# CANADA | Railways



## xote (Jun 7, 2007)

Vancouverite said:


> *$795* from Vancouver to Toronto _One Way_ in the cheapest class!
> 
> Round trip in sleeper class (it is a three-day trip after all) is *$4150*!
> 
> Via is a nice idea but it is absurdly expensive if you are coming from the West.


Rail does not make sense for distances greater than 700 km for HIGH speed.

Even less so for normal speed.

This is not exactly new information.


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## go_leafs_go02 (Jan 16, 2007)

while the train is nice (I've traveled a few times in SW Ontario..London to Toronto, London to Chatham/Windsor, London to the Niagara Region)

it is quite overpriced in some spots. However, the further ahead you book, the cheaper the price goes down, same goes for weekends.

Only along the Windsor-Quebec City Corridor is there service that is not spread too far apart. Look at a system map. Vancouver - Edmonton, and beyond.

I would love to travel across the country from Toronto to Vancouver by rail, but the prices are ridiculous.

$1900+ for a single sleeper..ONE way, youth rate (18-25 years) from Toronto to Vancouver.


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

Are these prices out of whack compared to a similar length journey in Europe? I would imagine so. If someone could shed some light on the high prices, it would be appreciated. Low population density in much of Canada only explains so much.


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## Canadian74 (Jul 29, 2007)

^^ Also no competition.


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## SmarterChild (Jun 19, 2007)

Vancouverite said:


> *$795* from Vancouver to Toronto _One Way_ in the cheapest class!
> 
> Round trip in sleeper class (it is a three-day trip after all) is *$4150*!
> 
> Via is a nice idea but it is absurdly expensive if you are coming from the West.


:nuts:

Anyway, May we see some pictures of trains and stations?


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

Canadian74 said:


> ^^ Also no competition.


That would make sense if VIA were making millions, but they still lose money. I'd like to see some stations, trains, those famous Canadian chateau style railway hotels, track, and scenery pics. Someone must have some?


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## go_leafs_go02 (Jan 16, 2007)

Compared to what you see in Europe and elsewhere, Canada has a pretty small passenger railway system.










However, things are expected to improve, with an announcement by the Federal Government to inject more funding into the Rail.

Though the only place where it likely could be used for the daily commute is in Southern Ontario along the Windsor-Quebec City Corridor, frequencies of trains are still quite limited.



> Via on track to get cash infusion
> Last Updated: Thursday, October 11, 2007 | 2:21 PM ET
> CBC News
> 
> ...


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## Calvin W (Nov 5, 2005)

Great service in Western Canada! You can always catch the bus to Calgary!:lol: 

VIA Rail is a disgrace. I'm ashamed to admit that Canada even has passenger rail.


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## invincible (Sep 13, 2002)

A good start at reducing costs would probably be to get rid of locomotives except for long-haul services which have long consists. A proper distinction needs to be made between luxury long-haul routes which cross the country and shorter routes which aim to connect cities and compete with coaches and airlines.

The Adelaide-Melbourne route struggles for this reason because it's marketed as a luxury service but no one wants that or the costs associated with a locomotive hauling a bunch of very heavy carriages when you can have much more cost-effective DMUs, which have been very successful on regional services.

If we can pull it off here with the lack of funding, surely you Canadians can too.  But upgrading the regional network was politically unpopular with the majority city dwelling population even though it was totally essential. Refurbishing carriages won't help in the long term.


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## ablarc (Dec 12, 2003)

^ Melbourne-Adelaide might be just the right distance for non-stop overnight hotel-train service such as exists between many pairs of European cities. Leave 7pm and arrive refreshed 7am the next day. 

On such services a little luxury's not a bad thing; the bed isn't free and neither is the meal, and you can sell a little booze in the club car.


















_VIA Rail._


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

I wish the Halifax-Montreal route still cut through Maine via Saint John. I used to love passing though Saint John and seeing those massive Irving refineries. Those trains are the best way to travel. They're ridiculously spacious and cozy. I remember having a whole section to myself that you could almost turn into your own little apartment. There was always tonnes of room to sprawl out and sometimes there were no other passengers for 20 feet or more.

Not good economics for VIA Rail, but you really felt like a king on a private train journey just for you. The observation car with the glass ceiling is always the best part. When you get restless, you can just go wandering from one end to the other with hardly anyone around.


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## Tcmetro (Jun 9, 2007)

Is there good service on the "Corridor"? Are there any improvments like HSR planned?


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## urbanfan89 (May 30, 2007)

Tcmetro said:


> Is there good service on the "Corridor"? Are there any improvments like HSR planned?


Top speed is 160 km/h around Belleville, and the line isn't even grade separated because it's still owned by CN. There are 30 trains per weekday on the corridor, which is pathetic by any standard. As for your second question, the Chretien government in 2003 planned a "Via Fast" project to eliminate grade crossings/unnecessary curves/upgrade rails/etc, but it somehow disappeared when Martin took over.:nuts:


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

In addition to what was mentioned above, the trains are chronically delayed. All around, it's shockingly antiquated and unreliable. It's appeal lies in the charm and relaxation as offered on the Halifax-Montreal leg. It's desirable if you want to escape from the world for 20 hours, sight see, and enjoy peace and quiet in very cozy and spacious old train cars. 

From Montreal to Toronto, the train is much faster, but busier and cramped.


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## Billpa (Feb 26, 2006)

isaidso said:


> I wish the Halifax-Montreal route still cut through Maine via Saint John. I used to love passing though Saint John and seeing those massive Irving refineries.


Back in those days that was the only passenger service in Maine. Amtrak goes there from Boston now, but there was a time when you could get on at Greenville Junction and go to Montreal if you wanted to. Although it was in the middle of the night when Via went through there.


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

That's too bad. I remember stopping in the middle of the night in Maine. Some would get off, some would board. It was a frustration for Canadian passengers heading to Montreal from Atlantic Canada though. We'd have to wait forever while customs officers processed everyone. 

I actually got escorted off the train because I didn't have my Canadian passport with me. I was travelling from Halifax to Montreal and at one point it looked like they weren't going to let me back in my own country. I was in shock. I had clearly boarded in Canada and had no interest in disembarking in Maine. I wanted to continue to Montreal, but they were going to keep me in the USA. What a nightmare!


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## exclusiv (May 29, 2007)

that's just the american borders after 9/11. During the past weeks the idea of a rapid rail link between Quebec City and Montreal has appeared, I think i would be a great thing for VIA rail because the actual services that they're offering are terrible.


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

It happened in 1995 before all of that. Anyway, where did you hear about talk of rapid rail between Montreal and Quebec City? That would be fantastic, and perhaps the impetus needed to get high speed rail off the drawing board in this country. Bombardier technology?


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## sumisu (Apr 29, 2006)

exclusiv said:


> that's just the american borders after 9/11. During the past weeks the idea of a rapid rail link between Quebec City and Montreal has appeared, I think i would be a great thing for VIA rail because the actual services that they're offering are terrible.


 But would it be a VIA Rail service? The impression I get is that these new initiatives are largely provincially driven, not federal.


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## TheMann2000 (Feb 1, 2007)

Being that the stretch between Windsor/Detroit and Quebec City is one of the busiest corridors in North America, why HSR (and true HSR, not the half-assed plan that Chretien proposed) hasn't been built yet is beyond me. Bombardier built trains for the US and Asia, why would the government not want to build it in Canada is beyond me. And they need big help in the commuter rail business in this country, particularly in Toronto.


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## Pule (May 18, 2004)

ablarc said:


> ^ Melbourne-Adelaide might be just the right distance for non-stop overnight hotel-train service such as exists between many pairs of European cities. Leave 7pm and arrive refreshed 7am the next day.
> 
> On such services a little luxury's not a bad thing; the bed isn't free and neither is the meal, and you can sell a little booze in the club car.






Nice, it reminds me of Rovos Rail, www.rovos.co.za


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## OettingerCroat (May 24, 2005)

^^ WOW.


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## Pule (May 18, 2004)

The problem with luxury trains is the costs, they too expensive even for the ordinary middle class.

There's also *Blue Train*. 












This one offers things like Boutique Suites

































Luxury Suites


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## exclusiv (May 29, 2007)

The rapid train between Quebec and Montréal is an old idea, but when the new mayor of Quebec City talked about it, the subject became more official. The government of Quebec is more likely to approve the project than the federal but maybe Harper would gain some points in the polls, it would be so nice to have a real train link between these cities..


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## algonquin (Sep 24, 2004)

why am I seeing so many photos of trains _not_ in Canada in a thread about VIA rail?

Some people need to demonstrate better taste in posting irrelevant photos in threads.


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## exclusiv (May 29, 2007)

I read today that Ontario's and Quebec governements were talking about a HSR between Windsor and Québec City. First they are going to order a study and then they're going to decide what to do.


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## exclusiv (May 29, 2007)

Quebec-Windsor link a joint effort
Provinces, feds share costs for proposals

ELIZABETH THOMPSON, The Gazette


Plans for a high speed rail link along the Quebec City-Windsor corridor got back on track yesterday as Quebec, Ontario and the federal government announced they will share the cost of updating studies into the multibillion-dollar proposal.

"I see this as a project that will have economic, social and environmental benefits," Premier Jean Charest told reporters.

Charest and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty said the three governments will split the


$2-million tab to dust off previous feasibility studies into the project and they expect that update to be finished within a year. However, neither premier was willing to venture a guess as to exactly how much it could cost to build a high-speed rail link or how long it could take.

The costly project also could be built in stages over several years, Charest suggested.

The two men also suggested the high-speed train could be built through a public-private partnership, in which governments and private companies both contribute to the costs.

The idea of a high speed rail link racing along the Quebec City-Windsor corridor is not new, nor is this the first time governments have announced with great pomp and circumstance that they are preparing or updating feasibility studies.

In the 1980s, Via Rail lobbied governments unsuccessfully to support a $3-billion project that would link Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto.

In 2003, former Liberal transport minister David Collenette approved a $700-million package of upgrades for Via Rail that would have included such projects as improving tracks to set the stage for the eventual introduction of high speed rail. However, Collenette said, cabinet was not ready to approve the $3-billion needed.

A couple of months later, then-Prime Minister Paul Martin froze all big-ticket spending, including the upgrades for Via Rail.

But while Charest and McGuinty were the first to acknowledge yesterday the project has been debated for years, they said its time has come. A high-speed rail link will not only reduce environment-damaging greenhouse-gas emissions, it will reduce traffic congestion, helping Canada become more productive, and create many jobs.

"The context has already evolved a lot since the 1980s and 1990s," Charest said.

As recently as May, the Conference Board of Canada published a report supporting the idea of a high-speed rail link, Charest said.

"Every once and a while, there is an idea whose time actually comes," McGuinty echoed.

While the federal government has balked in the past at the idea of high-speed rail, Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon embraced the idea yesterday.

"This government is committed to examining alternatives that offer comfortable, faster and more reliable passenger rail services that will also contribute to reducing greenhouse gases and other emissions," Cannon said.

"As well, there is a need to assess the opportunity for private sector participation in the development and implementation of such a concept so that taxpayers do not have to shoulder the entire financial burden of such an initiative."


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## ChrisH (Mar 7, 2006)

I'm not sure the whole Windsor-Québec route is economically viable, but take Toronto-Ottowa-Montréal as a core. That's 600km, which is doable in 2 hours using fairly standard technology from France, Germany, Spain, Japan etc. 

If we assume a cost of $30m per km, that comes out at $18bn for the route. A fair chunk of money, sure, but it would capture essentially all of the plane traffic between those cities, plus some significant diversion from buses and cars. I'll be interested to see the results of that report.

Taking an incremental approach like this is more sensible than shooting for the whole 1200km route all in one go. Extensions can always be added later on.


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## ale26 (Sep 9, 2005)

Ya the day the government is going to do this


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## yin_yang (May 29, 2006)

too much lobbying from Air Canada...those air routes would go down the pipes if this were to happen.


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

algonquin said:


> why am I seeing so many photos of trains _not_ in Canada in a thread about VIA rail?
> 
> Some people need to demonstrate better taste in posting irrelevant photos in threads.


Agreed. This thread has been hijacked by people who don't seem to know what is appropriate. A mod should delete them.


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## urbanfan89 (May 30, 2007)

yin_yang said:


> too much lobbying from Air Canada...those air routes would go down the pipes if this were to happen.


Perhaps Air Canada could be allowed to invest in the project and codeshare trains as flights, so that you can get to YYZ, take the people mover to Malton, and buzz off to London/Kitchener/Ottawa in an hour. It works that way with TGVs at Charles de Gaulle airport.

Obviously AC shouldn't be allowed to operate the trains, since they will use the wrong tracks.:lol:


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## Yardmaster (Jun 1, 2004)

urbanfan89 said:


> Perhaps Air Canada could be allowed to invest in the project and codeshare trains as flights, so that you can get to YYZ, take the people mover to Malton, and buzz off to London/Kitchener/Ottawa in an hour. It works that way with TGVs at Charles de Gaulle airport.
> 
> Obviously AC shouldn't be allowed to operate the trains, since they will use the wrong tracks.:lol:


I'm sure Air Canada will view investing in rail as a great business opportunity ... especially between Canada's largest cities.


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## spongeg (May 1, 2006)

*VIA’s Flagship Canadian is Moving to a New Schedule - New departure times restore coast-to-coast service and connections *
Jul 16, 08 | 3:55 pm

Vancouver, BC – On December 2, 2008, VIA’s flagship western transcontinental Canadian will depart at a new time. A new evening departure time from both Vancouver and Toronto will enable passengers to make connections in Toronto to/from eastern Canada, as well as provide customers with more daylight viewing through the Rockies. The cross-country journey will move from a three-day, three night trip to a three-day, four-night schedule and will also include additional time at select en route stations where the opportunity for touring is possible.

“The redesign of the Canadian’s schedule was undertaken with our customers in mind,” said VIA’s Chief Customer Officer, Steve Del Bosco. “We want to provide the best total travel experience for our customers, from the service in our stations and on board, to the overall on-time operation of the train itself. This new schedule addresses not only the needs of our customers but tour operators as well.”

Highlights of the redesigned schedule are as follows:
- The new schedule comes into effect December 2, 2008.
- The operating departure days from Vancouver and Toronto remain unchanged.
- Thrice weekly departures from Toronto on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
- Thrice weekly departures from Vancouver on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.
- One additional night is added to the schedule in each direction thus changing the arrival days in Toronto and Vancouver.
- The departure times at both originating terminals move to an evening departure. 
Train #1 – departs Toronto at 10:00pm and arrives in Vancouver 4 days later at 9:42am.
Train #2 – departs Vancouver at 10:30pm and arrives in Toronto 4 days later at 9:30am.

Westbound Service
Departs Toronto - 10:00pm 
Arrive Winnipeg - 8:00am (+2 days)

Departs Winnipeg - 12:00pm 
Arrives Saskatoon - 11:22pm

Departs Saskatoon - 11:47pm 
Arrives Edmonton - 6:37am (+1 day)

Departs Edmonton - 7:37am 
Arrives Jasper - 1:00pm

Departs Jasper - 2:30pm 
Arrives Kamloops - 11:09pm

Departs Kamloops - 11:44pm 
Arrives Vancouver - 9:42am (+1 day)

Eastbound Service
Departs Vancouver - 10:30pm
Arrives Kamloops - 6:00am (+1 day)

Departs Kamloops - 6:35am
Arrives Jasper - 4:00pm

Departs Jasper - 5:30pm
Arrives Edmonton - 11:00pm

Departs Edmonton - 11:45pm
Arrives Saskatoon - 8:45am (+1 day)

Departs Saskatoon - 9:10am
Arrives Winnipeg - 8:30pm

Departs Winnipeg - 11:30pm
Arrives Toronto - 9:30am (+2 days)

The new schedule will mean a change in train operations for some communities. For example, in the Prairies and British Columbia (Saskatoon, Kamloops) the new eastbound operation will make daylight train travel a viable option.

VIA’s Canadian was the only regularly-scheduled train in North America to be included in the Society of International Railway Travelers’ 2008 “World Top 25 Trains”. From Toronto to Vancouver, no matter the time of year, the images are unforgettable - mountain sheep grazing in the Rockies, elk loitering outside Jasper, and the skyline of Toronto looming on the horizon are just a few of the highlights.

And if you choose to add a touch of elegance to your journey with VIA's Silver & Blue Class, it begins with a bon voyage reception and continues with award-winning service that includes on-board fine dining, accommodations and attention par excellence. Passengers can enjoy the scenery from the large picture windows of their seats or from the 360° scenic dome.

For more information on VIA’s Canadian, train schedules, or to book a trip anywhere in the VIA system, customers can visit VIA’s secure Web site at www.viarail.ca Passengers also can book their tickets at self-ticketing kiosks in most Québec City-Windsor Corridor stations, by calling 1 888 VIA-RAIL (1 888 842-7245), TTY 1 800 268-9503 (hearing impaired), or through their travel agent. 

As Canada’s national passenger rail service, VIA Rail Canada’s mandate is to provide efficient, environmentally sustainable and cost effective passenger transportation services, both in Canada’s busiest corridor and in remote and rural regions of the country. VIA serves more than 450 communities with a network of inter-city, transcontinental and regional trains. Increasingly travelers are turning to train travel as a hassle-free and cost-efficient alternative to congested roads and airports as well as a more environmentally responsible way to travel.

http://travelvideo.tv/news/more.php?id=15036_0_1_0_M


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

^^ Shame, VIA Canada's making people change trains *twice* going from coast to coast here...


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

You know, VIA Rail's literature forget to include mentioning the country's third coast...they do go there, after all...

Plus this national passenger rail network operator and its licensor think nothing of committing piracy in the name of fares...no refund in the slightest had you bought any one of their _Supersaver_ fare...you wanna change your bought booking at the rate sandwiched between their _Supersaver_ and regular ones? you end up paying $6CDN more than their regular fare if your alteration covers both legs of your return ticket...

Uhm, has anybody noticed how many more cars really need damn tune-ups out there just these past few months, I sure have?


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Browsing Via Rail's Winnipeg-Churchill timetable reveals a couple of stops where you cannot board or disembark unless you are going to or coming from *north of* The Pas, Manitoba. Both in Saskatchewan, the stops are Veregin and Mikado, at least five stops and 300Km away from The Pas, and 14Km from each other.

Why can't anybody boarding the northbound train at Vergin or Mikado get off either before or at The Pas, plus why would a passenger become disqualified from travelling to either one of these two stops if s/he boarded the train at The Pas or any one of the stops in between? (I guess I could speculate as to why not regarding the northbound train although definitely couldn't about the southbound one.) 

Thanking you in advance.


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## Vascilli (Oct 29, 2008)

Calvin W said:


> Great service in Western Canada! You can always catch the bus to Calgary!:lol:
> 
> VIA Rail is a disgrace. I'm ashamed to admit that Canada even has passenger rail.


Yeah what's the deal? Why can't I go from here to Toronto for less than the cost of an airline ticket? hno:


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## bluemeansgo (Oct 28, 2008)

Vascilli said:


> Yeah what's the deal? Why can't I go from here to Toronto for less than the cost of an airline ticket? hno:


Well... because the trip is longer and it costs more to pay all the staff for 3 days, as opposed to 3 hours.

Even in Japan, with High-Speed-Rail and enough frequency to run trains every 10 minutes, getting a lot of use out of the trains, the prices are equivalent to Plane tickets.

Planes are simply more efficient for that kind of distance.


