[canucklehead2]

So obviously a few of us are fans of high-speed rail for the obvious advantages it brings. I'm personally advocating for a Canadian Dream 2.0 which would be to upgrade all the main Canadian rail lines owned by CN, CP and others to double-tracked service capable for operating at 230 km/h for high speed passenger rail and 160 km/h which is the standard speed of freight in Europe.

Just think of being able to not only zip between places in the east like Montreal and Toronto, but Edmonton and Calgary, Vancouver and Seattle, etc.

While the concept may seem pie in the sky, the reality is that upgrading existing freight isn't that expensive but few companies are willing to do it because of the huge upfront investment and disruption to services, yet China shows us time and time again that these types of projects are not only possible but affordable. Heck, if places in Africa and Central Asia now have high speed services as do existing creaky services like in ye olde England, surely Alberta and British Columbia which contain almost 9 million or so people together can. Know better, do better!

Next post, I'm going to find the best resources for other rail fans...