News   Jan 14, 2026
Playful Geometries
 127     0 
News   Jan 13, 2026
Best of 2025: Winners of UrbanToronto's 12th Annual Year-End Poll, presented by Diverso Energy
 1.5K     2 
News   Jan 13, 2026
Magellan Centre Seniors Housing and Long-Term Care Facility Nears Topping Off
 469     0 

VIA Rail

Local politicians ready to fight to prioritize Via passenger rail over freight in southwestern Ontario | CBC News https://share.google/rB9gyq8xxf9r0jsYL

The easiest way for London to get better train service is to buy the northern corridor and rebuild the track to 100kmph as per it's original design.

That would mean that they can have more track slots and not have to deal with CN.

They already own the track from Chatham. So they would need to negotiate more slots between London and Chatham and may require more sidings.
 
Bordercollie said:
Local politicians ready to fight to prioritize Via passenger rail over freight in southwestern Ontario | CBC News https://share.google/rB9gyq8xxf9r0jsYL

The easiest way for London to get better train service is to buy the northern corridor and rebuild the track to 100kmph as per it's original design.

That would mean that they can have more track slots and not have to deal with CN.

They already own the track from Chatham. So they would need to negotiate more slots between London and Chatham and may require more sidings.
Click to expand...
I disagree with upgrading the northern corridor. It would still have the problem of having to deal with CN trains and is a much more indirect route to Union.

The CP to Woodstock and then CN to Paris with a renewal of the Brantford by-pass is a route that is as straight as arrow and as direct to Toronto as you can get. These trains could make the trip from London to Hamilton in 40 minutes. The current VIA/CN route that meanders it's way thru Ingersol and Woodstock could be shared by both freight companies and the Woodstock-Paris CN section could have extra rail put in for passing.

The L-W route wouldn't cost a cent and the W-P section would be relatively cheap as well as the Brantford bypass as the corridor is still there. How would you get CN/CP to share tracks? You would simply employ the same "bargaining" position that both freight companies already employ...........blackmail. It's extremely efficient which is why they both use it against VIA.

Ottawa alone sets safety standards which cannot be appealed. Just as GM and Honda can't appeal highway speed limits, freight companies cannot appeal rail safety rules. Ottawa could simply say, due to safety concerns, no freight rail can go over a road with more than 1000 vehicles per day unless it is completely grade separated. Think of the tens of billions that would cost them nationwide and there is not a damn thing they could do about it. Under such a threat, how many HOURS would it take CN & CP to have an epiphany and realize they can share portions of tracks to give VIA it's own rail corridor? Blackmail works and it's about time Ottawa started using it.
 
Last edited:
Why would you build another corridor when there is one that is currently being used and underutilized? And if you own it, you get to decide when CN can use it.

Also that track was rated for 55mph when the Budd RDC's used to run on it. So it is possible.
 
ssiguy2 said:
Ottawa alone sets safety standards which cannot be appealed. Just as GM and Honda can't appeal highway speed limits, freight companies cannot appeal rail safety rules. Ottawa could simply say, due to safety concerns, no freight rail can go over a road with more than 1000 vehicles per day unless it is completely grade separated. Think of the tens of billions that would cost them nationwide and there is not a damn thing they could do about it. Under such a threat, how many HOURS would it take CN & CP to have an epiphany and realize they can share portions of tracks to give VIA it's own rail corridor? Blackmail works and it's about time Ottawa started using it.
Click to expand...
That is a hysterical fantasy.
They can do something about it. It's called a lawsuit, with an emergency injunction to stop implementation, and that would take only HOURS. Then businesses that would be crippled by the shutdown would have the government back down completely by the end of the day.
 
Jonny5 said:
That is a hysterical fantasy.
They can do something about it. It's called a lawsuit, with an emergency injunction to stop implementation, and that would take only HOURS. Then businesses that would be crippled by the shutdown would have the government back down completely by the end of the day.
Click to expand...
....what's going on ...
 
Bordercollie said:
....what's going on ...
Click to expand...
I don't know beyond it's proposed the Government threaten to shut down all rail traffic in Canada if CN doesn't immediately make a modest speed limit increase on some small section of track.
 
Before the Alto thing that MAY be built around 2040, is there any plan to improve the quality and reliability of VIA services in the mean time?
 
Bordercollie said:
Local politicians ready to fight to prioritize Via passenger rail over freight in southwestern Ontario | CBC News https://share.google/rB9gyq8xxf9r0jsYL

The easiest way for London to get better train service is to buy the northern corridor and rebuild the track to 100kmph as per it's original design.

That would mean that they can have more track slots and not have to deal with CN.

They already own the track from Chatham. So they would need to negotiate more slots between London and Chatham and may require more sidings.
Click to expand...

Yes 100% agree. The GEXR line is the only option for dedicated VIA rail in South-Western Ontario.

VIA needs to purchase GEXR from CN and upgrade to Class 6 177kmh from London until it meets the Metrolinx line in Kitchener.

Any other idea is pie in the sky, and missing Kitchener-Waterloo on the way to Toronto is idiotic.

There is potential in buying all the CN line from London to Windsor, its not CN's mainline, but I think its a little bit less necessary than the GEXR, as the sub to Windsor is in better shape and is pretty quiet for freight anyways.

The GEXR bottleneck isn't even freight, its that it has a top speed of 40mph.

Any idea to use CN or CP mainlines for improved VIA service should be squashed, its a non starter and a good way to waste money. Look at the 2000's corridor tripling fiasco that VIA went through as proof. Never again.
 
robmausser said:
Yes 100% agree. The GEXR line is the only option for dedicated VIA rail in South-Western Ontario.

VIA needs to purchase GEXR from CN and upgrade to Class 6 177kmh from London until it meets the Metrolinx line in Kitchener.

Any other idea is pie in the sky, and missing Kitchener-Waterloo on the way to Toronto is idiotic.
Click to expand...
To go to class 6 you would need to change the layout of the curves.

For now class 4 is good enough to be competitive with the car. The St Mary's bridge also needs refurbishment.
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top