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## Calvin W (Nov 5, 2005)

bluemeansgo said:


> Well... because the trip is longer and it costs more to pay all the staff for 3 days, as opposed to 3 hours.
> 
> Even in Japan, with High-Speed-Rail and enough frequency to run trains every 10 minutes, getting a lot of use out of the trains, the prices are equivalent to Plane tickets.
> 
> Planes are simply more efficient for that kind of distance.


Well last I saw you could not even take a train from Calgary to Toronto? I know many major cities in western Canada have little or NO train service.:nuts:


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## CalgaryRailRoads (Dec 24, 2010)

Yes very cool Indeed!


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## gramercy (Dec 25, 2008)

Is there any discussion on high speed rail in Canada? Edmonton-Calgary? thx


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## Huhu (Jun 5, 2004)

gramercy said:


> Is there any discussion on high speed rail in Canada? Edmonton-Calgary? thx


There's a thread about it here:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=941940

But in reality it probably won't happen anytime soon.


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## TheKorean (Apr 11, 2010)

There is no realistic stops between Calgary and Edmonton. No one lives between.


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## hammersklavier (Jan 29, 2010)

Not even Red Deer?


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## Huhu (Jun 5, 2004)

hammersklavier said:


> Not even Red Deer?


Red Deer has around 100,000 people and would probably grow more quickly if it was linked both ways by high speed rail. But the total population that would be connected by such a line is at most 2.5 million.


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## Metro One (Oct 23, 2010)

Canada's primary problem in creatng a HSR is our relatively small population in regards to our gigantic land mass. Even the relatively small inhabitable areas of Canada are gigantic compared to most nations.

For example, the only realistic HSR link for Vancouver currently is Seattle, which would be terrific if built, but that would require a lot of cooperation between multi levels of government in 2 nations, an unlikely bet. 

Maybe, in 50 or 75 years when the Okanagan population is far larger than it is now a HSR between Vancouver and Calgary could be proposed, given it would also have a major stop in the Okanagan.

The best candidate currently in Canada is Toronto to Montreal (or eventually Windsor to Quebec City), followed by Calgary to Edmonton and Vancouver to Seattle (if it were not for the border, I would put the Van Seattle Link before the Calgary and Edmonton one given the nearly triple population base.)

PS - Thanks for the comments on pics guys! I love trains!


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## hammersklavier (Jan 29, 2010)

^^ Well Eugene-Portland-Seattle-Vancouver is also a targeted high-speed route here in the U.S., so that might make things easier. But yeah, the best HS corridor in Canada basically runs from Windsor-London-Toronto-Kingston-Ottawa-Montréal-Ville de Québec with branches from Toronto to Niagara Falls and from Montréal down to Sherbrooke, IMO.

_EDIT:_ Looking at the map, Halifax-Moncton-St. John-Fredericton is also a pretty good HSR run (although a little short) with a good potential connection to Portland from St. John via Bangor. It is rather hillier over there, though.


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## CalgaryRailRoads (Dec 24, 2010)

*Calgary HSR.*

I think its about someone growing the nerve to spend all that money on a link.:bash::fiddle::hammer: "If you build it, they will come." The Van horne institute saind in '04 that it was a good idea to have a HSR link between C & E, giving hundreds of facts to support this, Reccomending upgrading the Existing Canadian Pacific route between the three cities. Red deer would also be a good place for a station.:yes:

Would you rather drink a coffee & read the newspaper & look out the window at the scenery on the way, or battle for space on a noisy, crowed, polluting highway that is home to hundreds of wrecks?

Just my two cents.:nuts::2cents:


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

trainrover said:


> ^^ I'm with you on this one:
> 
> *I bet Edmonton & Calgary will become
> the first HSR-served Canadian places...*​


..


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

(Ooops: replying wrong thread, sorry.)


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## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

CalgaryRailRoads said:


> Would you rather drink a coffee & read the newspaper & look out the window at the scenery on the way, or battle for space on a noisy, crowed, polluting highway that is home to hundreds of wrecks?


This is just propaganda. I mean, it is an argument repeated "ad eternum" like rail travel was as smooth as high-class dining.

First of all, your coffee will be likely overpriced and crap. 

The scenery will be likely to be tunneled out or protected by noise barriers.

Unless you are travelling on 2nd class, there will be fellow passengers scooping on your read.

Never mind you have to move to/from station from/to your house/workplace or elsewhere. Then, you will have to drive anyway or take a taxi/rental car, let alone ride some filthy bus full of people you'd usually avoid if given the choice. On this bus, you can get pickpocketed or worse. Maybe you will not find a set or have to share the lateral area of your buttock with an oversize person crushing you - unlike airplanes there will be no armrest. So by the time you got to the station, you are already stressed out from the experience to get there and so.

I am not saying train transport is useless, but that its "convenience" is usually overstated by people who promote it. I could start right now writing about the blessing of controlling temperature and soundtrack in your car, not having to talk with strangers while commuting, going straight to your destination, being able to leave and come as you wish without resorting to a timetable etc.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Convenience?! Canada's far from being a sufficiently developed place to be even remotely capable of pegging convenience to its passenger rail...decades & decades! off, plus I know of no clue as to where the country's inhabitants source their daydreaming at what convenient rail service must be like to travel.


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## Gadiri (Oct 30, 2009)

> *Le Québec étudie le financement d’une LGV*
> 
> *23/02/2011*
> 
> Le ministre québécois des Transports Sam Hamad, qui doit venir prochainement en France, compte étudier l’organisation du financement d’une future ligne à grande vitesse *(LGV) Québec - Montréal - Ottawa - Toronto*. Il a indiqué à l’AFP qu’il allait rencontrer la ministre des Finances Christine Lagarde pour *parler de « l’expérience marocaine » de construction d’une LGV financée en partie par un conséquent prêt français. Mais « cela ne signifie pas que le Québec demandera de l’argent à la France *», a ajouté le porte-parole de Sam Hamad. Le projet est un serpent de mer depuis plus de vingt ans.


http://www.ville-rail-transports.com/content/15451-le-québec-étudie-le-financement-d’une-lgv

Google translate :



> *Quebec considering funding a HSR*
> 
> *23/02/2011*
> 
> The Quebec Minister of Transport Hamad, who is to come soon in France, has studied the organization of financing for *future high-speed line (HSL) Quebec - Montreal - Ottawa - Toronto*. He told AFP he would meet Finance Minister Christine Lagarde to *talk about "the Moroccan experience" of building a TGV funded in part by a loan so French. But "this does not mean that Quebec will ask for money to France, " *added the spokesman Hamad. The project is a sea serpent for over twenty years.


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## Fargo Wolf (Oct 23, 2009)

TheKorean said:


> There is no realistic stops between Calgary and Edmonton. No one lives between.





hammersklavier said:


> Not even Red Deer?


I think Red Deer would be a, if not the sole stop, between Edmonton and Calgary. As far as I know, it's now in the planning stage. With the economy being what it is, who knows when construction will begin.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Bill Gates identified as largest CN shareholder*
Toronto Star
April 25, 2011

MONTREAL—Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates has become the largest shareholder of Canadian National Railway, with a $3.2-billion stake in Canada’s largest rail company.

Montreal-based CN (TSX: CNR) says the world’s second-wealthiest man owned or exercised control over 10.04 per cent of its shares as of Feb. 25.

Gates has been buying up the railway’s stock since being identified as a shareholder in 2006.

He holds the 46.07 million shares through Cascade Investment and as co-trustee of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust, CN said in a proxy circular ahead of Wednesday’s annual meeting in Chicago.

The value of Gates’ shares are based on Monday’s trading price of $69.75, down 13 cents in morning trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

CN’s market capitalization for its 458.6 million shares was $32 billion.

Gates friend Warren Buffett, through his holding company Berkshire Hathaway Inc., acquired full control of U.S. rail company Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. early last year.

CN releases its first-quarter financial results Tuesday. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expect its adjusted earnings will increase to 88 cents per share on $2.1 billion in revenues.


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## TheKorean (Apr 11, 2010)

Fargo Wolf said:


> I think Red Deer would be a, if not the sole stop, between Edmonton and Calgary. As far as I know, it's now in the planning stage. With the economy being what it is, who knows when construction will begin.


Never thats when.

Some things Canada and US just are the same.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

hkskyline said:


> *Bill Gates identified as largest CN shareholder*
> Toronto Star
> April 25, 2011


Might this finally mean that the CNR will come to meet 20th-century --whoops, I meant!-- 21st-century operating standards?!?


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## WaterOnMars (Mar 15, 2011)

*ON washout April 14, 2011*

amazing footage that shows the speed with which a washout can occur

this one was purportedly shot by a CN Rail employee who was at a spot they feared might be dangerous due to water flooding

(some colourful language in there, too)


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## Alexriga (Nov 25, 2007)

wow, looks scary and dangerous.


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## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

aquaticko said:


> My point was, originally, that there _are_ some areas of the U.S. and Canada which are suitable to the use of high speed passenger railway transportation as a form of mass transit; granted, there are fewer in North America than in most of the rest of the world, but as I said before my argument isn't and has never been that _all_ communities in North America should have access to a passenger rail system, just that there _are_ some. What I'm beginning to understand is virtually a knee-jerk reaction from you is that there are no places, beyond those which already heavily utilize passenger rail transport (and even then not always), that are suitable to that form of transportation.


I never denied that certain areas in North America are suitable for high-speed rail. That is beyond dispute, it is a fact, if you consider the engineering aspects of it only, especially when confronting with other forms of insulated transportation like airlines.

The whole discussion goes down for who pays for it, and how to implement such structures without obliging people to live close to it in a plot to make-use-of-what-we-just-built. 

However, in this and other forums, I routinely read people complaining that transcontinental passenger railway transportation from Vancouver to Halifax is a must and should cost less then flights - never mind the multiple days it takes to complete the trip.


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## aquaticko (Mar 15, 2011)

Suburbanist said:


> I never denied that certain areas in North America are suitable for high-speed rail. That is beyond dispute, it is a fact, if you consider the engineering aspects of it only, especially when confronting with other forms of insulated transportation like airlines.
> 
> The whole discussion goes down for who pays for it, and how to implement such structures without obliging people to live close to it in a plot to make-use-of-what-we-just-built.
> 
> However, in this and other forums, I routinely read people complaining that transcontinental passenger railway transportation from Vancouver to Halifax is a must and should cost less then flights - never mind the multiple days it takes to complete the trip.


Well rest assured, I am not and have not been one of those people, nor do I intend to become one. Frankly, it's one of my concerns with passenger rail: that it'll be expected to cover large distances in plane-rivaling time, and when it fails people will put it down to passenger rail being an ineffective means of travel, rather than there being too much asked of it.

In regard to your second statement, I know your idea is to have the government build the railroads and the private sector operate the trains, but the analogy to roads and cars isn't perfect. After all, the idea of mass transit is that the system isn't operated by individuals, whereas cars obviously are. Is the idea to get politics out of the construction of an HSR system? Because I can tell you now that that, and all such efforts to separate the state and market, is hopeless; no private firm is going to put so much capital into such a risky long-term bet, and the government would be stupid to forgoe the potential recuperation of construction costs. 

Also, in regard to the second part of your second statement, haven't you essentially suggested just that, albeit from the private market? Specifically, you've suggested (in other threads) that rail stations ought to be built outside of city centers to save on land acquisition costs, and new developments should be built around them to encourage populating the area? Or are the key words here "oblige" vs. "encourage"?


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

^^ Can we try to have one thread without the rail vs. road debate please and try to keep things more focused on Canadian rail? Thank you.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Could it be that Canada's constructing its first hydraulic buffer?!


^^ clickable



Another shot shows how sand bags suffice :uh:


^^ clickable


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## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)




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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

^^ The fleet of cars found on the first two trains were built with smaller dimensions so that they could fit in the twin tunnel portals, which each have a length of about 100 metres hno: Plus none of the fleet has been assigned to the Mount Royal tunnels, probably won't for another --errr-- seven years hno:


trainrover said:


> ^^ clickable


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

*Bonne fête, les chemins de fer canadiens - Happy Birthday, Canadian Railways!*

Today --21 July-- is the 175th anniversary of railway history in Canada! First railway was between Laprairie (on greater Montreal's South Shore) and Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu (then named St. John [:?]).

:dance:​
Exporail had an open house today


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

The Globe and Mail
July 24, 2011
*CN's Alberta strategy adds to growth*
By BRENT JANG
TRANSPORTATION REPORTER

In Canadian National Railway Co.'s CNR-T expansion strategy, it's good to be Alberta bound.

The country's largest railway, which will release its second-quarter financial results on Monday, is counting on Alberta to help propel its long-term growth.

By late summer, Montreal-based CN plans to start construction of a sprawling terminal northeast of Calgary, budgeting $200-million for the "logistics park."

The mandate of the 275-hectare site in Rocky View County, 10 kilometres from Calgary International Airport, is to handle "intermodal freight," or goods transported inside standardized metal containers that are readily transferred between trains and trucks. There will also be plenty of room for warehouse distribution centres.

Terminal construction is slated for completion by the end of next year and set to open in early 2013, with Calgary serving as an important hub for consumer and industrial products going in and out of southern Alberta, said CN spokesman Mark Hallman.

For CN, it's the latest in a series of projects in Alberta. The freight carrier bought four short-line railways in 2006-07 for $76-million. Since then, CN has spent $260-million on upgrading its northern Alberta network and is allocating a further $45-million for improvements in 2011.

There are also other investments in the resource-rich province such as double-tracking segments of the busy CN line east of Edmonton.

CN has been supporting petroleum and chemicals customers with efficient transportation, as well as speeding up grain and coal shipments in Alberta, Mr. Hallman said.

Salman Partners analyst Jayson Moss noted that among major North American railways, CN enjoyed the fastest growth in freight traffic in the second quarter - a 4.4-per-cent improvement in volume year-over-year, measured in carloads.

In the second quarter, "growth was seen across all commodity groups, with particular strength in metals and minerals, forest products and intermodal," Mr. Moss said in a research report. "Intermodal volume growth can be attributed to strong domestic traffic, as well as higher international traffic through the ports of Prince Rupert, Vancouver, and Montreal."

He added that "CN continues to operate soundly, posting steady growth in carload volumes and strong operational performance metrics."

Calgary-based Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd., CP-T which issues its second-quarter results on Wednesday, has been hurt by spring flooding in Saskatchewan, Manitoba and North Dakota.

Despite the challenges, especially CP's flood-related delays last month, "we continue to believe the long-term outlook for the Canadian railroads looks bright," Raymond James Ltd. analyst Steve Hansen said in a research note. "Economic growth in key emerging markets such as China also remains robust, which supports solid export activity."


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

^^ This kind of _rah-rah_ story's BS :bleep: it says nought for your average Cdn

Makes me wonder if the country'll ever grow up :?


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Metro One said:


> A big CPR freight yard in Port Coquitlam:


the turntable's a peculiar feature for a young yard


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## aquaticko (Mar 15, 2011)

^^Retro is all the rage in freightyards these days.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

trainrover said:


> Rising costs derail Train de l'Est project
> 
> Price tag for long-awaited commuter line soars to $665 million, report says
> 
> Yet yesterday's news reported $4.1 billion being spent this year for roadworks, with many further $ billions spent prior years :mad2:


Quebec being the spender


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*CN Railway revenues up 8%*
The Canadian Press
Posted: Jul 25, 2011 4:46 PM ET

Canadian National Railway Co. said Monday its net profits rose slightly in the latest quarter on an eight per cent increase in revenues.

Canada's biggest railway reported it earned $538 million or $1.18 a diluted share in the three months ended June 30. That was up from $534 million or $1.13 a year earlier.

Revenues at Montreal-based CN rose eight per cent to $2.26 billion from just under $2.1 billion.

Meanwhile, carloadings increased four per cent and revenue ton-miles — a measure of railway operations — rose five per cent.

The latest results included a net deferred income tax expense of $40 million resulting from the enactment of state corporate income tax rate changes and other legislated state tax revisions in the United States, where CN has major operations.

Operating ratio in line

Excluding the net deferred income tax expense, adjusted diluted earnings per share for the quarter rose to $1.26 from $1.13. That was slightly above analyst expectations.

CN's operating ratio, a measure of operating efficiency, was 61.3 per cent, in line with the operating ratio of 61.2 per cent for second-quarter of 2010.

"CN delivered a solid second-quarter performance as a result of continued improvements in freight volumes and strong operational execution," president and CEO Claude Mongeau said in a release after stock markets closed Monday.

"CN railroaders responded quickly and effectively to a series of weather challenges including floods, forest fires and mudslides. Their tireless efforts and dedication helped to protect the integrity of our network, the reliability of the supply chain we serve and our service to customers."

Mongeau said that all of CN's commodity groups posted revenue gains during the quarter. Intermodal — CN's largest revenue segment — was a bright spot, benefiting principally from higher import volumes over the ports of Vancouver and Prince Rupert, B.C. and increased domestic retail shipments. 

Total intermodal volumes rose 10 per cent and intermodal revenues increased 14 per cent.

CN was expected to earn $1.25 per share on $2.26 billion of revenues in the second quarter, according to analysts polled by Thomson Reuters.

That's up from $1.13 per share on $2.1 billion of revenues a year earlier.

North American railroads were affected by extensive flooding throughout the quarter caused substantial detouring.

However, CN beat its peers with higher average train speeds and reduced time in terminals.

U.S. railroad volumes were up 3.1 per cent, compared to 0.9 per cent for Canadian railways.

Still, CN had the highest volume growth in the industry during the quarter. Overall carloads were up 4.4 per cent from a year ago, while total volumes increased 5.4 per cent.

The improvement was driven by stronger volumes in metals (up 10.8 per cent), intermodal (up 9.1 per cent) and agricultural products (up 7.8 per cent).

Industry intermodal volumes surpassed 2008 levels at an average of 313,426 units per month in the second quarter, with four of six railroads posting increased volumes.

Agricultural products volumes posted the biggest recovery from a year ago, driven by U.S. railroads. Canadian industry volumes were almost flat, increasing by 1.6 per cent.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Hey! how about you dig up an article for all of us here regarding the status of CN being sued for slavery reparations  coz the :yawn: business-performance reports :yawn: you tend to fancy sharing yield nought


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

trainrover said:


> Hey! how about you dig up an article for all of us here regarding the status of CN being sued for slavery reparations  coz the :yawn: business-performance reports :yawn: you tend to fancy sharing yield nought


Don't think some lawsuit can help readers understand Canadian railways more than a detailed financial report.  Maybe you can find what you need in the Skybar.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

What would you know about anybody's necessities :weird: Besides, it's Canada's American railways constituting the bull's eye, thereby having nothing to do with the railways of the federation you wish to relate :yes:

Please, either roughly or precisely, what's compeling about the articles you share upon the boards round here? Overall, what might it be about them that you wish us readers to be relating to/identifying with :?


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

trainrover said:


> What would you know about anybody's necessities :weird: Besides, it's Canada's American railways constituting the bull's eye, thereby having nothing to do with the railways of the federation you wish to relate :yes:
> 
> Please, either roughly or precisely, what's compeling about the articles you share upon the boards round here? Overall, what might it be about them that you wish us readers to be relating to/identifying with :?


Don't think it's a surprise or mind-blowing Canadian and American rail networks are somehow connected in the grand scheme of things. After all, there is so much trade happening across the border.

It's important to understand how Canadian rail firms perform in a Canadian railway thread. Perhaps you should offer your insight on why a Canadian operator's results are not relevant in a Canadian railway thread?


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

:weirdo: Are you truly that incapable of relating your wish to us or are you simply all about stock-options-speak (should your subsequent reply be unsatisfactory, then you'd become the fourth forummer [in three years] to be consigned to my _Ignore List_)?!?


