lead82
Senior Member
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.
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VIA Rail
- Thread starter ehlow
- Start date
Urban Sky
Senior Member
“… which is why the millions of Canadians depending on its services don’t deserve any service.”
*shakes head in disbelief*
Frank_Lee
Active Member
*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
Senior Member
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
Superstar
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
Senior Member
Would it even be a million unique people a year? Not ridership, but actual names of people.
Cancellation through irrelevance is the game here.
For those of us who want a good system, we get mocked. (or blocked/banned/etc.)
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
Superstar
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.
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.
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
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micheal_can
Senior Member
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
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
Active Member
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
Senior Member
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
Senior Member
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
Senior Member
Exactly. Let the private sector come in and do some great things like we see in the U.S. with Brightline.
lenaitch
Senior Member
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.
crs1026
Superstar
So, you would be happy with one stellar service in one small part of the country snd nothing else ? You seem to overlook all the services that continue to operate under government authority across the USA because they are not amenable to private investment.
VIA is a pretty well run organization, but it is handcuffed by its limited legal status and by political and bureaucratic impediments. Take off the handcuffs, and I bet it could do just fine.
- Paul
nfitz
Superstar
Where $6.5 billion of the $12 billion cost has come from the federal government - $3 billion of that as a simple gift.