.

- Paul

 

[micheal_can]

“… which is why the millions of Canadians depending on its services don’t deserve any service.”

*shakes head in disbelief*

Would it even be a million unique people a year? Not ridership, but actual names of people.

*kneels on throat*

"See, she can't even get up anymore. I think it's time for the vet."

(to be clear, kneeling on throat is an analogy for budget cuts by the feds)

Cancellation through irrelevance is the game here.
For those of us who want a good system, we get mocked. (or blocked/banned/etc.)

Agreed. Similarly I hope the entire 401 (from Windsor to the Quebec boarder) gets shut down, since it looses massive amounts of money every year. That would save taxpayers a bundle.

We used to have nice things because we used to be willing to share the load. Now, when someone asks for something, everyone says that is too much.

 

[crs1026]

Would it even be a million unique people a year? Not ridership, but actual names of people.

The *market* currently comprises every mobile Canadian living between Windsor and Quebec City who regularly or periodically require transportation within that zone. (Plus anyone from afar who intends to visit the area and needs transportation while in the region). Not all of those people choose VIA, and not all trips within that zone are feasible by rail..... but certainly, the market is many millions of names. The challenge is in increasing market share.

For those of us who want a good system, we get mocked. (or blocked/banned/etc.)

Not true. You get mocked or banned when you persist with badly-supported ideas to restore or add passenger trains on routes where it is no longer feasible to do so, or where the market is much thinner, or where the cost would be prohibitive and not politically defensible. A good system is achievable - but your suggested additions seldom are.

We used to have nice things because we used to be willing to share the load. Now, when someone asks for something, everyone says that is too much.

Those "things" were never that nice. Many of those old rail services were only viable because the highway and air systems were far less developed. Bringing them back would serve no useful purpose. One or two coaches once a day is no longer worth the effort. The promise for passenger rail is limited to sustainable corridors where numbers can support the cost.

- Paul

 

[micheal_can]

The *market* currently comprises every mobile Canadian living between Windsor and Quebec City who regularly or periodically require transportation within that zone. (Plus anyone from afar who intends to visit the area and needs transportation while in the region). Not all of those people choose VIA, and not all trips within that zone are feasible by rail..... but certainly, the market is many millions of names. The challenge is in increasing market share.

4.1million passengers rode the system in 2023. That includes the LDS. What is your definition of many millions? I would hazard a guess that the overall unique names would be around 1-2 million at most across the system. If we consider that much of the LDS is a destination for out of country travelers who just do it it is hard to see that high of a unique number of passengers using the Corridor services.

A STRONG YEAR FOR VIA RAIL AS RIDERSHIP CONTINUES TO BOUNCE BACK | VIA Rail

HIGHLIGHTS From January 1st to December 31, 2023

media.viarail.ca

Those "things" were never that nice. Many of those old rail services were only viable because the highway and air systems were far less developed. Bringing them back would serve no useful purpose. One or two coaches once a day is no longer worth the effort. The promise for passenger rail is limited to sustainable corridors where numbers can support the cost.


- Paul

The problem is, when the other options became available, the rail became ignored. The other thing is, we have let passenger rail be viewed as a burden on the rail owners. Had we invested in various things to keep passenger rail viable, there likely would be key routes still in place. I am talking the Calgary - Edmonton Corridor. It is not viable currently due to the number of level crossings, but, had we invested in removing those starting with the ore dangerous one, now, 3-+ years since it's cut, it might actually be well used, like the Corridor.

Reality is, this organization was set up to fail and has been cut into irrelevance that to make it relevant again would take ore than most people are willing to allow to be spent by their politicians.

 

[Garuda]

I was on one recently that was five hours delayed due to the flooding in Toronto and various track issues throughout Ontario. Train sat at Oshawa for over an hour which meant the AC turned off and the train became very warm!

At that point the train itself becomes a safety hazard with no AC and unopenable (word?) windows. VIA really needs to set up a proper saftey to deal with disabled trains.

I took the Canadian years ago during the dead of winter. We were stuck near Melville. delayed for hours but with running heat and a personal toilet I felt fine and enjoyed the coziness.

People can handle delays but once the toilets back up and AC fails patience really starts to wear thin.

 

[lead82]

“… which is why the millions of Canadians depending on its services don’t deserve any service.”

*shakes head in disbelief*

I said the organization is decrepit which it is. I didn’t say anything about cancelling service.
Canadians need much better service - not the lame excuse for a train service that we get. It’s a joke.

It is time to disband Via. Split it up - have another agency run it or take it private. Or a mix of it all. The current Via is slower, less reliable, unreliable, and expensive. Heck they can’t even provide basic amenities like functioning Wifi.

Maybe have GO take over the Ontario routes and AMT in Quebec. Let Via keep and run the remote services and give the Canadian and Ocean to the private sector to run as a land cruise.

 

[micheal_can]

I said the organization is decrepit which it is. I didn’t say anything about cancelling service.
Canadians need much better service - not the lame excuse for a train service that we get. It’s a joke.

It is time to disband Via. Split it up - have another agency run it or take it private. Or a mix of it all. The current Via is slower, less reliable, unreliable, and expensive. Heck they can’t even provide basic amenities like functioning Wifi.

Maybe have GO take over the Ontario routes and AMT in Quebec. Let Via keep and run the remote services and give the Canadian and Ocean to the private sector to run as a land cruise.

What might work are 3 different organizations. One focuses on the Corridor and any future regular intercity rail in the country. Another could focus on all LDS east of Montreal and the other could focus on all LDS west of Toronto. It could even be a P3 thing, so, not completely private.

 

[lead82]

Exactly. Let the private sector come in and do some great things like we see in the U.S. with Brightline.

 

[lenaitch]

I said the organization is decrepit which it is. I didn’t say anything about cancelling service.
Canadians need much better service - not the lame excuse for a train service that we get. It’s a joke.

It is time to disband Via. Split it up - have another agency run it or take it private. Or a mix of it all. The current Via is slower, less reliable, unreliable, and expensive. Heck they can’t even provide basic amenities like functioning Wifi.

Maybe have GO take over the Ontario routes and AMT in Quebec. Let Via keep and run the remote services and give the Canadian and Ocean to the private sector to run as a land cruise.

This forum has been around this tree a number of times. So long as it is a tenant, I'm not exactly sure how another organizational or ownership structure would have a significant impact on speed or reliability.