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

_Seems this type of fine is nothing new and have existed for ages. However, their PR campaign has worked now that these fines are news-worthy headlines. _

*CN fining Sussex train tracks trespassers*
CBC News
Posted: Aug 18, 2011 7:49 PM AT 

An effort to stop people from crossing railroad tracks in Sussex, N.B., is meeting local opposition.

CN Rail has recently stepped up enforcement against people crossing the tracks at non-designated places. It has recently issued 11 fines of $124 and 80 warnings.

But locals and members of the town council questioned the tactic.

Resident Jerry Howe said it was not fair.

"It's not like we're going to be running on the tracks. We're just crossing to get somewhere," he said Thursday.

A teenager from the area was killed at the tracks two years ago after getting too close to a passing train.

CN said it's trying to prevent those kinds of deaths by taking action against trespassers.

Gary Fulton, a councillor in the area, said he supports the rail line's intentions, but doesn't agree with how it is being done.

"I'm personally quite dismayed," he said. "It would have been logical for the railway to come to town, inform council so we could use a PR exercise to get the word out to people."

He also said as most offenders mean no harm, fines may not be the best strategy.

A spokesperson for CN said its staff were also in schools to raise awareness about railroad safety.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

hkskyline said:


> _for ages_


"_Ages_" For crying out loud, it's *forever* been like this! The federal Railway Act privileges railway owners by not obliging them to be, e.g., installing footbridges, etc., etc. Might you regard your slanted corporate articles as to be serving as adjustments for Canadian culture around this federation as we know it?!?

Crummy quality to your coffee, eh? Really, your moderator privileges ought to be revoked :mad2:


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## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

stingstingsting said:


> Canada is more populated than Australia but Australia has well-developed intracity networks. Just comparing commuter networks, I'd agree that Canada's might need a bit of improvement.


Australia's population is concentrated, essentially, between Brisbane and Adelaide in an arch close to the coast. Only Perth sticks out among big cities.

Canada has many medium-sized out-of-the-way cities like Winnipeg, Regina, Edmonton, Calgary.

Moreover, Australian network is far from perfect: it is not practical to travel by train long distances, it takes too long, people just fly. And they have that break-of-gauge in Queensland, something Canada doesn't.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Being sparsely populated should never serve as any excuse for deficient safety standards, right. No offense (honestly), but I find the state of this country's railways to be even more deplorable than (the few) New Zealand's own questionable examples I've chanced to watch filmed on ewetube.

So, Melbourne's commuter grade crossings aside, how does Australia's railway safety standards compare to this country's? :?

Anyhow, here's a rough map of the Quebec City-Windsor corridor -- I think about 12 000 000 people live within 70Km of it: :dunno:


trainrover said:


> ^^ clickable


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Today's







:_Via Rail train probe finds high speeds in deadly crash"... the train was travelling 67 miles an hour (108 km/h) while changing tracks. But the speed limit for changing tracks in the area that train was passing through is 15 m.p.h., or 24 km/h. ...​_

^^ clickable...​FFT: All the Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto trains I've ridden exceeded 15MPH switching tracks, each switching was an uncomfortable experience ... heck, trackside, I remember watching a freight exceed the switching-track speed, it must've been doing 30MPH :sly:


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## mgk920 (Apr 21, 2007)

Outside of the Windsor-Quebec City corridor, the only other place within Canada where I can see a useful intercity rail passenger service within the foreseeable future is Edmonton-Calgary.

Anyways, if/when the Canada-USA border checkpoints can be removed, I consider it a 'no brainer' for the Windsor-Quebec City corridor to be seamlessly connected to Amtrak's Detroit-Chicago services (and restore/redevelop the Michigan Central station? :yes: ), as well as upgrading the connection between Toronto-Niagara Falls with Amtrak's Empire Services, Montreal-NYC (and Boston?) Adirondack services and the Seattle-Vancouver Cascade Services line

Little else.

Mike


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Second time the past few days somebody's taken to misnaming the corridor, plus the inherently long distances being written about ^^ apply more to the probably-most inactive thread throughout this very forum, _CANADA | High Speed Rail_.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Yesterday's soft







(more comprehensive than today's hard report):_TSB sounds the alarm on railway safety after derailments


St-Charles-De-Bellechasse, Feb 25 2010 - A derailed Via train is pictured is St-Charles-De-Bellechasse, East of Quebec city, February 25, 2010. The west-bound train derailed early in the morning, hitting a house but not killing anyone according to first report._​Death-trap loco from two weeks ago also landed on its side.


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## Neb81 (Jun 14, 2010)

trainrover said:


> Today's
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Does this stretch of track have an unusual point arrangement? In the UK its normal for trains on conventional tracks to cross points at much higher speeds than 15mph, or even 60mph for that matter.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Somewhat correcting what I'd been implying, another newspaper article reported several days ago that the points, switch where the crash happened was unlike the majority of the them found throughout the corridor. The majority are supposedly gauged for 45MPH yet still make an uncomfortable ride at track-changing. High-speed points, turnouts, switches aren't known to be in the Canadian railway lexicon, as far as I can tell  The points were deployed to avoid fouling nearby track maintenance, being an exceptional circumstance which must explain their existence, installation.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

In response to the following 17-month-old news:


trainrover said:


> 3 teens killed: 'They didn't hear the train coming'
> 
> Via Rail urges public not to trespass on private property
> 
> By Katherine Wilton, The Gazette November 1, 2010​


today's







-- deficient fencing plus breach of conduct kept being mentioned:_Radio-Canada* investigation looks into fatal train accident_ -- 11'49"_"... 'And yet deaths on Canadian railways are not uncommon.'
'Every week!' ..."_ -- 1'21"

_"... ' ...former transport safety board investigator had a look at the data compared to what is stipulated in the law.'
'Exactly. And what he says is here you have all the elements that come to the definition of what a threat is under the Act...'
'As it's written in the law.' ..."_ -- 4'17

_"... 'And that is the type of approach that has traditionally been followed by the industry and in fact by government that there's action taken after somebody is killed or injured, and public outcry arises, "What are you doing about that?!" and so something is done in the immediate area around where somebody was killed or injured.' ..."_ -- 6'15"​​http://www.cbc.ca/video/news/audioplayer.html?clipid=2219663065or_Radio-Canada* investigation looks into fatal train accident_


^^ clickable...​* Radio Canada = French-language CBC ... one-hour investigative report (in French) airs today at 9PM EDT.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

trainrover said:


> Today's
> 
> 
> 
> ...


..


----------



## bagus70 (Dec 8, 2011)

Hi, I'm a newcomer in here. I would like to know more about railway in Canada, especially the passenger service over there.


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## krnboy1009 (Aug 9, 2011)

Is there any way Amtrak's Maple Leaf can be rerouted through Hamilton?

seems like if that can be done ridership will be higher. A bit.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Canadian passenger rail service is probably one of the crummiest and definitely underdeveloped; I bet Australian service would be far more interesting.

Aldershot station --served by the Maple Leaf-- is 8Km from Hamilton. If you zoom in to the bottom left corner of this map (you might have to click twice to open this pdf file), you'd see Hamilton lies on CPR's red Hamilton Sub, which appears to altogether bypass Niagara Falls, going to Buffalo instead, while the American and Canadian intercity services take CN's blue Grimsby Sub. Having just peeked at Go Transit's commuter timetable, it seems Hamiltonians must have successfully fought for the reintroduction of rail service period sometime the past 23 years.

I'm curious how long Maple Leaf customs inspections take each way; same curiosity for Cascades service*s* :?


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## hammersklavier (Jan 29, 2010)

trainrover said:


> Today's
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Why on earth is CN only maintaining 15 mph points on what appears to be a mainline? Especially since _their own trains_ have been known to do double their speed rating across them?

At least 30 mph points are needed--preferably, 50. (PRR mainlines maintained 50+ mph points 60 years ago.)


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

I think I myself had had to reread the article to learn that the points were seldom used, for --uhm-- rare track maintenance purposes, being why the turnout was activated hno: The following is what happens with crummy safety standards in this country, and that's referring to the federally-regulated track, so who knows what the real death rate must be:


trainrover said:


> _"... 'And yet deaths on Canadian railways are not uncommon.'
> 'Every week!' ..."_ -- 1'21"​


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## Jay (Oct 7, 2004)

trainrover said:


>


Mind boggling...That is something you would see in a 3rd world country without regard for personal safety. Whosever idea that was not to put a guard there should be jailed. 


There is no current plan for HSR in Canada is there? I would think it would be quicker to build one than its southern neighbor.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Blathering and blathering alone itself is all that's defined by Canadian HSR plan ... mind you, just by the filmer's car-speak (vocabulary) proves that it took somebody not from Quebec to go so far as to be narrating the stupid crossing ...

Yesterday's







:
_Bombardier paid arms dealer $35m to secure train contract

'Representative's commission' to Tunisian in South African deal_​


----------



## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

*VIA Rail overhauls schedule*

From their own press release:



> *NEW SCHEDULES*
> *Transcontinental Trains*
> 
> The Canadian: The Canadian currently provides three round trips per week, year round, between Toronto and Vancouver. Demand for this service is strong and growing during the summer months; VIA has invested more than $55 million to improve service along this route, and is upgrading equipment to meet customer needs.
> ...


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## manrush (May 8, 2008)

^^
It's a PC way of saying 'we're beginning to gut our system'.


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## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

^^ Whereas I can understand, even if I don't completely agree, with a government entity operating intercity and commuter opreations on the Québec City - Windsor corridor, nothing will convince me that 3-time-a-week transcontinental/overnight trains are some sort of public necessity that should be offered by the government at subsidized rates...


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

24 Jan 2013







:
_TSB Concerned About the Risk of Derailment of Heavy Passenger Locomotives on Lower Classes of Track  _​


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## M-NL (Sep 18, 2012)

2 questions:

Why are the newer locomotives 'typically heavier'? Shouldn't a passenger locomotive be as light as possible?
Why do 4-axle freight locomotives not suffer the same problem?


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Today's







:
_No extra money for light-rail on Champlain, Ottawa says
_
'... _in the last federal infrastructure fund, "other provinces decided to invest most of their envelopes in transit" ... ... ... In Quebec, "they decided to invest in roads, in highways," he added. _...'​


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## mpeculea (Jan 7, 2013)

M-NL said:


> 2 questions:
> 
> Why are the newer locomotives 'typically heavier'? Shouldn't a passenger locomotive be as light as possible?
> Why do 4-axle freight locomotives not suffer the same problem?


A locomotive must not exceed a certain axle load. In Europe it is around 20 tons/axle. I do not know the numbers for North America, but they should't be much different.
Locomotives should be heavy. Weight turns into traction. This is especially valid for freight trains, but also for heavy passenger trains. In Europe, passenger Trains are usually about 10-15 coaches long. In the US, I have seen passenger trains that are 30-35 coaches long, and i can imagine, it is the same in Canada. Such trains need a heavy locomotive or two lighter ones, to have traction. Especially on mountain tracks, a light locomotive might not be able to put the train in motion.
Same thing is true for freight locomotives. Light, 4 axle locomotives will not be able to pull heavy freight trains on their own. freight trains are often pulled/pushed by 3-6 locomotives.


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## XAN_ (Jan 13, 2011)

NA passenger cars are also ridiculously overweighted, so they require heavier locos.


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## M-NL (Sep 18, 2012)

mpeculea said:


> A locomotive must not exceed a certain axle load. In Europe it is around 20 tons/axle. I do not know the numbers for North America, but they should't be much different.


In Europe 22,5 t/axle is normal (TRAXX/Vectron/Prima II all weigh in at around 90t). In NA they are much higher, both the passenger GE Genesis P42DC and the freight GE ES44AC have axleloads of 32,5 t/axle.



mpeculea said:


> Locomotives should be heavy. Weight turns into traction.


Not entirely true, you still need bigger traction motors to actually generate those higher forces. As a rule of thumb a modern locomotive can deliver about 35% to 42% of it's weight (in kN!) as tractive effort. The above mentioned 90t TRAXX/Vectron/Prima II can deliver around 300 kN of starting tractive effort, the 122t P42DC only 280 kN. For 280 kN 85t would have been enough, therefore you could consider that massively overweight. The TSB article mentioned that the new generation NA passenger locomotives would be even heavier, so hence my question why? It is true though that these lighter loco's will be more prone to skidding. 



mpeculea said:


> Same thing is true for freight locomotives. Light, 4 axle locomotives will not be able to pull heavy freight trains on their own. freight trains are often pulled/pushed by 3-6 locomotives.


Yes they will, you just need more of them to reach the same adhesion weight, which is the reason you won't see that often.

Your explanation does not adress the fact that a higher axle load also increases the dynamic stress on the tracks, especially at higher speeds. In fact, double the weight result in more then double the dynamic forces.

My second question also remains: Why would a similar weight 4-axle freight locomotive be less prone to derailing then a 4-axle passenger loco. The only thing I can come up with is a different wheel shape and not having truck rotation dampers on freight locomotives.


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## mpeculea (Jan 7, 2013)

M-NL said:


> Not entirely true, you still need bigger traction motors to actually generate those higher forces. As a rule of thumb a modern locomotive can deliver about 35% to 42% of it's weight (in kN!) as tractive effort. The above mentioned 90t TRAXX/Vectron/Prima II can deliver around 300 kN of starting tractive effort, the 122t P42DC only 280 kN. For 280 kN 85t would have been enough, therefore you could consider that massively overweight. The TSB article mentioned that the new generation NA passenger locomotives would be even heavier, so hence my question why? It is true though that these lighter loco's will be more prone to skidding.


When the train is put into motion, traction (measured in the coupling) is not as important as the torque put in the wheel by the engine. The more powerful the engine, the more torque it will put out. You need a huge amount of torque to actually put a train in motion. If the engine is to light, the torque put by the engines into the wheels will exceed the friction momentum, and the wheels will skid. After the train has gained a bit of inertia (somewhere between 5 and 10 kph), traction in the coupling is what matters, in order to accelerate. So the smaller traction of the P42DC will translate into weaker acceleration.


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## M-NL (Sep 18, 2012)

Traction (measured in the coupling) = The torque put in the wheel by the engine. Where else would it come from?

I'm sorry but your explanation still doesn't explain why a North American locomotive is 1.5 times heavier then it needs to be for the performance it delivers and why the newer ones will be even heavier.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Due to massive train lengths and weight here, locos must be heavier than usual in the hopes they withstand head-on collisions with each other, I think.


----------



## M-NL (Sep 18, 2012)

I've read that several times and a lot of people at the TSB and FRA seem to have the same opinion. 

If you collide head on with a 15000t freight train I don't think it would make much difference if your own weight is 90t or 122t. Same story for a head on collision between 2 passenger trains both travelling upwards of 75mph. In both cases the results won't be pretty.

But the NA railroad community can't ignore the fact that passenger trains constantly need to drag enormous weights around for the very unlikely event of a collision. That uses a lot of extra fuel and create extra wear on both the track and the rolling stock. But it's how they want it to be.


----------



## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

I wonder how much longer loco anti-collision attributes must remain excessively heavy here


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

:nuts: Country's national passenger services operator recently got this year's int'l airail concept award :nuts:


----------



## trainrover (May 6, 2006)




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## XAN_ (Jan 13, 2011)

That was close... How it was possible at all?


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

:dunno: The recording itself hails from the 1990s.


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## XAN_ (Jan 13, 2011)

Well, back in early 90s in ex-USSR countries was utter chaos and povetry, so dismantling main beam lamp of locomotive after the ride was common practise - because if it's stolen during the stop - the replacement would be impossible to find... And without the main beam locomotive surely may not be operated. But even then, interlock fail that resulted into possibility of head-on collision would be an national-wide sensation.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Today's







:
_CORRECTED-Canada watchdog wants tougher safety rules for trains
_
"_(Corrects 10th paragraph to show CN is already rolling out automatic systems in the United States, and *not* in the United States and Canada, as first sent)_ ..."​
I wonder if the 'report' ^^ even mentions that the watchdog's recommendation has been issued three times the past ten years hno:


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Learning of crazy derailments all the time becomes more and more sickening, this country's a banana republic.






Auto pilot hauling 73 cars of crude had halted near Lac-Mégantic's old town centre last night. It's said that for reason/s unknown the automatic consist started rolling backwards, then derailed, and at least 4 of the cars exploded, levelling half the town centre , and the fire has been raging out of control now for more than 10 hours already. Lots of crude is fouling the nearby river, coming from other punctured cars. 1 dead, possibly 60 missing.

This negligent practice is criminal ...


----------



## trainrover (May 6, 2006)




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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

:cripes:






Anyhow, Friday night's train was not auto-pilot. Leaving the locos running, the driver parked the train in the village of Nantes a few miles up slope from the historic lakeside town of Lac-Mégantic, went to the hotel nearby to sleep for the night, but after a couple of hours all the cars somehow uncoupled from the locos. Fire retardent was to arrive finally Saturday evening. The fires were extinguished yesterday evening. Much crude continues to spill into the Chaudière River and the Mégantic Lake itself. 5 dead, at least 40 missing. Packed bar trackside to be focus of search for human remains.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

It's now being revealed that the lead engine of the fives's worth suffered a fire at the outset of the train being parked in Nantes. The local fire brigade there, 7 miles up slope from Lac-Mégantic, believe they extinguished it, although now much uncertainty reigns over the matter of handing the train back over to the railway. Nonetheless, the lead engine itself was the one left switched on for the (overnight?) park, the rest of them having been switched off.

Apparently, the international railway themselves have (had?) issued some embarrassing press release that's appalling people :dunno: :?


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

fft: Regarding the Nantes fire department's actions in his phone interview (today?), the railway's chair: (a) questioned their wisdom in having the burning loco powered off so they could tackle the blaze in its engine room, and (b) their wisdom again for not having the engineer roused from his sleep in the hotel opposite their firehouse. fft: He kept mentioning the trackperson his railway had had dispatched to the crippled parked train, over and over. Anyhow, the Nantes fire dept isn't pleased.

So the brake failure might now be explained, i.e., gradual loss of air-brake pressure because of powered-off loco, although how the cargo became uncoupled from the engines remains a mystery.

Me, I blame big-business lobbyists and the federal goverment for this ongoing CRAZY deregulation, e.g., I'd fancy knowing just what small fraction of you here readers are capable of describing the appearance of a caboose ...


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## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

^^ Cabooses are not needed if you have modern in-cab signaling and electronic train information softwares.

90% of former federal rail regulation both in US and Canada were pure non-sense by the 1980s, a relic of steam-powered train times. However powerful unions were dragging down train operation modernization in North America just to preserve jobs.


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## k.k.jetcar (Jul 17, 2008)

I thought cabooses were eliminated on N. American freight trains sometime back in the 80's, when there was widespread deregulation of the RR's. They were replaced with end of train devices equipped with telemetry.

The pre-incident fire on the lead loco seems to be the first step that led to this disaster. It appears subsequently that either employee neglect of rules, and/or lack of enforcement by the RR company of _safe operating practices_, led to this disaster- namely, not having hand brakes applied on the cars, and putting a derail on the track, especially given the hazardous material train was parked on a _slope_(!)


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Such a repulsive state of affairs. The first of the pair of federal ministers at this afternoon's press conference ended by trumpeting at length how stiffer penalties have been introduced just May Day. Yet the government has been ignoring the rail regulator's annually-reiterated recommendations many, many years now for better safety rules addressing the operating practice of the day. Banana republics enact crap practice like this that kk has just identified. Shirk the train even after it catches alight at that? No prob :sly:

Ultimately juvenile.


