VIA Rail network developments

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

That's for personal travel. Corporate travel is booked through the agent. Not by us. We simply give our preferences on the travel approval request.

VIA does offer corporate discounts, so I assume that the government doesn’t pay full fare. Besides, from a taxpayer perspective, it is a bit of a shell game, as much of the fare received by VIA reduces the subsidy required.

[DTcrawler]

Originally Posted by roger1818

If only there was a way for trains to stop at stations along the way. The departure time for them would be much more reasonable.

Edit: in all seriousness though, here are the departure times:

station		Train 641

Ottawa, ON	4:19

Fallowfield, ON	4:38

Smiths Falls, ON	5:05

Brockville, ON	5:35

Kingston, ON	6:18

Belleville, ON	7:00

Cobourg, ON	7:35

Port Hope, ON	7:44

Toronto, ON	8:48

Even for someone in (or near) Smiths falls, this train becomes much more attractive than flying, as not only is the departure 45 minutes later, but you save about an hour of driving (each way).

The problem is that as long as VIA continues to share tracks with freight traffic I just don't see how it's ever going to be a reliable option for travellers between the NCR and the GTA. Even in business class I've never had the wifi connection be strong enough to get any meaningful work done, and cell reception is spotty for a lot of the journey so hotspot isn't a great alternative either.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by roger1818

If only there was a way for trains to stop at stations along the way. The departure time for them would be much more reasonable.

Edit: in all seriousness though, here are the departure times:

station		Train 641

Ottawa, ON	4:19

Fallowfield, ON	4:38

Smiths Falls, ON	5:05

Brockville, ON	5:35

Kingston, ON	6:18

Belleville, ON	7:00

Cobourg, ON	7:35

Port Hope, ON	7:44

Toronto, ON	8:48

Even for someone in (or near) Smiths falls, this train becomes much more attractive than flying, as not only is the departure 45 minutes later, but you save about an hour of driving (each way).

Ok, but how many people are commuting from Smith Falls to Toronto?

Plausibility this is a commuter service starting in Kingston, which I think is where this train used to start.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by DTcrawler

The problem is that as long as VIA continues to share tracks with freight traffic I just don't see how it's ever going to be a reliable option for travellers between the NCR and the GTA. Even in business class I've never had the wifi connection be strong enough to get any meaningful work done, and cell reception is spotty for a lot of the journey so hotspot isn't a great alternative either.

Because Airlines never have delayed flights.

I do agree that VIA needs to improve thier reliability, and HFR will help with that tremendously.

Originally Posted by acottawa

Ok, but how many people are commuting from Smith Falls to Toronto?

Plausibility this is a commuter service starting in Kingston, which I think is where this train used to start.

Commuters aren't the only ones who might want to do a day trip to Toronto. Many business travelers might want to travel to return the same day.

Yes this is a replacement for the early morning train from Kingston (which was a replacement for the overnight train from Montreal). As others have mentioned, Kingston isn't a crew centre for VIA, so all of the crew would need to be put up in a hotel overnight. By having the train start in Ottawa, VIA saves that cost (along with the cost of leasing siding space in Kingston), which can help offest some of the cost of having the train travel further.

The other consideration is that the train doesn't magically appear in Kingston (or Ottawa), but would need to arrive the night before, and while the early morning train may be rather empty between Ottawa and Kingston, the late night incoming train be considerably more utalized, once again helping to cover some of the costs.

Any passengers that do board the early train in Ottawa, Fallowfield, Smiths Falls and Brockvile, will be a bonus, not the target market. Better than deadheading and might provide a useful option for some.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by roger1818

Commuters aren't the only ones who might want to do a day trip to Toronto. Many business travelers might want to travel to return the same day.

Yes this is a replacement for the early morning train from Kingston (which was a replacement for the overnight train from Montreal). As others have mentioned, Kingston isn't a crew centre for VIA, so all of the crew would need to be put up in a hotel overnight. By having the train start in Ottawa, VIA saves that cost (along with the cost of leasing siding space in Kingston), which can help offest some of the cost of having the train travel further.

The other consideration is that the train doesn't magically appear in Kingston (or Ottawa), but would need to arrive the night before, and while the early morning train may be rather empty between Ottawa and Kingston, the late night incoming train be considerably more utalized, once again helping to cover some of the costs.

Any passengers that do board the early train in Ottawa, Fallowfield, Smiths Falls and Brockvile, will be a bonus, not the target market. Better than deadheading and might provide a useful option for some.

Yes, I understand there are operational reasons to start the train in Ottawa. I was disagreeing with suggestions that this service would appeal to business travellers.