VIA Rail

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by milomilo

And that is why VIA is going with HFR. There have been many failed attempts to get HSR in Canada. And even though it probably has a perfectly valid business case, it cannot get political traction. So VIA is trying to ride a very fine line of asking for quite a lot of money, but not so much that it seems extravagant. HFR is the bare minimum VIA needs to ask for to get a good service, and hopefully once it's committed everything else is easier.

I do agree with VIA doing the HFR in Ontario. I agree that the entire Corridor should have HFR, and one day HSR. I believe the way VIA is approaching it is a sound idea.

Originally Posted by milomilo

If I, or you, or Urban Sky, or probably anyone who has contributed to this thread was king of Canada we would likely sign off on an HSR line between Toronto and Montreal on the first day. They are big cities close together - both Toronto and Montreal would be huge cities in a European context. But for whatever reason, the powers that be do not want to fund HSR, so a cheaper solution must be sought.

Actually, I would put in a HSR from Vancouver to Halifax, connecting all the major cities together. However, that most likely would cost in the Trillions. I also know it won't likely ever happen.

This goes back to why you hammer the HFR idea for AB. Start out with something palatable to a province that things they are being screwed over, but also don't want to see the government take more money from them.

Originally Posted by milomilo

Once Canadians see what good rail actually looks like (as they are probably beginning to see as GO reaches its escape velocity), they might be more receptive to funding VIA. But if VIA is just a money pit serving rural towns you have never heard of, they won't be.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/InterCity_125#World_records

Instead of dreaming of TGV, why not look at something compatible with what we already have for rail infrastructure. 140mph is pretty damn fast. It would be close to what Acela can do.