----------



## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Today's







:
_ Canada train blast: Blame game over Lac-Megantic disaster

A rail firm and fire department appear to be pointing the finger at one another over a Canada oil train blast that has killed at least 13 people._​
A rep from this country's transport safety board's rail division said in a phone interview today that they themselves will be looking into what currently available technologies might have mitigated this disaster, and that for many years they have been promoting modern rolling stock replacements for our, obviously, current obsolete tanker cars again and again, yet always find themselves being ignored. Their mandate's muddling to me. How about you, because what precisely mandates that federal board only halfway to a (the?!?) goal?









Also, several current and past railway professionals have been calling into call-in radio shows, DISSING the state of railway safety in this here banana republic while sharing their stark examples throughout. Banana republics carelessly resort to childish tattle taling(sp?). This country both CAN and had better make up its mind ... it's all about choice.

Some petroleum distillate was blended into the crude, this is believed to explain how come the first explosion was instantaneous upon derailment.

Only today has the matter of proper air brakes ever come up.

The matter of how the locos became separated from their cargo has STILL NOT been mentioned ... shit, maybe this place is dismally hopeless after all.


----------



## M-NL (Sep 18, 2012)

trainrover said:


> A rep from this country's transport safety board's rail division said in a phone interview today that they themselves will be looking into what currently available technologies might have mitigated this disaster,


That 'currently available technology' is called a manually operated parking brake and, at least in Europe as far as I know, nearly every rail vehicle is equipped. I have no reason to asume that in NA this would be different.

There is one thing I also don't understand. If the train broke the total loss of main airline pressure should have put on all the airbrakes. Or were these cars so poorly maintained that they could not keep up enough main reservoir and brake cilinder pressure for more then 8 to 10 hours? According to my dad (former train driver) in the Netherlands if you were to park a freight train on the air brakes, it would take at least a few days before leakage would have limited the remaining brake force enough for it to be movable at all (on a slope it may not be a few days, but still longer than a few hours). Despite this, it is standard practice for parked trains to use the parking brakes, just to be safe.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Nope, coz by what they announced yesterday, your scope limited to handbrakes is to singularily narrow. Signalling, positive train control, emergency trigger appliances, etc., etc., are what was mentioned by them yesterday. Inadequate tankers seems to be the safety board's biggest concern so far this week.

Anyhow, from his helm in Chicago yesterday, the railway's chair retracted his accusations, saying that his company has really screwed up.

His railway's one of a pair in this country whose trains are allowed to be operated by just one staff. He said his company's trains won't be left unattended any more, and that Nantes itself will no longer serve as the overnight pit stop.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Quebeckers are finding the discussion of pipeline vs. rail transport --which is the first, subsequent general matter to have cropped up since this disaster-- unsavoury and disrespectful. 13 dead, 50 missing. Many find absenteeism of a corresponding rail exec at Lac-Mégantic careless, although now that chair is supposed to arrive there this afternoon.

Although provincial flags will be half-mast as of only tomorrow (for 1 week), the sitting provincial separarist government are now trying to shame the federal government for not lowering their own flags :sly: The premier is now also severely critisizing that railway chair. A $60M emergency fund will be set up by the province come Monday.

Municipalities are now clamouring for disclosure of cargo contents so that they can bring their emergency response preparedness up to snuff. Over fear of sabotage, only the federal government is informed of cargo contents, being a practice that municiplaties (e.g., the City of Montreal the last 10 years) have been contesting.

The matter of how the cargo became unhitched from the locos still isn't being addressed. A witness has now come forward saying the dark train started rolling downhill 5 minutes after the Nantes firefighters left the mainline there.

I can't recall seeing catch points about this country.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

One of the first things that rail chair did upon arriving at the impromptu press scrum at Lac-Mégantic this afternoon was to chide that their dismissed engineer probably won't ever be back on their payroll hno:

Updated daily







:
_Lac-Mégantic timeline_​


----------



## XAN_ (Jan 13, 2011)

trainrover said:


> Me, I blame big-business lobbyists and the federal goverment for this ongoing CRAZY deregulation, e.g., I'd fancy knowing just what small fraction of you here readers are capable of describing the appearance of a caboose ...


Goverment-owned and carefully regulated raulways of Europe and USSR totally eliminated caboosez in like... late 50s?


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

More like as late as the '80s.

The chair's appearance in the town there has bombed...mere childishness (detailing how so would be useless.), although townsfolk there through and through found the chair's abject apology insincere. He came alone :uh: not even a translator accompanied him, which is fueling townsfolks' anger to yet another level. Lots of bungling melded to tragic loss of life  

Initially, the chair was supporting his engineer. However, his suspension of the engineer, ultimately veiled as an outright dismissal, is also maddening locals. On Friday night, it's said that the engineer bolted out of bed and uncoupled either 7 or 9 tankers from the runaway cargo up in Nantes, and then somehow tore off to Lac-Mégantic where he liaisoned with emergency officers.


----------



## urbanfan89 (May 30, 2007)

I don't see that CEO lasting long. He was better off not visiting at all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTxSj0wemdU


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## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

There is nothing wrong with operating one-person crew trains. That is common standard practice on many European freight operations.

I'm curious about what happened to the damn air brakes? Even on a scenario of total collapse of the loco power, air brakes should last at least 24h.


----------



## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Not that I blame you overseas folks, I myself find the failures unbelievable, but you guys don't seem to grasp the crippling conditions our railways operate on over here, e.g., trains used to be 120 cars but now they're commonly 240 cars long. With excessively extensive operations like this, one would suppose both its infrastructure and rolling stock to champion state of the art, yet it essentially boasts one of the lousiest railway networks around. No track renewal? Obsolete cars? No modern signaling? Corroded bridges and viaducts? Cocked-up operation policies? _Quoi?_


----------



## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Today's







:
_Deadly Quebec train crash to be fertile ground for lawsuits _ 
"..._The key questions that will have to be answered in the coming weeks and months include whether any cases filed will be heard in Canada or the United States, which parties were most negligent and how liability for the crash is spread among them._ ..."​

The disaster's not over. Supposedly the fires were extinguished yesterday although many hotspots risk reigniting. The flammable cargo has made its way into the sewer system and poses much danger. The Chaudière River supplying much drinking water to communities near and far from its banks is contaminated. Witnesses said the streets at first had rivers of fire. Fires popped up many places. It's now suspected that the initial explosion/s were from (fixed) propane tanks being punctured by the derailing tankers...surely there must have been sparks from all those collisions there.

This country's carelessness with propane storage has been bothersome to me for quite some time now...it's much like how I can't help myself from perceiving Iberia symbolic of exploding gas canister delivery trucks









Prescribing the number of handbrakes to be deployed lies squarely with rail companies here, no authority (no longer?) seems to ever scrutinize their analyses :nono: Deregulation had better revert to being a dirty word, quick.


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## M-NL (Sep 18, 2012)

trainrover said:


> Nope, coz by what they announced yesterday, your scope limited to handbrakes is to singularily narrow. Signalling, positive train control, emergency trigger appliances, etc., etc., are what was mentioned by them yesterday. Inadequate tankers seems to be the safety board's biggest concern so far this week.


As I now understand the engineer was supposed to have put on at least 11 parking brakes along the train and it seems he didn't do that. What is the use of any amount of safety equipment when you skip your most basic safety measure?

Anyway, all modern European train control systems are equipped with a function protecting unwanted train movement. In most systems the emergency brakes will be activated when a train moves more then a few meters when it shouldn't.

As I mentioned before: Over the course of a few hours the airbrakes should have retained enough air to be able to operate properly. If they didn't those railcars were very poorly maintained.



trainrover said:


> His railway's one of a pair in this country whose trains are allowed to be operated by just one staff.


I would go one further then Suburbanist: In which European country freight trains are not operated by a one-person crew? And also: You can put a crew of a hundred men on a train, if they don't follow proper procedure it doesn't make a difference.


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## MarcVD (Dec 1, 2008)

M-NL said:


> I would go one further then Suburbanist: In which European country freight trains are not operated by a one-person crew? And also: You can put a crew of a hundred men on a train, if they don't follow proper procedure it doesn't make a difference.


Right - most european trains operate with one person crews and without 
caboose since 1960 at least. But those trains are short and do not overnight
in stations with no personnel. In America trains are significantly longer, travel
long distances in quasi-desert territories, and find almost no ground-based
personnel along the way. So I can feel the need for keeping two men in the
train crews. The transformation of american railway companies into lean and
mean organizations has probably gone a bit too far, and the search for
savings in operating costs taken precedence over plain common sense...


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## XAN_ (Jan 13, 2011)

MarcVD said:


> Right - most european trains operate with one person crews and without
> caboose since 1960 at least. But those trains are short and do not overnight
> in stations with no personnel. In America trains are significantly longer, travel
> long distances in quasi-desert territories, and find almost no ground-based
> ...


But how having two men would prevent event like this?


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Spot checking one another from having called out aloud what action/s one of the pair of staff is performing, which is obligatory even when crews apply handbrakes. This practice would have much narrowed the margin of error.

I wish I knew just how everyone around the Nantes loco fire figured on no likelihood of it reigniting, for instance, because the fire dept there did hand back control of the train to the railway. Plus it seems that a fire dept around this country needn't release the operation of the train back to either its designated engineer or conductor :uh: The train was released to the track person, and the engineer who had driven the train there had already completed his shift.

I think the federal government is in big trouble and going to find itself bogged down by this tragedy.

Also, guidelines ought to be established to prevent corresponding spokespersons from uttering flippant statements. They really hurt the traumatized parties involved. That daft chair is now faulting his engineer without even following through on sharing his dispatcher's actions. When you think about it, lousy orchestration subsequent to aftermath ought to be regulated against.

Onto its website yesterday, Montreal's English-language daily posted a media clip of a phone interview they conducted of some railway expert who, without suggesting any explanation whatsoever, wondered aloud a couple of times how the cargo must have become uncoupled from the locos.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

24 dead, another 26 missing.

Yesterday's







by Martin Lukacs, _The Guardian_:
_Quebec's Lac-Mégantic oil train disaster not just tragedy, but corporate crime _ 
"... _We can mourn, but not scrutinise. In April, prime minister Stephen Harper even coined an awkward expression – "committing sociology" –to deride the search for root causes about horrifying events, in the wake of an unrelated, alleged bombing attempt._ ..."​


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Yesterday's







:
_Brake failures have been a problem for trains — since the 1880s_ 
"... _Regulations also specify engineers must apply sufficient hand brakes to pass a “push-pull” test that ensures parked trains don’t move, according to Luc Bourdon, director general of rail safety with Transport Canada. There are no specific rules for the number and amount of hand brakes used, Bourdon said._ ..."​


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Engineer overnighted downhill in Lac-Mégantic itself, not in Nantes ... yesterday's







:
_Engineer’s face 'said everything': Train driver’s horror as he saw Lac-Megantic burn _​


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

28 dead, another 22 missing.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Hypothetic analysis -- yesterday's







:
_Graphic: The Lac-Mégantic Runaway Train Disaster _​


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Yesterday's







:
_The frantic moment when the train driver in Lac-Megantic raced to the scene _​


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Yesterday's







:
_Tories dismiss need for review of critical audit of Transport Canada following Lac-Megantic disaster _​


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## M-NL (Sep 18, 2012)

trainrover said:


> Yesterday's
> 
> 
> 
> ...


They could have constructed train brakes like truck brakes: no air = parking brake active. It's a bit more cumbersome while shunting (you either need to provide a mechanism to temporarily(!) disable the parking brakes or shunt using the air brakes), but it is absolutely failsafe.


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## XAN_ (Jan 13, 2011)

Actually, it works that way - once charged, air brakes require pressure to allow movement, and if pressure is gone - brakes apply themselves automaticly.


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## M-NL (Sep 18, 2012)

The problem is the 'once charged' bit. As long as there is air in the auxillary reservoirs of your train your brakes work. Once that air is depleted your brakes degrade and eventually stop working completely. That isn't uncommon in one pipe systems and has been the cause of many runaways. In two pipe systems the extra pipe will continuously replenish the auxillary reservoirs so that problem is more or less eliminated, at least as long as you keep the extra pipe pressurised. 

For any train braking system the same rule applies: no auxillary pressure = no brakes.
In that sense the air brake system on trucks is more failsafe: The parking brakes are spring operated and need air to be released.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Yesterday's piddly







by _la métropole's_ English daily:
_'... "... The government has chosen to keep costs low for the oil companies and rail companies over community safety," he said. ...'_​_
Continuous braking also mentioned._


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Wednesday, both of Maine's federal legislators appealed to their federal railway administration there to conduct safety checks of (at least?) their state's share of that international railway (that also goes through Vermont). In response to their joint official request, their FRA was to have started inspecting some 440 miles' worth of train tracks over there yesterday.

Today, this country's safety board is urging Transport Canada to implement measures immediately to (a) prohibit trains carrying dangerous goods from being left unattended on a mainline, and to (b) establish definitive benchmarks on brake-setting when parking trains. The board's preliminary finding faults the brakes, although whether enough brakes had been set or some of them might have been faulty themselves is still unknown.

42 dead, 5 missing.


----------



## gramercy (Dec 25, 2008)

is there any talk about an Edmonton-Calgary upgrade or is Canada hell-bent on exporting shale oil directly into the atmosphere?


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Merely nattering and nattering about sensible projects appears to yield a sense of conclusive accomplishment to most Canadia/ens :|


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Effective immediately and during only the next six months







, Transport Canada is prohibiting single-person movement of freight trains as well as leaving trains ladened with dangerous goods unattended on any mainline.

The federal transport safety committee is pausing their summer break by embarking on reviewing railway safety protocols.

Now, an American senator is calling for retrofit or replacement of our inadequate tankers, which predominates the continent's fleet by ⅞. Meanwhile online, this country's national broadcaster divulged our committee's agenda, pegging the tankers matter the bottom item of 4's worth.

One of the world's longest-running pop stars is performing his benefit concert in Quebec City this evening.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

That MMA chair's sliminess is still excelling in creepiness. He appears to be balking at $4,000,000's worth of clean-up billing, such that workers are threatening to walk off the job from not having been paid, so the town of Lac-Mégantic is footing the bill. Much concern keeps growing about the toxins. Decontamination would've been jeopardized had the town there not come to the rescue. Furthermore, that prick of a chair is refusing to identify matters like who the site foreman is, etc., etc., thus the mayor is now preparing to sue MMA.

He must be such a psycho ...


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

An American union is now calling for an outright ban of one-man trains.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Today, Quebec provincial police conducted their search warrant on the railway's office in Farnham, between Lac-Mégantic and Montreal.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

trainrover said:


> hno:


...


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## M-NL (Sep 18, 2012)

trainrover said:


> An American union is now calling for an outright ban of one-man trains.


Only in order to preserve jobs, not because it will improve safety. Time and time again man has proven to be the weakest link when it comes to safety. On the other hand, I can imagine that one-man trains should only be allowed on controlled sections, not in 'black territory'.


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## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

Are there any studies towards building a high-speed line between London and Quebec City via Toronto, Kingston and Montreal?


----------



## swimmer_spe (Aug 15, 2013)

Does anyone know why Calgary, Regina, and Thunder Bay were bypassed? I know they rerouted the line to a northerly route. Why? Why would you bypass about a million people?


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## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

They weren't bypassed, service was cut. The Canadian rail network is many times smaller than it was a century ago. Air travel decimated passenger rail in this country as only the highest volume routes remained viable.


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## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

There are two transcontinental railways in Canada, right?

One via Regina and Winnipeg, other further north. 

In any case: rail is a non-viable proposition for long distance travel between Ontario and the central provinces, or between them and Vancouver. Distances are just too big, except for some futuristic maglev. Maybe there is a market for some Edmonton-Calgary service.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Aside from the fact that the video covers the loss of one of our pair of cross country passenger routings, its inaccuracies are minor:






The axed routing is the southern one 

I think three parallel cross country ROWs can be found in at least a couple of swaths of land.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

This dreary country's state of affairs here, allowing propane and crude to be hauled together by rail. Fiery derailment of such cargo ablaze in New Brunswick wilderness right now.


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## The Naiji Guy (Jul 8, 2013)

trainrover said:


> This dreary country's state of affairs here, allowing propane and crude to be hauled together by rail. Fiery derailment of such cargo ablaze in New Brunswick wilderness right now.



Problem really is the volumes of the two products out of Port Tupper and Saint John together only make a combined train feasible probably. I am along the route from Point Tupper and if there was a train of 20 propane tankers every day I would be surprised. The volume is going to increase as the Nustar tank farm is looking to expand their rail off loading facilities .


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Customary Canadia/en dreariness ^^


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

This federation's inadequate transport safety board's impotent live press conference would undoubtedly startle folks in poor countries were they watching fft: the board's lone rep's (inestigator's) live, on-screen performance right now .. well, at least America's Dennis Rodman demonstrates clarity, eh?


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Most of the board's conference was addressed in French.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Yesterday being the 4th day of the blaze nearby Plaster Rock, the (customarily sprawling Canadian) hamlet of 150, a controlled explosion was set off (and videotaped) in the hopes of snuffing out the abandoned trackside inferno.


----------



## oehT-269-212 (Aug 7, 2004)

Hi.
What's the "history" of this rare Canadian National Wisconsin Central paint scheme?

When a started and ended?

Thanks.


----------



## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

^^ Try scoring yourself a copy of the sale contract between the buyer & seller? :dunno:


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Transport safety board will be (hastily?) holding a news conference on their Lac-Mégantic investigation today at 11AM NYC time. News says that the unusual action of that board convening with the press midway through an (usually year-long) investigation of theirs signifies there being a major risk to public safety.

There's been news published on that accident practically every day since that train accident, by the way.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

The board's 3 recommendations are proper:
1. tanker cars (practically every one of the 72 cars was punctured);
2. route planning (least risky journey);
3. establishment of emergency response measures.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Country's transport critic (official opposition's shadow minister) is to have followed up with her own press conference early this afternoon.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Today's









-- all because the CNR planned last week to abandon a 70Km segment in New Brunswick:
_Via Rail's Maritime-Quebec passenger service in doubt_​


----------



## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Today's








_Accused Via Rail terrorist rants in court about strip search, gay marriage_​


----------



## towerpower123 (Feb 12, 2013)

trainrover said:


> Today's
> 
> 
> 
> ...


So they are going to close a passenger train line because they won't have to fight the freight line for schedule slots... Weird! I hope Via Rail decides to take over the line anyway. How much could the maintenance possibly be for plain non-electrified tracks?


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Via Rail Canada=>Fia' Wail Can o' duh









Like many other agencies around the world, our national passenger rail agency's really a sheep in wolf's clothing


----------



## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

25 Jan 2014








_Fixing Canada's ailing rail system_​


----------



## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

03 Jan 2014 '







'
_Opinion: News of Via Rail’s death is barely exaggerated_​


----------



## Gros Matou (Feb 9, 2014)

Seen near Montréal, this Canadian National train pulls a heavy axle load car carrying a Francis turbine, bound for LG2 hydroeletric power station in northern Québec. LG2 (short for La Grande 2, on La Grande rivière in James Bay) is worlds largest underground hydroelectric power station. With an installed capacity of 5 616 MW, it is Canada's first and the world's 8th most powerful hydroelectric power station. With the adjacent LG2A power station, the total capacity of the complex exceeds 7 700 MW.

This special railcar was designed and built by Hydro-Québec for the exclusive use of carrying the huge turbines. This turbine was manufactured by Alstom in Sorel.










Source : http://www.railpictures.net/photo/473088


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## Zack Fair (Jan 31, 2010)

Union Pearson Express station under construction at Union Station, Toronto.
Updates by MafaldaBoy at Urban Toronto



MafaldaBoy said:


> 30 March 2014:


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## Zack Fair (Jan 31, 2010)

March 30, 2014


A aerial view of Toronto's Union Station and its glass atrium under construction by Vik Pahwa


----------



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

Rail decking for a park a few blocks down can't come soon enough. What an amazing spot that would become for Toronto..... especially when the Jays are playing.


