Via Rail Announcement today!

GreatTallNorth2 · #1 Posted **Oct 11, 2007, 2:44 PM**

Heres to hoping that there are some strides towards high speed rail...

Via Rail seen unveiling funds for service

Oct 11, 2007 04:30 AM
Bruce Campion-Smith
Ottawa bureau chief

OTTAWA–VIA Rail is expected to get new funding today to refurbish old rail cars and locomotives and speed its service.

Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty will hold a news conference this afternoon at Toronto's Union Station where they're expected to announce new funding for the national passenger rail service.

"VIA has been on a starvation diet. ... There is an urgent need for funding for state-of-good repair alone," said David Jeanes, president of Transport 2000.

"We're hoping to see sufficient funds announced by the government (today) to really deal with some of these issues," he said yesterday in an interview.

"VIA's ridership is on the increase and yet their annual subsidy from the federal government has been held at the same level for many years."

While Canada is fast becoming the only G-8 nation without a high-speed rail line, Jeanes expects today's announcement to focus on making "incremental" improvements to the service.

The rail line, for example, has been seeking funding to refurbish its older passenger cars. And it also wants to rebuild its fleet of 53 older locomotives, to extend their life as well as reduce emissions. That would allow Cannon and Flaherty to tout their announcement as a step to help the environment.

Jeanes said new funding could also be used to improve service on busy routes, such as the Quebec City-Windsor corridor.

VIA also faces a bill that could reach $92 million to make passenger cars more accessible to travellers in wheelchairs. The Supreme Court of Canada in March upheld federal regulators who ordered VIA to make the changes to its Renaissance rail cars to accommodate disabled passengers. Today's announcement could include the funding to proceed with that work.

Policy Wonk · #2 Posted **Oct 11, 2007, 4:17 PM**

and when is VIA Rail going to comply with rulings the CTA made TWENTY YEARS AGO pertaining to their third world waste management practices?

They dump everything from fuel to used lubricants to garbage of every description and raw sewage pretty much anywhere they like and that is a major reason CP doesn't want VIA on their track,

VIA needs to purge the scrap metal from their rolling stock fleet, the old Budd equipment they are opperating was considered obsolete in the early 70's - you can actually see the same rail cars in Cuba, IN A MUSEUM!

They don't need to be refurbished, they need to be scrapped - throw out the garbage, retreat to the triangle with some sort of modern equipment and re-evaluate from there.

Kitchissippi · #3 Posted **Oct 11, 2007, 4:43 PM**

I wish they would restore the Vancouver-Calgary-Regina-Winnipeg-Ottawa-Montreal service! We need another transcontinental route.

Boris2k7 · #4 Posted **Oct 11, 2007, 5:00 PM**

This is a great announcement, although even I am starting to wonder about the viability (ha!) of cross-country train travel. Still, there's lots of room for rail to compete with and complement air travel, and it deserves the funding to continue to do so. Particularly in two of the major economic corridors (Windsor-Quebec, Calgary-Edmonton) where the Conference Board of Canada has also supported HSR.

nunuangel99 · #5 Posted **Oct 11, 2007, 5:07 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kitchissippi

I wish they would restore the Vancouver-Calgary-Regina-Winnipeg-Ottawa-Montreal service! We need another transcontinental route.

Why?? What's wrong with the one we have now!!

ReginaGuy · #6 Posted **Oct 11, 2007, 5:10 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by nunuangel99

Why?? What's wrong with the one we have now!!

It doesn't go thru Calgary or Regina, that's what's wrong

Policy Wonk · #7 Posted **Oct 11, 2007, 5:22 PM**

VIA Rail doesn't have the appropriate equipment to opperate the original Canadian route, CP Rail doesn't want it on their track and when it was opperated the ridership was non-existant,

DC83 · #8 Posted **Oct 11, 2007, 5:23 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by ReginaGuy

It doesn't go thru Calgary or Regina, that's what's wrong

Calgary, Regina & Hamilton! 3 big(ish) cities... no service. That is VERY wrong!!

nunuangel99 · #9 Posted **Oct 11, 2007, 5:33 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by DC83

Calgary, Regina & Hamilton! 3 big(ish) cities... no service. That is VERY wrong!!

Boo hoo life sucks!! Cities like Edmonton have been getting the short end of the stick for years (eg. air connections in favour of Calgary) so because we have VIA going through Edmonton and NOT Calgary it's not fair!! Well suck it up princess!!

GreatTallNorth2 · #10 Posted **Oct 11, 2007, 5:36 PM**

Since the announcement is being made in the centre of the universe, I am assuming that the VIA announcement is going to be focused on the QC to Windsor corridor.

