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Originally Posted by MolsonExport
Somehow there is Via service to Senneterre, Quebec, but Calgary is not on the map?
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This is because the government feels obligated to provide services to remote regions such as northern Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba. Northern Ontario is a little different since it is on transcontinental routes and Churchill MB can be made into a viable port. But question arises as too why there is no service to Fort McMurray or Grand Prairie if we are providing service to Senneterre.
Calgary is not on the map because government sold off the Via Mountaineer service to private interests ( Rocky Mountaineer) which do not want government subsidized services competing with their offerings. As a result the transcontinental service is routed through Edmonton and Jasper rather than Calgary and Banff.
Since the government feels obligated to continue to provide services to remote places in northern Ontario without either any public transport services or road links in many cases the Canadian is routed on CN tracks through Hornepayne and Sioux Lookout rather than on the more populated CP line servicing the north shore of Lake Superior and Thunder Bay.
Because of perceived limitations in the BC and Ontario the Canadian is also routed via Saskatoon across the prairies. Not only is Calgary left off the map but so are all the cities and towns on the CPR route from Sudbury all the way to Vancouver including places like Regina, Thunder Bay and Sudbury to name a few.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MolsonExport
Yeah, yeah, I heard the political stories, including why Edmonton got Via but Calgary lost it...but it still makes no goddamn sense. Kind of like keeping a CBC station in Rankin Inlet while closing down the Toronto affiliate.
It is a good thing that both Sudbury and Sudbury Jct. have service. Otherwise the people would be out with their pitchforks.
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Yes, there are trains that stop in Sudbury and Sudbury Jct. but don't think for a moment that Sudbury has any real train service. The only train that services Sudbury is the RDC to White River which is once again a remote service due to lack of roads and transport options. There is no service between the actual city of Sudbury and Toronto or points west. The Canadian only operates 2 times a week to Sudbury Jct , a stop in the bush east of Sudbury scheduled to arrive westbound at 5:12 am and eastbound at 4:20 am with no transit connections. This train takes a pathetic 10 hours to travel the Toronto-Sudbury distance and is basically never on time in either direction. The Canadian in addition bypassing Sudbury for all intensive purposes also bypasses Barrie in favour of transiting the east side of Lake Simcoe where there are no major centres.
The federal government/Via Rail draws a line on a map and sends 1 or 2 trains a week rattling down the tracks and that is called service.
In my opinion, what needs to be done is to cancel the transcontinental service totally and replace it with regional trains that have shorter routes and allow for better scheduling and on time performance.
All services east and west should should end in Winnipeg. The current Canadian should be put back on its CP route in Ontario and end in Winnipeg. People should be required to spend the night in Winnipeg just as they do in Prince George on the Jasper to Prince Rupert train unless connections can be made in Winnipeg.
The current Canadian route via CN could be converted to run Winnipeg to Sudbury, not Sudbury Jct on its current frequency as a day time service stopping overnight in Longlac. The use of DMU's should be considered for this service.
All trains from Vancouver should end in either Calgary or Edmonton and operate overnight year around as required. Since the Rocky Mountaineer operates primarily in the summer and their prices are so high they cannot in any way be counted as public transportation. Via should offer service from Vancouver to Calgary and Edmonton. Just as passengers would have to change trains in Winnipeg the same may be required in Edmonton and Calgary for passengers transferring from regional trains on the prairies. Via Rail will be doing this in 2019 with 1 train per week without any connection east of Edmonton.
Here is my wish list:
The following services should be implemented in order to provide a cohesive system connecting points across Alberta. Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
1. A daily train from Calgary to Winnipeg via Regina and Brandon. The train should depart Regina to Winnipeg after the train from Edmonton to Regina arrives to provide a connection for Edmonton to Winnipeg passengers. (see note 2)
2. A daily train from Edmonton to Regina that replaces service on the CN mainline by using the north main via Fort Saskatchewan, Lloydminster and North Battleford.
3. A daily train from Saskatoon to Winnipeg via Regina replacing the current service on the CN mainline.
This would provide 2 trains a day providing morning and afternoon service in each direction between Saskatoon and Regina. It would also provide 2 trains per day between Regina, Brandon and Winnipeg.
4. Obviously service needs to be re-instated between Edmonton and Calgary. The service to begin with should be at least 3 trains per day as an absolute minimum. The access to downtown Red Deer should be reconstructed and a new alignment should be built that would service Leduc/YEG providing accss to YEG for air passengers. This new construction would provide passing tracks for freights on the existing CPR alignment and provide more convenient locations for passengers. The investment in these two infrastructure improvements would not be thrown away as they could be incorporated into any HSR route if it ever comes to fruition.
The issue of insufficient infrastructure still needs to be addressed. The federal government should force CN to re-install the 64 km of double track that was previously ripped out between Edmonton and the Yellowhead Pass by Hunter Harrison. Since the roadbed already exists, this is low hanging fruit.
With respect to the Edmonton – Calgary service, the frequent accidents at level crossings was one of the main factors in the demise of the service. Level crossings need to be upgraded, closed or grade separations need to be built. Some sidings would have to be extended or shorter ones for passenger trains would need to be built. Since the distance between Edmonton and Calgary is relatively short the cost of siding extensions new short sidings would not necessarily be a huge investment. The important thing is to keep trains moving by minimizing time spent waiting on a siding whether they are freight or passenger trains. Clearly CP would like priority for freights and Via would like priority for freight.
The trains should stop at the CPR Edmonton South station to begin with. Ultimately they should be extended to Grandin LRT station on the north side of the High Level bridge in downtown Edmonton.
Passenger trains in Saskatoon should utilize the CPR station downtown rather than the inhospitable CN station which is now in the midst of an intermodal rail yard on the outskirts of the city.
The north main between Saskatoon and Edmonton via Lloydminster may require Centralized Train Control installed. It would be great if someone who knows the frequency of CN freights on this line could advise the forum. I know quite a few grain and oil trains travel this route but don’t know the average daily number.
I know, its a dream, but it doesn't hurt to dream and I believe the dream has merit. Comments are appreciated.