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## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Rail decking? Must the rail sector's terminology have instantaneously morphed .. .. when we weren't PAYING attention? Soooo, what are you fumblingly sowing in whatcha saying derr, luvvy, or must trains fly only in the centre of the universe derr?


----------



## Zack Fair (Jan 31, 2010)

del


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## Zack Fair (Jan 31, 2010)

Well, since we aren't getting the HSR anytime soon, I'm going to post some miscellaneous. 


https://www.flickr.com/photos/d70w7/4840161331/


> BC Rail Railbus units TU-108 TU109 at Lillooet Station
> 
> These two 20 passenger Railbus units operate a daily service 34.9 miles between Darcy and Lillooet. It is sponsored by the Seton Lake Indian Band that manages bookings, revenue, marketing and customer service.
> 
> BC rail acquired the the 2 units from the Aluminum Car Company of Sacramento California. They are Ford Fairmont Motor Cars converted into 20 seat passenger cars and were originally to be used for excursions in California




https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnmightycat/5596430020/


> West Coast Express 904 Vancouver 00 JL




https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/3227578380/


> SLR 394 SLR / SLQ 805 RM-1 Richmond, Quebec Canada 09232005 ©Ian A. McCord
> 
> St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad 5 engine diesel electric locomotive freight train heads east / south out of the railway yard. The 805 is a road slug or mate made from ex CSXT EMD GP40 6848, exx CSXT 4093 originally built in 1971 as Chesapeake and Ohio C&O 4093.




https://www.flickr.com/photos/happilyretired/3225591671


> Algoma Central Railway coaches at stop in Agawa Canyon, Ontario.




https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/7025849911/


> Special Train
> 
> A special train for Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada operated over portions of the Canadian Pacific’s system in the summer of 2011. Here, GP38-2 No. 3084 leads the special at Harrogate, British Columbia, on July 16, 2011.




https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5915038910/


> Canadian train at Jasper, Alberta.
> 
> One lucky person actually gets paid to drive this train through the Rockies.


----------



## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Zack Fair said:


>


Say! how did those units skirt the must-be-outrageously-heavy-in-case-of-head-on-collision regulation, or must the line it plies have been downgraded to recreational class?


----------



## Zack Fair (Jan 31, 2010)

Union Station Revitalization, Toronto. 

Apr 2014 - Union Station Revitalization Train Shed by Metrolinx, on Flickr


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

^^That's the best picture:lol:


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

From Railway Gazette:



> http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/...nada-announces-tank-wagon-safety-changes.html
> 
> *Canada announces tank wagon safety changes*
> 24 Apr 2014
> ...


----------



## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Radio news has been claiming there also now being a requirement that trains carrying volatile cargo never exceed 50MPH .. such speed is accomplished on the plains, plus I suspect the railway network that serves Lac-Mégantic bears an overall speed restriction set at 20MPH .. her Dishounourable Minister isn't accomplishing much; brake-setting practice remains ignored.


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

Construction of detour tracks as part of new South Blair St underpass at Whitby. This underpass will remove level crossing on the street, providing benefits both for cars and GO trains on Lakeshore East line. Map link:

1. Construction of the new south detour track is underway; looking west. by Metrolinx, on Flickr

2. Looking east at the new south detour track and track surfacing equipment. by Metrolinx, on Flickr

3. Construction of the new south detour track is underway; looking east. by Metrolinx, on Flickr

4. Installation of spikes in the new south detour track. by Metrolinx, on Flickr


----------



## TedStriker (May 18, 2009)

^^

If this is new track being laid why have wooden sleepers been chosen rather than concrete ones?


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

TedStriker said:


> ^^
> 
> If this is new track being laid why have wooden sleepers been chosen rather than concrete ones?


I'd said that this are detour tracks. They are detoured to allow site for clearance. Perhaps after the end of construction of underpass, they will lay concrete sleepers


----------



## TedStriker (May 18, 2009)

^^

Thanks. 

I get quite emotional about this issue...


----------



## Innsertnamehere (Jun 8, 2010)

GO uses wooden sleepers. its entire network is built with them. its a general standard that needs to change, but they show little interest in doing so as they are cheaper and the speeds at which GO operates (90mph maximum) are within the acceptable speed limits of wooden sleepers.

That underpass project is part of the East maintenance facility, which will be a large train yard for train maintenance and storage. Currently GO only has a single yard capable of anything beyond the basics (refuelling, storage), this will be their second one.


----------



## XAN_ (Jan 13, 2011)

But aren't concrete sleepers last longer, and have lower price per year of service?


----------



## Innsertnamehere (Jun 8, 2010)

wood is really, really cheap in Canada. lots of supply. Its the same reason why in Europe you see concrete electricity poles but in Canada they are wood.


----------



## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Remember the generation that bemoaned concrete sleepers, grumbling about the hard ride they yield? I do.

Me, I'm inclined to be suspicious more about neglecting to weed ballast .. LOTS of weedy mainlines criss-crossing this federation here nowadays.


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

From Railway Gazette:



> http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/...ntinue-via-rail-service-in-new-brunswick.html
> 
> *Agreement to continue VIA Rail service in New Brunswick*
> 12 May 2014
> ...


----------



## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

Why was the decision to execute the draconian order to arrest the oil train driver in combat fatigue, balaclava and all, necessary when, all along, the fella's lawyer kept in touch with the executive division, enquiring whether any copper need to meet his client? What mechanism need bring about excess in the NON-face of risk of flight? (So just what sorta staff have we all along been voting into the legislative division up here, eh?)

Rudeness is STINKY no matter how it be sliced ..


----------



## go_leafs_go02 (Jan 16, 2007)

go_leafs_go02 said:


> while the train is nice (I've traveled a few times in SW Ontario..London to Toronto, London to Chatham/Windsor, London to the Niagara Region)
> 
> it is quite overpriced in some spots. However, the further ahead you book, the cheaper the price goes down, same goes for weekends.
> 
> ...


Ha, wow, forgot about this post. Well, just last week, got my wish. Living in Vancouver now, and travelling from Toronto, got to take the train across the country from Toronto to Vancouver on the Canadian. An absolute wonderful experience. Paid $1800 for 2 of us and a sleeper with meals included. Great way to see the country.


----------



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

I'm thinking of doing it this summer, but even that $1800 price tag is putting me off. 2 can fly to Costa Rica and back for $1400. Even factoring in the great experience of traveling by train, this should cost no more than $1200 for 2 people. They need to get their costs WAY down.


----------



## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

trainrover said:


> T'is that time, again, that Can-o-duh buy itself some --uhm-- fresh rejects, eh? (Comment est-ce-qu'on peut jouer avec le nom de cette fédération?)


:|


----------



## Innsertnamehere (Jun 8, 2010)

isaidso said:


> I'm thinking of doing it this summer, but even that $1800 price tag is putting me off. 2 can fly to Costa Rica and back for $1400. Even factoring in the great experience of traveling by train, this should cost no more than $1200 for 2 people. They need to get their costs WAY down.


considering how insanely subsidized VIA is already and Harpers love of cutting funding, I wouldn't count on it.


----------



## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

hno: It's neither just this country nor its PM (cheesh! foreigners probably know this country better than Canadia/ens themselves do!!!) .. dem travellers wanna go all plush so, of course, they'd get gouged on sleeping accommodation .. they'd probably be better slumbering away in coach class, coz the comfy ride's about as crappy as ever anyways, plus the sleeping facilities demselves barely exceed the 2-star grade :hahano:


----------



## trainrover (May 6, 2006)

27 May 2014







:

_Union seeks to protect rail workers charged in Lac-Megantic disaster from becoming ‘scapegoats’_​


----------



## AverageJoe (Apr 16, 2010)

*Deal signed to resume E&N rail service; boards need to ratify*
Posted July 11, 2014

NANAIMO — An agreement to restore passenger rail service on Vancouver Island has been signed by Via Rail, the Island Corridor Foundation and Southern Railway of Vancouver Island Ltd., according to Southern Railway president Frank Butzelaar.

The operating agreement must still be ratified by each organization’s board, Butzelaar said, noting that Southern Railway’s board is not scheduled to meet until August.

The news is the strongest sign yet that rail service along the E&N corridor between Courtenay and Victoria could resume. Service ceased in 2011 due to concerns about the track’s safety.

About $20.9 million in funding has been earmarked by local, federal and provincial governments to replace more than 110,000 deteriorating wooden ties along the rail link, make steel repairs and upgrade bridges along the route.

Negotiations with Via to resume the service have taken years to conclude.

The Crown corporation has agreed to contribute $1.45 million a year to offset the operating cost of the service and will provide three refurbished passenger cars. The goal is to have a Nanaimo-Victoria service by May 2015.

Full service to Courtenay and Qualicum Beach would be phased in by summer 2015.

“Via was looking for someone to step in and underwrite the financial risk of the service, and that’s what we were prepared to do,” Butzelaar said. “Via was looking for [an] operator.”

Island Corridor Foundation president Graham Bruce could not be reached for comment on Wednesday evening.

Via Rail did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Officials from all three organizations had previously said that an agreement was “imminent.”

http://www.islandrail.ca/deal-signed-to-resume-e-boards-need-to-ratify/


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

From Rail Journal:



> http://www.railjournal.com/index.ph...emns-canadian-rail-regulator.html?channel=542
> 
> *Lac-Mégantic report condemns Transport Canada*
> Wednesday, August 20, 2014
> ...


----------



## Innsertnamehere (Jun 8, 2010)

tender has gone out from GO transit to double track the Barrie line (an unspecified distance, presumably from Union station to East Gwillimbury GO), as well as a new station at St. Clair and the construction of the Davenport Rail - Rail grade seperation. This would presumably allow for all day passenger train service on the line.



> REQUEST TO QUALIFY AND QUOTE (RQQ-C1-14-055) from Consultants closes 15:00 September 11, 2014 at the owner. The owner is seeking proposals from engineering services for the provision of engineering services for the completion Phase One: feasibility studies and preliminary design and Phase Two: detailed design and preparation of construction project documents; assistance with Procurement and evaluation; construction supervision, contract administration, testing and commissioning, post construction services and management of the services. Schedules for design, tender and construction will be finalized upon award.
> Project:	proposed expansion of existing GO Transit rail service to Barrie including platform expansion and addition of new lines. This project will include construction of a new station at St Clair. The Allandale Station will be followed under report number 9081204.


----------



## Zack Fair (Jan 31, 2010)

VIA Rail Canada by Moffat Road, on Flickr


VIA Rail Belleville_0002 by Bobolink, on Flickr


VIA Rails 908 by Dermis50, on Flickr


Via Rail Sarnia-Toronto 002ws by Nikon Norm, on Flickr


VIA 6405 by Michael Berry Railfan, on Flickr


Canadian leaving Swan Landing by Moffat Road, on Flickr


----------



## Zack Fair (Jan 31, 2010)

AMT 3021 by Mystery-110, on Flickr

AMT 15 crossing over at Montreal West by Michael Berry Railfan, on Flickr


Toronto Montreal Niagara 1114 by d33206hg, on Flickr


AMT 1359 closeup by Michael Berry Railfan, on Flickr


AMT 1358 by Michael Berry Railfan, on Flickr


Montreal West scene by Michael Berry Railfan, on Flickr


AMT 807 passing Wellington Tower by Michael Berry Railfan, on Flickr


AMT 432 @ Canora by kellergraham, on Flickr


AMT 426 @ Bois-Franc by kellergraham, on Flickr


IMG_3119.CR2 by lzcdome, on Flickr


Refurbished cab car by Michael Berry Railfan, on Flickr


Bombardier cab car comparison @ Montreal West by Michael Berry Railfan, on Flickr


----------



## zaphod (Dec 8, 2005)

nice!

The AMT commuter rail system might be the least photographed network in North America


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

From Railway Gazette:



> http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/.../cn-inaugurates-winnipeg-training-centre.html
> 
> *CN inaugurates Winnipeg training centre*
> 10 Sep 2014
> ...


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

From Global Vancouver:



> http://globalnews.ca/news/1545500/roberts-bank-rail-corridor-marks-milestone/
> 
> *Roberts Bank rail corridor marks milestone*
> September 5, 2014 3:48 am
> ...


----------



## Innsertnamehere (Jun 8, 2010)

First steps towards better Toronto - Kitchener rail service (including eventual High speed rail)



> News Release
> Metrolinx Rail Purchase Means Better Service for Riders
> 
> September 24, 2014
> ...


----------



## Zack Fair (Jan 31, 2010)

Current rail corridor ownership.









Metrolinx


----------



## philmar (Sep 27, 2014)

Commuter GO trains - Toronto by Phil Marion, on Flickr


----------



## stephendavion (Jun 18, 2014)

North American railroad operator Canadian Pacific Railway has reportedly approached international transportation company *CSX Corporation with a merger plan last week*. The Wall Street Journal also revealed that reports have emerged that CSX rejected the offer from Canadian Pacific, which would have been a significant development in the American railroad industry.


----------



## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

*Winnipeg Union Station renovations*

photos:
http://www.chrisd.ca/2014/10/20/via-rail-winnipeg-union-station-renovations/


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

Promotion for new VIA Rail's Prestige Sleeper class:


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

From Rail Journal:



> http://www.railjournal.com/index.ph...-delaware-hudson-lines-to-ns.html?channel=542
> 
> *CP sells Delaware & Hudson lines to NS*
> Tuesday, November 18, 2014
> ...


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

From Rail Journal:



> http://www.railjournal.com/index.ph...r-set-for-signalling-upgrade.html?channel=542
> 
> *Toronto Union station set for signalling upgrade*
> Monday, November 24, 2014
> ...


----------



## Scizoid.Trans.Prog. (Mar 25, 2006)

Woonsocket54 said:


> photos:
> http://www.chrisd.ca/2014/10/20/via-rail-winnipeg-union-station-renovations/


Looks nice, but this Station is way too big for a two connections weekly. Those good ol' times when Winnipeg was a very important hub are long gone...


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

From Rail Journal:



> http://www.railjournal.com/index.ph...sh-rocky-mountaineer-coaches.html?channel=535
> 
> *Canarail to refurbish Rocky Mountaineer coaches*
> Wednesday, January 21, 2015
> ...


----------



## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

Early Morning Train...


RLK 4003 496 at Mile 1,5 Burford Spur 01,13,2015-9 by CP9524, on Flickr


----------



## 04KUBZ (Apr 6, 2013)

Wonderful place for raising kids


----------



## Jay (Oct 7, 2004)

04KUBZ said:


> Wonderful place for raising kids


Probably a bit dangerous too, not to mention loud.  

I bet that house's value is drastically decreased by that location.


----------



## Stainless (Jun 7, 2009)

Jay said:


> Probably a bit dangerous too, not to mention loud.
> 
> I bet that house's value is drastically decreased by that location.


Yet I still kind of want to live there :lol:


----------



## Sunfuns (Mar 26, 2012)

Most likely the rail line is older than the house. A bit surprising though that it was allowed to build houses that close to rails. But then again maybe there is only 1-2 trains per week.


----------



## Innsertnamehere (Jun 8, 2010)

freight train passes by construction for the new Ontario Highway 412 interchange with Highway 401, east of Toronto.


----------



## Robi_damian (Jun 15, 2008)

Sunfuns said:


> Most likely the rail line is older than the house. A bit surprising though that it was allowed to build houses that close to rails. But then again maybe there is only 1-2 trains per week.


Well, Canada is notoriously overcrowded, hence little choice. :lol:

Still awesome tho.


----------



## Innsertnamehere (Jun 8, 2010)

Southern Ontario, where the photo is, is as dense if not denser than many parts of Europe. 8-10 million people live within 100km of where that photo was taken.

But yea, that spur was likely built in the 1800's when planning and construction regulations didn't exactly exist.


----------



## danielwipf (Jan 18, 2011)

Epic video

CN Train 406 West at Salisbury, NB (Feb 3, 2015)


----------



## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

Innsertnamehere said:


> Southern Ontario, where the photo is, is as dense if not denser than many parts of Europe. 8-10 million people live within 100km of where that photo was taken.
> 
> But yea, that spur was likely built in the 1800's when planning and construction regulations didn't exactly exist.


Really? Really? 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Ontario

At 86.4 per km2 that's not exactly "dense". Even the bottom part of one of the least dense countries in the world (Sweden) has more people - Skåne has 120 people per km2. Even Spain across the entire country is more dense (92 people per km2). But hey, you're more dense than Greece and Ireland in Southern Ontario.


----------



## Nouvellecosse (Jun 4, 2005)

I suppose it depends on what area is being included. In that link they're including an area that covers 139,931 km2 whereas Scania is 10,939 km2. If you were to include the desest 10,939 km2 of S. Ont or even the densest 50% the picture would be much different.

Much of that area in the wiki page falls under what many would classify as Eastern Ont rather than Southern.


----------



## Nouvellecosse (Jun 4, 2005)

Stainless said:


> Yet I still kind of want to live there :lol:


I would LOVE that. The fact that it would be cheaper would make me love it all the more!


----------



## SpiderBHZ (Feb 11, 2015)

To travel by the Rocky Mountaineer coaches must be absolutely stunning!


----------



## Zack Fair (Jan 31, 2010)

Nouvellecosse said:


> I suppose it depends on what area is being included. In that link they're including an area that covers 139,931 km2 whereas Scania is 10,939 km2. If you were to include the desest 10,939 km2 of S. Ont or even the densest 50% the picture would be much different.
> 
> Much of that area in the wiki page falls under what many would classify as Eastern Ont rather than Southern.


Exactly, Innsertnamehere was probably referring to the Greater Golden Horseshoe region (pop. density: 277.53/km2) rather than Southern Ontario.


----------



## Innsertnamehere (Jun 8, 2010)

I meant roughly within 100km of that photo. So roughly 30,000 square km, with a population of around 10 million, or around 300 people per square km.


----------



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

Canada has dense areas just like most countries (like Innsertnamehere has shown) but I agree with Svartmetall that southern Ontario isn't all that dense by European or even global standards. I'll use a comparison that many will be familiar with. Southern Ontario and England are almost identical in area but England has 4 times as many people. By north American standards, southern Ontario would be considered dense. If southern Ontario were a US state it would rank as the 11th most densely populated, just behind Ohio but ahead of California.

*Southern Ontario*
Area: 126,819 km2 
Population: 12.7 million

*England*
Area: 130,395 km2
Population: 54.1 million


----------



## Innsertnamehere (Jun 8, 2010)

> *Via Rail hoping to present funding options for dedicated passenger rail line by end of 2015
> *
> MONTREAL – The CEO of VIA Rail, Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, said Tuesday the Crown corporation is discussing private funding with potential investors for a $3 billion dedicated passenger track over the summer and will bring proposals to its sole shareholder — the federal government — by the end of the year, or early 2016.
> 
> ...


http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Rail+h...+passenger+rail+line+2015/11178666/story.html


----------



## Olbrzym (Jul 3, 2015)

Hi everybody! 
I' m looking information on freight train speed in Canada and some other countries (Germany, USA, Canada, France, India)... it's pity i can't find any info on national operators web-sites of the above countries... please, help me find info on freight train speed (average speed, service speed and freight delivery speed)


----------



## Olbrzym (Jul 3, 2015)

nobody wants to answer me... awfully chagrined(((


----------



## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

Olbrzym said:


> Hi everybody!
> I' m looking information on freight train speed in Canada and some other countries (Germany, USA, Canada, France, India)... it's pity i can't find any info on national operators web-sites of the above countries... please, help me find info on freight train speed (average speed, service speed and freight delivery speed)


They don't move very fast in North America....I believe the average is just 50mph.... France , Germany & India are slightly faster...


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

From Rail Journal:



> http://www.railjournal.com/index.ph...ntreal-via-rail-enhancements.html?channel=535
> 
> *Funding agreed for Ottawa - Montreal upgrade*
> Monday, August 03, 2015
> ...


----------



## mrsmartman (Mar 16, 2015)

*SD90MAC-H with Phase II Cab*


----------



## geniusdevil (Aug 16, 2015)

Beautiful!


----------



## geniusdevil (Aug 16, 2015)

:banana::banana: I am lovin' this thread :banana::banana:


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

From Railway Gazette:



> http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/...via-rail-acquires-brockville-subdivision.html
> 
> *VIA Rail acquires Brockville Subdivision*
> 27 Nov 2015
> ...


----------



## Stainless (Jun 7, 2009)

http://www.cbc.ca/radio/the180/lett...-ll-hear-for-train-travel-in-canada-1.3368299

Interesting radio interview with a Canadian train nerd with a replica carriage in his basement about the future of trains in Canada. I do agree somewhat about being on a train being more pleasant than a plane. However I think bringing back daily long distance trains might be a bit optimistic.


----------



## hammersklavier (Jan 29, 2010)

One problem is, especially west of Lake Huron, most of the obvious corridors would link to American destinations. There aren't really any intermediate cities between Calgary and Regina, Edmonton and Saskatoon, or Regina or Saskatoon and Winnipeg. Or even between Thunder Bay and Sudbury. It's like the emptiness between Kansas City or Omaha and Denver, just compounded.


----------



## zaphod (Dec 8, 2005)

You'd think there would be a frequent passenger train between Calgary and Edmonton. There's a direct line that passes through town after town, with a small city halfway in between(Red Deer). It would be part intercity, part regional commuter rail.

How come this hasn't happened?


----------



## ainvan (Nov 15, 2006)

*British Columbia*

Wild Wild West! 


Eastbound CN manifest crosses the Thompson River east of Ashcroft BC 12.05.2011 by Mick Page, on Flickr


Entering Black Canyon by Mike Danneman, on Flickr


Black Canyon’s rugged depths by Mike Danneman, on Flickr


What a light package! by Mike Danneman, on Flickr


Tourist in Ashcroft by Matthew Robson, on Flickr


Those curves by Lime Time, on Flickr


----------



## mrsmartman (Mar 16, 2015)

Vintage Train -- All Aboard on ALifeSettlement.com

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/338403359471164989/


----------



## mrsmartman (Mar 16, 2015)

http://www.europeanrailwayreview.co...-the-e59-rail-corridor-awarded-to-bombardier/


----------



## Innsertnamehere (Jun 8, 2010)

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/national/rail+seeking+federal+budget+funding+passenger+upgrade+toronto/11752917/story.html

*Via Rail seeking federal budget funding for $1.3B passenger car upgrade in Toronto-Montreal corridor*





> OTTAWA – Via Rail Canada Inc. is looking for funding in the March 22 federal budget for a new fleet of cars costing upwards of $1.3 billion that would go with a dedicated Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal passenger rail corridor that could be operational in fall 2019 with the government’s blessing.
> 
> Via chief executive Yves Desjardins-Siciliano told the Ottawa Citizen the rail carrier also wants the federal government to allow it to proceed with plans to have large pension funds invest in the $2-billion construction of the corridor, a move that requires a cabinet order.
> 
> ...


Full article through the link.


----------



## zaphod (Dec 8, 2005)

I was looking at a map of railroad lines around Ottawa. Is it just me or is the city and region pretty much devoid of any local freight traffic aside from a few forestry product customers in some towns to the east? As best I can tell, there appears to be some kind of tank car loading dock in the suburbs and a small yard. But that's it. And with the secondary lines radiating out of the city on thin ice or abandoned but not lifted, what purpose does it serve to route freight trains through it at all considering the more direct route to Montreal is far to the south?

I suppose then in the not too distant future, VIA really should just buy out what leads in and out of Ottawa, and the province then takes ownership of everything else to make the greatest network of bicycle trails in Canada...


----------



## Innsertnamehere (Jun 8, 2010)

VIA already owns everything to and from Ottawa from the main Montreal - Toronto corridor, they bought the last bit of it last year.


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

From Rail Journal:



> http://www.railjournal.com/index.ph...o-fund-urban-rail-investment.html?channel=535
> 
> *Canadian infrastructure plan to fund urban rail investment*
> Wednesday, March 23, 2016
> ...


----------



## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

*FULL STORY: Rail Fatigue*


----------



## mrsmartman (Mar 16, 2015)




----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

Fire on railway bridge near Mayerthorpe, Alberta dominates in the headlines around the world. That bridge served Canadian National railway tracks:


----------



## Nexis (Aug 7, 2007)

*Ex-mayor's son accused of arson in CN fire*


----------



## isaidso (Mar 21, 2007)

Terrible about the bridge. And that train! I'd forgotten how long some of them are out West.


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

From Rail Journal:



> http://www.railjournal.com/index.ph...-bear-express-coach-unveiled.html?channel=524
> 
> *First refurbished Polar Bear Express coach unveiled*
> Monday, August 15, 2016
> ...


----------



## Tågälskaren (May 9, 2005)

*Possible futures for the CP Rail line in downtown Calgary*

Dig it up. Bury it. Turn it into a grand boulevard. Or use rail to create a transit hub[...]


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

From Rail Journal:



> http://www.railjournal.com/index.ph...prepares-to-order-new-trains.html?channel=535
> 
> *Via Rail prepares to order new trains*
> Wednesday, September 21, 2016
> ...


----------



## Innsertnamehere (Jun 8, 2010)

Finally. Its ridiculous how old VIA's fleet is.


----------



## zaphod (Dec 8, 2005)

> preparations to procure a new fleet of bi-mode (diesel and electric) trains


So basically it has to be ALP-45DP's made by Bombardier. Are there any other dual mode locomotives available off the shelf for North American railroads?


----------



## ramakrishna1984 (Jun 21, 2013)

Government of Canada is set to implement new regulations that require railways to install video and audio recording devices in the cabs of locomotives to boost safety.


----------



## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

*Windsor rail station*

Windsor Station by Adam Moss, on Flickr

Windsor Station by Adam Moss, on Flickr

Windsor Station by Adam Moss, on Flickr

Windsor Station by Adam Moss, on Flickr

Windsor Station by Adam Moss, on Flickr

*Chatham rail station*

Chatham Station by Adam Moss, on Flickr

Chatham Station by Adam Moss, on Flickr


----------



## Zack Fair (Jan 31, 2010)

Ontario double deck train and express way to Toronto downtown by David Kim, on Flickr

GO cab cars by John Allen, on Flickr


----------



## dimlys1994 (Dec 19, 2010)

From Rail Journal

http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/financial/cn-reports-fourth-quarter-upturn.html?channel=522

*CN reports fourth quarter upturn*
Wednesday, January 25, 2017










_CANADIAN National Railway (CN) recorded strong growth for the fourth quarter of 2016 with an 8% increase in net income compared with 3% for the full year, while revenue rose by 2% and tonne-km by 4% for the last quarter compared with 5% falls in revenue and tonne-km for the full year_

CN’s fourth quarter revenue increased from $C 3.17 in 2015 to $C 3.22bn ($US 2.46bn) in 2016, while full year revenue fell from $C 12.6bn in 2015 to $C 12bn last year. Fourth quarter net income rose from $C 941m in 2015 to $C 1bn compared with an increase for the full year from $C 3.54bn in 2015 to $C 3.64bn in 2016. Diluted earnings per share (EPS) soared by 12% in the fourth quarter and by 6% for the full year

...


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## friendsofthecity (Mar 26, 2007)

dimlys1994 said:


> Fire on railway bridge near Mayerthorpe, Alberta dominates in the headlines around the world. That bridge served Canadian National railway tracks:


Canadian railway is prone to dangers. I can remember the one carrying oil that caught fire in the past.


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## jhung713 (Jul 23, 2012)

*Ontario to spend millions on high-speed rail line between Toronto and Windsor*

Paul Bliss, CTV News Toronto 
Published Thursday, May 18, 2017 6:23PM EDT 
Last Updated Thursday, May 18, 2017 7:56PM EDT

Ontario is going to spend millions to begin the process of building a high speed rail corridor between Toronto and Windsor that would cut travel times in half for passengers, CTV News Toronto has learned.
Premier Kathleen Wynne is expected to make the announcement Friday.
Sources say $15 million will be spent on an environmental assessment. During this assessment the first phase will examine design and specifications of the line that will connect Toronto to Guelph, Kitchener/Waterloo, London and eventually Chatham and Windsor.

The initial phase would see the trains go to London. It is hoped that the high-speed rail would open up vast areas of affordable homes to people who want to work in Toronto but live outside of the city.
A report commissioned by the Ontario government and carried out by former federal transport minister David Collenette examining the feasibility of the line will be released on Friday.
The report estimates there would be 10 million annual riders by the year 2041. Two scenarios are being proposed. The first scenario would see trains travel at a top speed of 300 km/h at a cost of $149 million per kilometre. The other scenario would see trains that travel at a top speed of 250 km/h at a cost of $55 million per kilometre.
Those prices per kilometres are in line with prices of high speed rail lines in Europe.
In this plan, the Ontario government would seek out private financing and private partners while working with VIA Rail and Metrolinx. As well, a new government body is planned to oversee design and implementation of high speed rail line between Toronto and Windsor.

http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-t...il-line-between-toronto-and-windsor-1.3420205


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Good Morning Toronto! by Kenny Huynh, on Flickr


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

^^ update on Manitoba railway:

*Trudeau: Hudson Bay Rail Line to reopen by Nov. 30*

https://www.progressiverailroading....dson-Bay-Rail-Line-to-reopen-by-Nov-30--56021


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## Balkanada (Nov 6, 2010)

*Canada signals Via Rail is free to pick Siemens over Bombardier
*


> Justin Trudeau’s government said it won’t force state-owned Via Rail to pick Bombardier Inc. over Siemens AG for a new rolling-stock order.
> 
> “Our commitments with respect to free-trade agreements with Europe and other countries don’t allow us to favour Canadian companies,” Transport Minister Marc Garneau told reporters Tuesday in Ottawa. Garneau, who is responsible for overseeing the passenger rail service, referred further questions to Via Rail Canada Inc.
> 
> ...


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

Woonsocket54 said:


> ^^ update on Manitoba railway:
> 
> *Trudeau: Hudson Bay Rail Line to reopen by Nov. 30*
> 
> https://www.progressiverailroading....dson-Bay-Rail-Line-to-reopen-by-Nov-30--56021


This has been pushed back to 2018.12.02 (this coming Sunday)

https://www.progressiverailroading....coming-again-soon-to-northern-Manitoba--56202


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## Art Nouveau City (Nov 23, 2018)

*Toronto Railway Museum*


















https://trainphoto.org.ua/view/88990/


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## wgerman (Nov 3, 2014)

Via places large order with Siemens. Goodbye old Budd coaches and 30 year old plus LRC coaches.

https://railcolornews.com/2018/12/1...ocomotives-and-passenger-trains-from-siemens/


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## CB31 (May 23, 2010)

However it's really frustrating that those trains will be diesel powered icard:


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*CN Rail profit misses as harsh weather weighs on expenses*
_Excerpt_

April 29 (Reuters) - Canadian National Railway Co on Monday became the latest railroad operator to blame higher operating expenses due to prolonged extreme cold weather for a lower-than-expected quarterly profit.

Rail traffic in Canada was dented by a severe winter, forcing rail operators to cease work.

Operating expenses jumped 14 percent in the first quarter, also due to a crude oil train derailment in Western Canada.

CN Rail's operating ratio, a closely watched productivity metric that measures expenses as a percentage of revenue, rose to 69.5 percent in the first quarter from 67.8 percent a year earlier. The lower the ratio, the more efficient a railroad.

Last week, smaller rival Canadian Pacific Railway missed analysts' estimates for quarterly profit as it spent heavily to combat a harsh winter that impacted its operations.

CN Rail also bore the brunt of Alberta's OPEC-style decision to force production cuts to deal with a glut. As a result, demand for crude shipment took a nosedive in February, the company said.

Total carloads, the amount of freight loaded into cars, rose less than a percent in the March-ended quarter.

However, CN Rail and Canadian Pacific are set to benefit from Canada's oil-producing province of Alberta's move to buy rail cars to transport 120,000 barrels per day of crude oil after congested pipelines stranded much of Western Canada's expanding crude output.

More : https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...arsh-weather-weighs-on-expenses-idUSKCN1S521V


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

_ASC7765 by Colin Arnot, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Via's high-frequency trains take a step closer to becoming reality*
25 June 2019
The Toronto Star _Excerpt_

For years, Via Rail executives have dreamed of building a dedicated high-frequency passenger rail line between Toronto and Quebec City.

Tuesday, that dream took a small step toward becoming reality with the announcement of $71 million in federal funding. The money will go toward feasibility studies and environmental assessments. It's a tiny fraction of the estimated $4 billion cost of the new line, but the passenger rail company's CEO was still delighted at the announcement.

“This is definitely a critical step. Via has been working on this project for the last three years,” said Via CEO Cynthia Garneau in an interview with the Star. The Canadian Infrastructure Bank (CIB) will provide $55 million of the funding, while $16 million will come from Transport Canada.

Garneau estimated that by having dedicated tracks, Via would be able to reduce trip times by up to 25 per cent. Some of that reduction would be given back due to the addition of extra stops, but overall times would still be reduced.

In addition to shorter trip times, Garneau said a dedicated track will allow for more frequent trains and more reliable service. Currently, Via estimates its trains are on time 70 to 75 per cent of the time — Garneau said the new tracks would increase that to 95 per cent.

“The car is still our main competition. If we can make people think twice about getting into their car to make the trip, that's our goal,” said Garneau.

To pay for the high-frequency service, Via and CIB are exploring ways to persuade private investors to pick up some of the cost. 

More : https://www.thestar.com/business/20...s-take-a-step-closer-to-becoming-reality.html


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## casuario (Jun 5, 2019)

CB31 said:


> However it's really frustrating that those trains will be diesel powered icard:



Unacceptable! :bash:


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## Venantio (Nov 5, 2007)

Canada is the only one of G7 countries who has no High Speed Railway.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Toronto Union Station by Dan Gaken, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Union Station, Toronto

DSC_6594 by Boris T, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*‘Detailed planning' begins for Via Rail expansion*
26 June 2019
The Globe and Mail _Excerpt_

Canada Infrastructure Bank chief executive officer Pierre Lavallée says there is strong private-sector interest in Via Rail's efforts to expand passenger-rail service as Ottawa and the bank announced $71-million to finalize the plan.

Tuesday's announcement means the project now enters an 18-24 month “preprocurement" phase that will include environmental assessments and First Nations consultations along the proposed 850-kilometre route from Quebec City to Toronto.

The government would then make a final decision on whether to go ahead with construction.

Work will also focus on the details of how increased Via Rail traffic will interact with the already busy downtown train stations in Montreal and Toronto.

Specifically, some of the money will go toward track work in Montreal's Mount Royal tunnel to ensure that Via's heavy rail trains can share the tunnel with the new commuter light-rail system – the Réseau Express Métropolitain (REM) – currently under construction.

Most of the money – $55-million – will come from the Canada Infrastructure Bank, an arm'slength agency created by the Trudeau government to support large-scale, revenue-generating infrastructure projects that are in the public interest and that can attract private investors, such as pension funds.

More : https://www.theglobeandmail.com/pol...interest-in-via-rails-planned-expansion-says/


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*CN Rail CFO warns of 'softening' economy, with consequences for railways*
The Canadian Press  _Excerpt_
11 September 2019

A Canadian National Railway Co. executive says a sputtering economy is contributing to weaker freight volumes after posting record revenues last quarter.

"In the short-term, is the economy softening? Absolutely," said chief financial officer Ghislain Houle. "We are obviously seeing volumes weakening on a short-term basis."

Traffic in the third quarter, which ends Sept. 30, is looking "flattish" compared to the same period last year, Houle said Wednesday, speaking at a transportation conference in Laguna Beach, Calif.

He cited an earlier outlook of high single-digit growth in revenue ton miles — a key industry metric — for 2019. "Obviously, that’s probably not in the cards as we speak."

Weaker volumes of wheat, coal and lumber are partly to blame for CN's more sluggish pace, Houle said, as a cold, wet spring hampered growing conditions, low natural gas prices weakened demand for coal-generated electrical power and the mountain pine beetle continued to exacerbate B.C.'s forestry sector downturn.

He told attendees to "stay tuned" on CN's financial forecast of low double-digit growth in earnings per share for the year.

Houle stressed medium- and long-term growth potential at CN Rail, pointing to the Port of Prince Rupert, where container volume grew about 40 per cent to 26.7 million tonnes over the last two years as it has upgraded container and bulk terminals to increase capacity.

The expanded port at the northern B.C. terminal, where CN has laid track directly on the dock, offers shippers a swift route from Asia, avoiding the congestion of Vancouver and Los Angeles. Meanwhile, more grain is being stuffed into shipping containers and dropped on carriers bound for China.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Valemount by James House, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

_ASC7728 by Colin Arnot, on Flickr


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## chuckw2010 (Jun 6, 2010)

Balkanada said:


> *Canada signals Via Rail is free to pick Siemens over Bombardier
> *


In Canada and in particular Quebec once the fix is in then bombardier will be picked. Corruption and scandal are in the DNA of Quebec companies. Supposing they pick Siemens then a huge subsidy or make work for Bombardier will be announced. Quebec companies are very poorly managed.


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## zergcerebrates (Jan 23, 2004)

Venantio said:


> Canada is the only one of G7 countries who has no High Speed Railway.


Until the new Alstom trains Acela will be getting the USA doesn't have one either yet.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Ontario Northland 'pausing' Christmas Train this year*
Labour shortage in company’s train sector leading to cancellation of train
CBC _Excerpt_
Oct 17, 2019

A holiday train that travels throughout northeastern Ontario won't be hitting the tracks this year.

Ontario Northland says it is pushing pause this year on its Christmas Train. The annual train travels from North Bay to Moosonee and then over to Hearst. It's similar to the CP Holiday Train, but smaller.

Ontario Northland spokesperson Rebecca McGlynn says a lot of workers in the company's rail division are retiring.

"The Christmas Train itself requires a lot of skilled labour to operate from decorating to organizing to operating the train," she said. "It really is a resource-heavy operation and because of that we're pausing it this year."

McGlynn says the break will also give the company a chance to reassess how the holiday train program is working and determine if any changes need to be made.

More : https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/ontario-northland-christmas-train-1.5324293


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* 'Significant industry interest' in oil tank cars involved in latest fiery CP train crash, TSB says *
CBC _Excerpt_
Feb 14, 2020

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada says it has not found any mechanical defects that could account for the derailment of a CP Rail oil train last week near the small Saskatchewan hamlet of Guerney — but it's taking a close look at the tank cars involved in the incident. 

The TSB issued a preliminary report on the Feb. 6 crash on Friday morning. None of the findings are final. 

"A review of the locomotive event recorder download determined that the train was handled in accordance with regulatory and company requirements," the TSB said in its preliminary update.

The finding about a lack of mechanical defects referred only to the train and did not refer to the track, a TSB spokesperson confirmed. 

It also found that of the 32 tank cars that derailed, 19 were involved in the blaze that shut down the nearby highway and prompted the voluntary evacuation of about 85 people. It's not clear how many, or if any, tanks lost their entire loads.

Transport Canada has touted the newly-built cars involved in last week's crash, dubbed TC-117s, as being safer than the tanks used in the explosive Lac-Mégantic rail disaster of 2013. 

More : https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/cp-rail-train-tsb-1.5464270


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## Gelato (Jun 1, 2017)

Oh my gosh, that's the problem of most railways, they fail to maintain the facility.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* CN Rail lays off staff as pipeline protests limit deliveries to Maritimes *
CBC _Excerpt_
Feb 16, 2020

CN Rail announced on Thursday it was shutting down its entire network east of Toronto because protesters near Belleville, Ont., are maintaining their blockade across the main line. Now the company is laying off some of its Eastern Canadian staff.

Railway blockades are being felt across the Maritime provinces as propane runs low and pressure builds on trucking companies to make crucial deliveries.

Demonstrations and blockades have been taking place across the country in support of the Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs fighting the Coastal GasLink pipeline in northern B.C.

Alexandre Boulé, who speaks for CN Rail, said temporary layoffs notices were sent to employees working in Eastern Passage, N.S., Moncton, N.B., Charny, Que., and Montreal.

"Our shutdown is progressive and methodical to ensure that we are well set up for recovery, which will come when the illegal blockades end completely," he said in an email.

More : https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/rail-shutdown-propane-supply-runs-low-maritimes-1.5465865


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

Almost the entire intercity passenger railway network remains shut down, except for two rural lines in northern Ontario and Manitoba.









https://www.viarail.ca/en/travel-advisory-information


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Factory shutdowns, layoffs possible if rail blockades continue, manufacturers' group says *
CBC _Excerpt_
Feb 18, 2020

Rail blockades have brought Canada's manufacturing industry to a virtual standstill, and the industry will start seeing plant closures and temporary layoffs soon if it continues, the group that represents the industry says.

Rail and transport protests are hurting a key cog of Canada's economy at a time when it can hardly afford the hit, members of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME) said at a news conference in Toronto on Tuesday.

In British Columbia some Indigenous protestors and sympathizers have shut down a key rail line in Northern B.C. because they oppose the construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline on the grounds that it would run through the hereditary land of the Wet'suwet'en people.

Another group has blockaded another key rail line near Belleville, Ont., in solidarity with the B.C. protest.

Those actions have broken the supply chains for manufacturers, who rely on rail service to bring in parts and components but also to ship out finished products to customers.

The group says that every day the rail stoppages continue, $425 million worth of manufactured goods are sitting idle.

More : https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/manufacturing-rail-blockades-1.5466893


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Via Rail service to resume between Ottawa and Quebec City *
CBC _Excerpt_
Feb 18, 2020

Passenger trains will run again between Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City starting on Thursday.

Via Rail said CN, which owns those rail lines, has notified the company that it can run trains again on that section of the line beginning on the morning of Feb. 20.

Passengers who already had one of these trips booked will have their reservations honoured, Via Rail said in a news release.

All other Via Rail trains remain cancelled, except between Sudbury and White River, Ont., and Churchill and The Pas, Man.

A separate news release from Via Rail issued Monday afternoon said passengers can cancel online with a full refund if they have a trip booked before this coming Sunday, including return trips later on if the first leg is this week.

More : https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/via-rail-blockade-ottawa-quebec-1.5466851


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Via Rail issues temporary layoffs to nearly 1,000 workers as blockades continue *
CBC _Excerpt_
Feb 19, 2020

Via Rail says it will be temporarily laying off up to 1,000 people as rail blockades in B.C. and Ontario have brought the passenger rail services network to a virtual standstill.

Some Indigenous protesters and sympathizers have shut down a key rail line in northern B.C. because they oppose the construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline on the grounds that it would run through the hereditary land of the Wet'suwet'en people.

Another group has blockaded another key rail line near Belleville, Ont., in solidarity with the B.C. protest. Other stoppages have happened near Montreal and Edmonton.

Those rail shutdowns have drastically reduced Via's ability to continue its service, so the network has been stripped down to a shadow of its former self while the protests go on. 

As of Tuesday, Via said the rail blockades have led to the cancellation of 532 regularly scheduled passenger trains.

The carrier got permission from CN Rail to resume partial service on its Quebec City-Montreal-Ottawa corridor, but cancelled that plan late Wednesday, saying service would not resume between Quebec City and Montreal before at least Saturday. Via said it would contact passengers who were scheduled on those trains.

Via did say it would resume regular service Thursday in southwestern Ontario between Toronto, Sarnia, Windsor, London and Niagara Falls, and partial service Thursday between Montreal and Ottawa. But network-wide, the system is running at well under its usual capacity.

More : https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/via-rail-layoffs-1.5468617


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## zaphod (Dec 8, 2005)

I think the clock is ticking for these protestors. 

Once they get on the wrong side of public opinion and fall out of the news cycle, there's going to a convoy of riot cops prison buses headed to Belleville...


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## Yellow Fever (Jan 3, 2008)

They never on the right side of public opinion poll except its own people, the far leftists and those have never driven or taken transit to work. The people I know all hate these protesters who have accomplished nothing but disturbed the regular joes who need to get to work on time.


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## Calvin W (Nov 5, 2005)

zaphod said:


> I think the clock is ticking for these protestors.
> 
> Once they get on the wrong side of public opinion and fall out of the news cycle, there's going to a convoy of riot cops prison buses headed to Belleville...


Wrong side of public opinion? They are already there, have been from day one. Cops should have bulldozed through them on day one and thrown the lot in jail.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* With rail blockades lifted, effort begins to measure economic damage *
CBC _Excerpt_
Mar 6, 2020

The blockades are over — for now. 

Next comes the effort to calculate their economic impact — and it's just getting started. 

Canada's transport minister said it will take six months to assess the damage, following weeks of turmoil that culminated in the lifting Thursday of the remaining Quebec rail blockades.

That longer-term uncertainty was underscored by other news that broke Thursday: Warren Buffett's investment company, Berkshire Hathaway, bailed on a $4 billion investment in a Quebec liquefied natural gas plant and blamed recent instability. 

When asked what the economic effects might be during a trip to Washington, Transport Minister Marc Garneau replied: "Serious."

But he said a variety of factors need to be measured to fully grasp the effect, and that will take time. 

Those factors include any layoffs; delayed or suspended industrial production; and adjustments to shipping routes. 

More : https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/with...t-begins-to-measure-economic-damage-1.5487874


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Union Station as society comes to a grinding halt. by Patrick Younger, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

IMGP6160 -1crpstrvibfwlconwbff by citatus, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*N.S. government continues subsidy for idled Cape Breton rail line*
CBC _Excerpt_
May 14, 2020

The Nova Scotia government is saving a few dollars while continuing to subsidize the vacated rail line that runs across Cape Breton Island.

The rail line owner, Genesee and Wyoming, discontinued running trains from Port Hawkesbury to Sydney in 2015 after diminished railcar traffic made the line uneconomical.

The province has been spending up to $60,000 a month to keep the line open while developers have been trying to secure a container terminal project for Sydney harbour. Proponents say a working rail line is critical for that kind of port development.

Earlier this year, Nova Scotia Business Minister Geoff MacLellan said he would need to see strong evidence of a port project before continuing the subsidy, which expires annually on March 31.

On Thursday, MacLellan said he has worked out a new deal with the rail line, fixing the subsidy at $30,000 a month for one year.

More : https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova...idy-for-idled-cape-breton-rail-line-1.5569937


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Federal study will look at feasibility of train linking Calgary airport, downtown and Banff * 
CBC _Excerpt_
June 9, 2020

Passenger rail service linking the Calgary International Airport, downtown Calgary and Banff could be in the cards, depending on the outcome of a newly announced feasibility study.

The Canada Infrastructure Bank — a federal Crown corporation established three years ago to fund projects deemed to be in the public interest that are expected to generate revenue — will study the idea and pay for the study, Alberta's government announced Tuesday.

"Certainly arriving by train in Banff would be a fantastic experience. It's what Banff was built on, in terms of visitors coming by rail," said Banff Mayor Karen Sorensen.

The 130-kilometre line could see up to eight departures per day from the airport to Banff, with stops in Cochrane, Morley and Canmore, and an express service from the Calgary International Airport to downtown Calgary every 20 minutes.

If the train line is built, it would be a public-private partnership.

More : https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-banff-train-study-1.5605293


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Why crude oil trains keep derailing and exploding in Canada — even after the Lac-Mégantic disaster *
CBC _Excerpt_
June 15, 2020

When Melanie Loessl got a call from a friend on Feb. 6 that another oil train had crashed and burned near her community, she thought it was a joke. 

Not two months earlier, she'd been forced to flee after a different Canadian Pacific Railway train carrying crude oil jumped the tracks and exploded near her home, just west of the hamlet of Guernsey, Sask.

Now, the entire community was facing evacuation.

"I was just like, 'Oh, my God. Not again,'" said Loessl, a local potash mine worker.

"Once it happens twice in a row, it's kind of scary."

A CBC News investigation has uncovered years' worth of Transport Canada inspection reports documenting hundreds of safety problems along the Saskatchewan rail line, none of which prompted orders for trains to stop rolling.

What's more, since the 2013 rail disaster in Lac-Mégantic, Que., that killed 47 people, there have been seven major derailments of crude oil trains in Canada. In each case, investigators blame broken track. 

More : https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sask...n-canada-guernsey-saskatchewan-rail-1.5608769


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Cape Bretoners call for repairs to crumbling rail line *
CBC _Excerpt_
June 16, 2020

Some Cape Bretoners are calling for immediate repairs to the crumbling rail line that runs across the island, regardless of whether a proposed container terminal gets built in Sydney harbour.

Eleanor Blue Morrison said the railway is falling into a state of disrepair and fixing it could help spur economic development across Cape Breton.

"It's deplorable. It should never have gotten to this state to begin with," said the president of the Orangedale Railway Station Museum in Inverness County, N.S.

"I know it'll probably take a lot of money to get it back up to a good inspection level, but it can be done."

Blue Morrison, whose father worked on the Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway, said she has seen missing and worn ties, varied spacing between the rails, the railbed eroded by rain or floodwater and saltwater deterioration of the railbed along the Bras d'Or Lake.

More : https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova...-for-repairs-to-crumbling-rail-line-1.5612633


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## M-NL (Sep 18, 2012)

hkskyline said:


> In each case, investigators blame broken track.


To what extend could this be caused by the infrastructure being owned, used and maintained by the same party and the governing body allowing for different track classes, each with different levels of required maintenance? I suppose everything is maintained to the bare minimum allowed standard and rarely verified by the governing body. And finally add in very high axle loads (33 tons) and 3 axle bogies and there is your recipe for disaster.
Is a separate infrastructure manager the holy grail? On average it may be better, but I saw several reports on German track condition incidents that make you think as well.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Via Rail to implement a new mask policy starting June 23 * 
Press Release _Excerpt_

MONTRÉAL, June 19, 2020 – As of June 23, passengers of VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) will be required to wear a mask, in order to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19, when the appropriate physical distancing cannot be maintained.

This is necessary as the economy is gradually reopening and VIA Rail sees an increase in ridership and as the safety and well-being of both our employees and our passengers remains our top priority.

In addition, masks will be mandatory for VIA Rail customer-facing employees.

This new recommendation is in line with the latest Transport Canada guidelines regarding masks or face coverings for planes, trains, ships, and public transit.

With this new mask policy, passengers will be:


Required to wear a mask when appropriate physical distancing cannot be maintained, in stations and at boarding;
Required to wear a mask at all times during their trip, except for when they are eating or drinking
 
Passengers are strongly encouraged to bring their own masks. However, if they do not have one at boarding, VIA Rail will have a limited number of disposable masks available to provide them with one.

More : VIA RAIL TO IMPLEMENT A NEW MASK POLICY STARTING JUNE 23 | VIA Rail


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* CN Rail sees eastern network revival on supply chain diversity, ports * 
_Excerpt_

MONTREAL, June 21 (Reuters) - Canadian National Railway Co , the country’s biggest railroad, is banking on growth in consumer products and supply-chain diversification in Asia, to revive traffic on its underutilized eastern Canadian rail lines, the company’s chief executive told Reuters on Friday.

Coronavirus, which hit China’s industrial production, along with U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods, are further leading suppliers to eye alternative manufacturing sites in Asia.

“The tariff war and coronavirus have intensified and accelerated these trends,” CN CEO Jean-Jacques Ruest said. “I think, therefore, we are even more bullish today than two years ago.”

He sees a shift in the business mix, combined with container expansion projects planned for ports in Montreal, Quebec City and Halifax - three main eastern Canadian ports - as key to reviving CN’s underutilized eastern network, which lost capacity as manufacturing dwindled.

“CN is very focused to repurpose that network, which is in great shape and only running at 50% capacity,” Ruest said.

More : CN Rail sees eastern network revival on supply chain diversity, ports


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## GojiMet86 (Jan 3, 2016)

The new VIA Rail Siemens Charger, 2200.




__ https://www.facebook.com/viarailcanada/posts/4281381085214197













A rendering from the VIA Rail website:






About VIA | VIA Rail


Welcome aboard! Learn more about VIA Rail: our company, projects and infrastructure, community engagement...




corpo.viarail.ca


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Union Station by Marcanadian, on Flickr


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

On 2021.07.12 service levels will increase on the Quebec City-Windsor corridor






VIA RAIL INCREASES CORRIDOR SERVICE LEVELS TO OVER 50% STARTING JULY 12 | VIA Rail


MONTRÉAL, July 2, 2021 – VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) is pleased to announce it is moving forward with its service resumption plan in the Québec City-Windsor corridor by adding, starting July 12, 63 weekly frequencies, thus bringing service levels from 38% to 54% on that route.




media.viarail.ca


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

This does not seem to be HSR, but "high frequency rail".

* Feds set to begin procurement process for Toronto-Quebec City high-frequency rail corridor *
July 6, 2021
Global News _Excerpt_

The federal government has announced it will be launching a procurement process that could see a multi-billion-dollar high-frequency rail corridor operating between Toronto and Quebec City by the end of the decade.

“This high-frequency rail project would be one of the largest infrastructure projects in Canada in decades and will transform travel in this busy transportation corridor,” Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said during a news conference in Quebec Tuesday morning.

“Quebecers and all Canadians deserve a fast, reliable train service.”

More : Feds set to begin procurement process for Toronto-Quebec City high-frequency rail corridor


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## M-NL (Sep 18, 2012)

Why does the corridor stop at Toronto and not extend further west? There are plenty more people living in the area between Toronto and Windsor, in fact just as many as between Toronto and Quebec City if you believe this map.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

M-NL said:


> Why does the corridor stop at Toronto and not extend further west? There are plenty more people living in the area between Toronto and Windsor, in fact just as many as between Toronto and Quebec City if you believe this map.


That's a very good question, because talk of the HSR over the decades has been from Windsor to Quebec City, and now the speed will slow and part of the route through the heavily-populated southern Ontario disappeared as well.


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

The Montreal-Halifax train hasn't run since March 2020, and nobody knows when it will return.









Uncertainty Remains For VIA’s The Ocean Route


The world was a much different place the last time VIA Rail's The Ocean train line was in service. The route w...




www.country94.ca


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Local leaders hint Southwestern Ontario not left out of VIA Rail improvements*
July 7, 2021
CTV _Excerpt_

Higher frequency passenger rail may not be limited to the Toronto-Quebec corridor.

A day after Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra announced a procurement process to provide higher-frequency VIA Rail service from eastern Ontario to Quebec City, many passengers in train-starved Southwestern Ontario felt let down again.

Hassan Khazani had to be driven from Sarnia to catch the last train departing London.

“I’m surprised we don’t have better transportation,” laments Khazani. “It has to be better.”

The mayor hints that after lengthy talks with VIA Rail and senior governments, an announcement for southwestern Ontario is coming.

More : Local leaders hint Southwestern Ontario not left out of VIA Rail improvements


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## robbo2k (Feb 25, 2004)

A proposal to build a 150-km (93.2-mile) passenger rail line between Calgary International Airport and Banff National Park has entered the development phase with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Invest Alberta Corporation, the government of Alberta’s Ministry of Transportation and the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB).

The passenger service would operate on dedicated tracks constructed within the existing Canadian Pacific freight rail corridor. The proposal includes up to seven stops at Calgary International Airport, downtown Calgary, Calgary Keith, Cochrane, Morley (Stoney Nakoda), Canmore and Banff. Up to 10 departures per day would shuttle passengers between the airport and one of Canada’s most popular destinations. The project would also offer significant congestion relief to vehicles using Hwy 1.

“The YYC-Calgary-Banff rail project has the potential to be the first airport-to-mountain community transit solution of its kind in North America, making Alberta an even more compelling destination for global visitors year-round. I’m proud of Invest Alberta’s work with Alberta Transportation and Canada Infrastructure Bank to explore innovative public-private partnerships like this passenger rail solution which may even be the first hydrogen train in North America. I know they will be working hard over the next several months to develop the economic and environmental benefits to Albertans and improve the attractiveness of visiting Calgary and Banff all year round for several million global visitors,” said Alberta Premier Jason Kenney.



StackPath


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## mgk920 (Apr 21, 2007)

The closest thing that I can think of to that here in the USofA is the Winter Park, CO Ski Train service out of Denver, but the tram line between Denver Union Station and the DEN airport requires a change of trains.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Canadian railroads in expansion mode *
July 28, 2021
Winnipeg Free Press _Excerpt_

A bidding war erupted recently between Canada's two mammoth and historic railways, Canadian National (CN) and archrival Canadian Pacific (CP), for the American railroad Kansas City Southern (KCS). KCS ultimately accepted CN's US$30-billion bid after scrapping CP's US$33.6-billion offer.

This is all about KCS's mid-American location and its extensive network in Mexico, where there's considerable volume and potential growth in industrial and commodity shipments to and from that developing nation as it modernizes and industrializes. The potential for Canadian trade with Mexico and the United States is alluring, and both CN's and CP's upper management were willing to pay for it.

A case could be made that the regulatory environment for the railways in Canada makes foreign expansion not only more attractive, but necessary to avoid stagnation or decline. However, as regulated industries go, railroads aren't oppressed, especially when compared to pipelines, trucking and airlines, all of which are at least partial competitors to rail.

More : Canadian railroads in expansion mode


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* After years of delays and cost overruns, Union Station renovations have finished *
July 27, 2021
CBC _Excerpt_

After a decade of construction work that has seen delays and increasing costs, renovations to Union Station are finally complete, Toronto Mayor John Tory says.

"The Union Station revitalization is now, at last, complete," Tory said at a press conference and ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday morning. He added that the new Bay Concourse area, which was also under construction, is now open to the public. 

The final cost for the project, which started in 2010, was $824 million — an increase from the original budget of $640 million. 

More : https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toro...n-station-renovations-have-finished-1.6119057


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

Montreal-Halifax passenger train resumes service this week.






VIA Rail's Ocean Service to Gradually Resume Starting August 11


/CNW Telbec/ - VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) is pleased to announce that its last route which was suspended due to COVID-19, the Ocean, will be gradually resuming...




www.newswire.ca


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

There was a significant increase in Toronto-area commuter-rail service last week, including introduction of all-day service to the relatively large city of Hamilton (pop. 537,000), which only had limited rush-hour service before the pandemic.






News | Metrolinx


It is Metrolinx’s official news channel, providing stories and updates on progress to transform how the region moves.



blog.metrolinx.com


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

*Lytton, B.C., resident files lawsuit alleging CP, CN rail caused the fire that destroyed her village *
August 18, 2021
CBC _Excerpt_

A former Lytton, B.C., resident has filed a potential class-action lawsuit against both the Canadian Pacific (CP) and Canadian National (CN) rail companies, claiming their negligence caused the fire that burned down her community. 

On June 30, a fire tore through Lytton, destroying most homes and businesses in the village and killing two people. 

Carel Moiseiwitsch lost her home, her business and her cat in the fire. 

According to the lawsuit filed Wednesday, Moiseiwitsch claims the fire was caused by heat or sparks from a freight train owned by CP Rail that was operated by CN Rail on tracks owned by CN Rail. 

The lawsuit, which has not yet been certified as a class action, says the defendants knew, or ought to have known, that the weather conditions in the area at the time made it unsafe for trains to operate. 

More : https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/lytton-fire-lawsuit-1.6145197


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Humanity @ Union Station by A Great Capture, on Flickr


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

Full service on the Montreal-Halifax train (i.e., three weekly round trips) is not expected to resume until 2021.11.15 at the earliest. The route was suspended in March 2020 and resumed one weekly round trip on 2021.08.11.









VIA Rail Canada pushes back resumption of full 'Ocean' service - Trains


HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — VIA Rail Canada has delayed plans to increase frequencies of its Montreal-Halifax train, the Ocean, until at least Nov. 15, Halifax Today reports. A weekly roundtrip was restored on the route, suspended since March 2020, resumed Aug. 11 [see “VIA’s Ocean to resume...




www.trains.com


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* CP Rail wins KCS takeover, CN Rail gets US$1.4B in break fees *
BNN Bloomberg _Excerpt_ 
Sep 15, 2021

Canadian National Railway is walking away from its dream of building a truly continental rail network, and thus ceding that opportunity to its arch rival. 

In a release Wednesday morning, CN Rail said the friendly deal it struck to acquire Kansas City Southern has been formally terminated. CN’s decision to throw in the towel cleared the way for CP Rail to prevail in a months-long takeover battle.

Kansas City Southern confirmed Wednesday morning that it has entered into a formal agreement to be acquired by CP for US$90 in cash and 2.884 of a CP share for each share held. That deal is subject to shareholder votes and other standard approvals, with Kansas City Southern shareholders expected to receive their proceeds from the takeover in the first quarter of next year.

More : CP Rail wins KCS takeover, CN Rail gets US$1.4B in break fees - BNN Bloomberg


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## GojiMet86 (Jan 3, 2016)

The new VIA railset is being delivered:











__
http://instagr.am/p/CUU6dk_lNd2/


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## Woonsocket54 (May 7, 2005)

Beginning in the middle of next month the Montreal-Halifax train will start running twice a week instead of once a week.






VIA RAIL’S SECOND FREQUENCY OF THE OCEAN TO BEGIN DECEMBER 8 | VIA Rail


MONTRÉAL, November 8, 2021 – The next phase of VIA Rail Canada’s (VIA Rail) gradual service resumption will see the return of the Ocean’s second frequency starting on December 8, 2021. VIA Rail has confirmed all details with the infrastructure owner and is pleased to bring back this second...




media.viarail.ca





It ran thrice a week before the pandemic, and it's anticipated it will resume this full level of service by summer 2022.


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## M-NL (Sep 18, 2012)

OnRail123 said:


> That means "an election is coming."


Out of curiosity: How much is there to choose in Canada?
Is it USA-like (everyone complains, two major parties, where at the first chance they get they pretty much cancel everything the other party did and the complaining continues) or more like the Netherlands (everyone complains, 15 parties in parliament, the biggest ones at 20% of the seats max, so you end up with pretty much the same coalition every time so in the end nothing much changes and the complaining continues)?


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## OnRail123 (10 mo ago)

M-NL said:


> Out of curiosity: How much is there to choose in Canada?


There are two main parties: center-left, center-more-right, plus a left leaning minor party that can play king maker at the federal level and take power at the provincial level. Infrastructure projects are common election ploy for all of them. In this case, it is the Ontario provincial Conservative Party.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

$75 million to buy votes ... I suspect if this were to go ahead it'll need persistent large subsidies to make it work. The money has far better uses elsewhere. It probably makes more sense to run freight trains instead of passenger ones.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

VIA Rail Canada 2201 by SNLFan80, on Flickr


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## OnRail123 (10 mo ago)




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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Millions pledged to upgrade aging stations on Quebec City-Windsor rail corridor *
CBC _Excerpt_
Apr 7, 2022

The federal government is making another expensive budget pledge to bring a high-frequency rail line connecting Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City to fruition.

Thursday's 2022 budget sets out $396.8 million over two years to Transport Canada and Infrastructure Canada for "planning and design steps" to run frequent trains between Toronto and Quebec City.

It also includes $42.8 million over four years to Via Rail, with $169.4 million in remaining amortization, to build and upgrade stations and maintenance centres along its Windsor-Quebec City corridor.

More : https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/otta...-windsor-quebec-high-frequency-rail-1.6412201


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Heading to Ottawa for testing by Michael Berry, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Hauling freight trains with electric locomotives is now starting to happen *
CBC _Excerpt_
May 5, 2022

Canada's railway giants, CN and CP, are testing battery and hydrogen locomotives in a move toward electric, zero-emissions freight rail. At least one smaller railway, Southern Railway of B.C., is working on hydrogen locomotive technology too. Here's a look at why they're electrifying and the technologies they're testing.

Though the transportation sector is the second-biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions after oil and gas, the Railway Association of Canada says rail generates only 3.5 per cent of transportation emissions.

Still, said Josipa Petrunic, president and CEO of the Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium, given Canada's ambitious greenhouse gas emissions targets, even those need to be eliminated. Rail companies are now facing pressure from both governments and shareholders to reduce emissions, she said, especially now that the price on carbon is expected to ratchet up over time — and, with it, the price of diesel that powers Canadian trains.

More : https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/freight-rail-electric-locomotives-1.6440766


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## OnRail123 (10 mo ago)

> *Lac-Mégantic’s next crossing*
> Almost nine years after disaster struck, Ottawa is expected to start work on a controversial rail bypass in a community hoping to heal


The wounded town of Lac-Mégantic is seeing scars reopened with rail bypass debate


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

VIA Rail 3308 by Articulated Photos, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

RMRX 8011 10R at Mile 101 Laggan Sub by CP9524, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* CP Rail revenue sags due to bad winter, lower grain shipments and labour dispute *
Financial Post _Excerpt_
Apr 28, 2022

Profits and revenue dropped at Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. in the first quarter, as Canada’s second-largest railroad struggled through a harsh winter, a spring labour dispute and the ripple effects from last year’s drought that meant less grain to ship around the country.

CP booked net income of $590 million on revenue of $1.8 billion in the quarter ended March 31, down $12 million or two per cent compared to last year’s profits, the company said in an earnings update on April 27. Revenue in the quarter fell six per cent compared to the previous year, including a 20 per cent drop in grain revenue.

“It was a tough quarter. I’m not here to make any excuses,” CEO Keith Creel told analysts on a conference call.

He said the company struggled in the quarter partly because of last year’s drought across the Prairies cut crop yields, leading to a 26-per-cent drop in the volume of grain moving across CP. The company expects the tighter Canadian grain supply will continue to pose a problem for the railroad into the third quarter.

Creel also pointed to two-day shutdown on the CP network, as a result of a dispute with the union representing 3,000 locomotive engineers, conductors and train and yard workers.

More : CP Rail revenue sags due to bad winter, lower grain shipments and labour dispute


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Why Canada is so far behind Europe in electrifying rail *
CBC _Excerpt_
May 12, 2022

Electric trains are widespread in Europe — yet here in Canada, most trains are diesel or diesel-electric, with the exception of some public transit lines in major cities.

A 2020 report by the Canadian Urban Transit Research & Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC) found that Canada's adoption and implementation of electric and hydrogen rail is "slower than most developed countries and some developing countries, such as Morocco and China."

About 60 per cent of Europe's rail network is electrified — double what it was in 1975, the study found.

"Europe moved to a zero-emissions agenda over 10 years ago," said Josipa Petrunic, president and CEO of CUTRIC and co-author of the 2020 report.

Many rail lines in Europe have been electrified with overhead catenary wires, but other technologies have also been moving forward. For example, in 2018, the Coradia iLint hydrogen fuel cell train, made by French rail company Alstom, started commercial service in Germany, where dozens of units have been ordered by two states. The train has since been ordered by Italy and tested in Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden and France.

More : https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/what-on-earth-canada-trains-europe-electric-1.6450892


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Area officials meet over VIA Rail service concerns *
Toronto Star _Excerpt_
May 19, 2022

CORNWALL – Officials from the region including Senator Bernadette Clement, MP Eric Duncan, and Cornwall Mayor Glen Grant met with officials from VIA Rail Canada to voice their concerns about service issues in the region.

At issue is staffing at the Cornwall station, which currently does not have an attendant, the lack of capital investment in the station facilities, and the number of stops at the station for passengers. Also top-of-mind is VIA Rail’s High Frequency Rail plans for its Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal corridor, one that will miss Cornwall entirely. Alexandria will have a station on that future line instead.

The meeting followed up on a May 2021 city council meeting voicing concerns about the viability of the station and access to the passenger rail network.

More : Area officials meet over VIA Rail service concerns


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* 43 CP Rail cars carrying potash derail east of Fort Macleod, Alta. *
CTV _Excerpt_
May 23, 2022

Clean up is underway after 43 CP Rail train cars carrying potash left the track Sunday morning east of Fort Macleod, Alta.

RCMP said the incident happened about 8:15 a.m. along Highway 3, between Range Road 251 and Range Road 252, about 170 kilometres south of Calgary.

No injuries were reported.

More : 43 CP Rail cars carrying potash derail east of Fort Macleod, Alta.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* VIA Rail Board of Directors recognizes the work of Cynthia Garneau*
Press Release _Excerpt_ 

MONTRÉAL, May 20, 2022 – Following the announcement by the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, of the resignation of VIA Rail Canada's (VIA Rail) President and Chief Executive Officer, Cynthia Garneau, the Board of Directors would like to acknowledge the work accomplished during Ms. Garneau's term.

"The bulk of Cynthia Garneau’s tenure was during the pandemic; she faced extraordinary challenges while never losing sight of our ambitious modernization program and the well-being of our employees. On behalf of the Board of Directors, the Management Committee, and all VIA Rail employees, I sincerely thank her for her contribution and wish her all the best for the future," said Françoise Bertrand, Chairperson of VIA Rail's Board of Directors.

"After three wonderful years of diverse achievements, exciting challenges, and enriching encounters, I leave VIA Rail with a sense of accomplishment. I had given myself the objective to obtain confirmation for the HFR project, and with the procurement process now underway, my train has arrived at its destination. 

More : VIA Rail Board of Directors recognizes the work of Cynthia Garneau | VIA Rail


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Via Rail axed its London-to-Toronto train during the pandemic. There's a push to get it back *
CBC _Excerpt_
June 8, 2022

A London, Ont., woman who regularly commutes to downtown Toronto wants Via Rail to restore its once bustling passenger route that took commuters from London to their big-city offices before 9 a.m. ET.

Laura Maniago faithfully took the route for 10 years to work in Toronto as a fundraiser in education. 

But the Crown corporation cancelled the route during the pandemic, part of a cost-cutting effort as the virus decimated commuter rail service across North America when millions of people began working remotely from home. 

During that time, Via Rail reported a 77 per cent loss in passenger volume in 2020 compared to 2019, followed by an 80 per cent drop in ridership in 2021 compared to the previous year. Passenger revenues also plummeted 80 per cent in 2020, and dropped another 81 per cent in 2021. 

By March this year, the passenger rail service reported ridership was still only 60 per cent of its pre-pandemic levels and it would be adding 82 weekly train trips from the 163 already operating by this month. However, the daily two-hour trip from London to Toronto that arrived at Union Station by 8:30 a.m. was not among them. 

More : https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/lond...1CGg-HUgK-wvpI9peWCMKXXEZ9uHK16PvQ28sKLhmo1Go


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Via Rail restores full service between Windsor, Toronto *
CBC _Excerpt_
June 9, 2022

Via Rail passengers now have more options to get from Windsor to Toronto.

With the reintroduction of trains 78 and 79, service has been upgraded from three to four Toronto-Windsor round trips per day.

"From Windsor to Toronto, you're back to full service pre-COVID-19," said Vladimir Jean-Pierre, a senior manager for Via Rail's west corridor.

More : https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/via-rail-windsor-covid19-1.6483593


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Ottawa set to announce end to vaccine mandates for domestic travel, outbound flights *
CBC _Excerpt_
June 13, 2022

The federal government is set to announce Tuesday an end to the COVID-19 vaccine mandates for domestic travel on planes and trains, as well as outbound international travel, CBC News has learned.

The government may reinstate the vaccine requirement if there's a new variant of the virus, according to sources with direct knowledge of the decision who spoke with CBC News on condition they not be named.

The vaccine mandates for travel have been in effect since Oct. 30, 2021. As the mandate was phased in, travellers had a one-month grace period where they could instead provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test.

More : https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/government-end-vax-mandates-1.6487585


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Concourse by Pennan Brae, on Flickr


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## boss-ton (Sep 27, 2009)

hkskyline said:


> Southern Ontario and Quebec isn't going to be an Acela-type exception in the US. Otherwise HSR would have arrived long ago and VIA Rail would be offering much more frequent services or even push to build a dedicated passenger line. For business travellers, North American cities are not really designed around their traditional downtown anymore. Decentralization and urban sprawl have prompted business nodes to move outwards along with where people are living, so the concept of a downtown to downtown train for business travellers with deep pockets might not be a slam dunk. Toronto is no exception. You have more residential developments downtown, but office parks in the outlying 905 areas continue to thrive, and for that huge chunk of office workers, it makes little sense to head to Union Station to catch the train when Pearson airport might even be closer.
> 
> So can tourists fill the seats? The problem is the local tourism industry has a heavy reliance on American visitors, so any HSR network that doesn't reach into their catchment area will not likely entice them to ride when they still have good reasons to continue to drive across the border. A cross-border HSR will be very difficult to negotiate and execute.
> 
> It's all about economics at the end of the day, and has nothing to do with North American rail development being homogenous or not.


The reason you want to go downtown to downtown is not because of everybody living downtown, its because thats where the mass transit lines go to in cities. If high speed rail only goes to Toronto Pearson airport and people live in north york then theyre going to have to do multiple transfers to get there, including going downtown first anyways.

If hsr terminates at union station then it gives the people all different options for where to go to from there. Union station gives people the ability to go basically anywhere once the train arrives there. Also in the reverse it makes it so people that live on almost any line can take it to union to get on the hsr. This is why bringing hsr to the main rail hub makes sense.

On top of that though you can also have a couple stops along the way to union station so that way its not the only station. If the line passes by pearson on the way to union they could put an infill station there. You definitely want to end at union station but theres also room to put in stations along the way to union since the train has to come from outside the city anyways.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Toronto Sunset by Jack Landau, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Leaving the port by Michael Berry, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)




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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Winnipeg Railway Museum makes deal to secure future at Union Station — for now *
CBC _Excerpt_
Nov 9, 2022

It turns out it's not the end of the line for the Winnipeg Railway Museum after all — but it may be some time before visitors can peruse its railroading relics again.

After learning it would have to close its doors at Union Station at the end of 2021 because the space needed significant renovations, the museum says it has now struck a deal that will secure the next part of its future.

"I guess relief is a great way to put it," spokesperson Gordon Leathers said of the 25-year lease the non-profit museum recently signed with Via Rail, which runs the Main Street station that has housed the museum for decades.

More : https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/winnipeg-railway-museum-deal-lease-1.6645377


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Toronto Union Station Columns by Matt, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

🇨🇦🍂 Fall Colours in Algoma | Ontario by Dave Wong, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Passenger rail service in southwestern Ontario 'went to hell in a hand basket.' Can it be fixed? *
CBC _Excerpt_
Nov 18, 2022

The federal government has hired two consultants to examine ways to improve passenger rail service in southwestern Ontario after pandemic fears of close contact with strangers torpedoed ridership to crisis levels. 

Transport Canada recently announced infrastructure consultants CPCS Transcom Limited and engineering firm WSP would undertake a study, starting this month, of how to improve passenger rail service in southwestern Ontario. 

The two companies will advise the government on how to shorten travel times, increase trip frequencies between major cities and offer a train service that is "more reliable" with "improved on-time performance," with a report due in 2023. 

More : https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/passenger-train-travel-southwestern-ontario-1.6654919


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

VIA 628, Coteau by Georg Denoix, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

3305 leading 305 by Michael Berry, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* CP Holiday Train is coming to Toronto this week *
CTV _Excerpt_
Nov 28, 2022

After two years of virtual concerts, the Canadian Pacific (CP) Holiday Train is back and it will be rolling through Toronto this week. 

The CP Holiday Train program has two festively decorated trains travelling through Canada and the United States, spreading holiday cheer with live performances while raising money, food and awareness for local foodbanks.

On Tuesday, the train will stop at the CP Yard Office parking lot at 750 Runnymede Rd., just south of St. Clair Avenue West.

More : CP Holiday Train is coming to Toronto this week


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

VIA 2202, CN St-Hyacinthe Sub, Montreal by Georg Denoix, on Flickr

VIA 2202, CN St-Hyacinthe Sub, Montreal by Georg Denoix, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* CP Holiday Train arrives in Alberta; Calgary show slated for Dec. 11 *
CTV _Excerpt_
Dec 7, 2022 

A popular holiday tradition is right on track to begin spreading seasonal cheer throughout Alberta.

The Canada Pacific Holiday Train has rolled into the province with four performances — Medicine Hat, Tilley, Brooks and Gleichen — scheduled for Wednesday.

The free live concerts with Juno and Canadian Country Music Award winner Tenille Townes and Aysanabee will run for approximately 30 minutes and volunteers will be on hand to collect cash and non-perishable food donations from concert-goers for local food banks.

More : CP Holiday Train arrives in Alberta; Calgary show slated for Dec. 11


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## OnRail123 (10 mo ago)

This may be the potential wild card for the prospect of a high speed railway in Canada:


> In Western Europe, airlines are losing the battle to preserve their lucrative short-haul routes. Soon, they may not legally be able to fly them. Their loss, unimaginable among U.S. and Canadian airlines, marks a rare victory for the planet.


Opinion: Europe approves short-haul flight bans to bring down emissions. Canada cannot even consider the same climate win

If flights between Toronto and Montreal/Ottawa are to be banned, a high speed railway becomes a necessity.


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## M-NL (Sep 18, 2012)

Regardless the existence of short-haul flight, from a European or Japanese standpoint it seems stupid that there isn't a Toronto - Montreal/Ottawa high speed line.


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## mgk920 (Apr 21, 2007)

And on to Chicago via Detroit and the Michigan Central Station.

Mike


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

VIA Rail 8703 by Articulated Photos, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

CP 2249 01H at Calgary by CP9524, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

CP 2249 01H at Didsbury by CP9524, on Flickr


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

* Travellers stranded as more than a dozen Via trains between Windsor and Quebec City cancelled or immobilized *
CBC _Excerpt_
Dec 24, 2022 

Hundreds of passengers ended up trapped on Via Rail trains running between Windsor, Ont., and Quebec City through Friday night and into Saturday afternoon after several trips experienced significant delays.

Seven trains in the Quebec City-Windsor corridor were cancelled and another nine were immobilized, Via Rail said in an email statement.

Via Rail listed power outages, downed trees on the tracks and one tree that fell on a train as being among the reasons for the delays.

More : https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/via-rail-cancellations-storm-1.6697622


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