Boris2k7 · #11 Posted **Oct 11, 2007, 5:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by nunuangel99

Boo hoo life sucks!! Cities like Edmonton have been getting the short end of the stick for years (eg. air connections in favour of Calgary) so because we have VIA going through Edmonton and NOT Calgary it's not fair!! Well suck it up princess!!

There is a big difference between not having any service and having less service. If you want a comparable situation, how about we close down YEG?

BlackRedGold · #12 Posted **Oct 11, 2007, 6:03 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by nunuangel99

Boo hoo life sucks!! Cities like Edmonton have been getting the short end of the stick for years (eg. air connections in favour of Calgary)

What makes more sense for airlines - having passengers fly from Calgary to Edmonton to make connections or vice versa? Unless the air connections are to Whitehorse or Yellowknife, the airlines are making the logical choice.

HomeInMyShoes · #13 Posted **Oct 11, 2007, 6:26 PM**

Canada should be embarrassed to not have passenger rail service to all the provincial capitals and one of its largest cities.

kirjtc2 · #14 Posted **Oct 11, 2007, 6:40 PM**

3 of the 4 Atlantic provincial capitals don't even have railway tracks anymore. Kind of hard for Via to go there.

Canadian74 · #15 Posted **Oct 11, 2007, 6:42 PM**

They need to come to CALGARY!

SteelTown · #16 Posted **Oct 11, 2007, 7:01 PM**

Ottawa announces nearly $700 million for Via Rail

Updated Thu. Oct. 11 2007 2:55 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff

The federal government announced on Thursday a funding injection for Via Rail of nearly $700 million over the next five years.

The funding will mark the first significant injection of new money in years for the cash-strapped Crown passenger rail corporation.

Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon and Finance Minister Jim Flaherty made the announcement at Union Station in downtown Toronto.

The initiative includes money for capital acquisitions and for the refurbishing of locomotives and passenger cars.

"We've been waiting a very long time for this,'' David Jeanes of Transport 2000 told The Canadian Press.

"It's a good news announcement, but this isn't to announce the high speed link (between Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal).''

Via receives about $170 million in annual operating subsidies from Ottawa. However, the company has suffered since the former Liberal government halted a $700-million funding commitment.

The Conservatives touted the initiative as both an investment in Canada's infrastructure and as part of Ottawa's environmental policy.

With files from The Canadian Press

Kitchissippi · #17 Posted **Oct 11, 2007, 7:15 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by nunuangel99

Why?? What's wrong with the one we have now!!

I didn't say replace, I meant another in addition, princess.

SteelTown · #18 Posted **Oct 11, 2007, 7:39 PM**

Ottawa announces nearly $700 million for Via Rail

Updated Thu. Oct. 11 2007 3:26 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff

The federal government announced on Thursday a funding injection for Via Rail of nearly $700 million over the next five years.

Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon announced the $691.9 million initiative to help Via Rail refurbish passenger train service, at Union Station in downtown Toronto.

"As minister responsible for Via I can say it is clearly an essential entity," Cannon said. "Trains are a more humane way to travel."

The funding marks the first significant injection of new money in years for the cash-strapped Crown passenger rail corporation.

The initiative included $516 million earmarked for capital acquisitions and $175.9 million for the refurbishing of locomotives and passenger cars.

"Refurbishing cars and locomotives will benefit travellers across Canada," Cannon said.

Via Rail serves 4.1 million passengers over 14,000 kilometres of track each year. It provides service for 450 Canadian cities.

Via receives about $170 million in annual operating subsidies from Ottawa. However, the company has suffered since the former Liberal government halted a $700 million funding commitment.

Cannon said the announcement highlighted the federal government's dedication to funding the country's infrastructure.

He said the government will invest $33 billion into Canada's infrastructure through the new Building Canada infrastructure -- Canada's largest investment in half a century.

"This plan will provide long term, stable and predictable funding to help meet infrastructure needs across the country in communities large and small," he said.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said Canadians are looking for transit alternatives that are economically and environmentally friendly.

He said the money will allow Via to provide faster, cleaner and more reliable service across Canada.

Cannon said the government signed a "memorandum of understanding" with the rail industry to set targets for emissions reductions, earlier this year.

"By rebuilding the existing locomotive fleet, Via Rail will achieve these emission targets. It will improve fuel efficiency and provide travellers with faster and more reliable service," he said.

The $691.9 million announcement is the largest capital investment in the company.

HomeInMyShoes · #19 Posted **Oct 11, 2007, 7:42 PM**

"Refurbishing cars and locomotives will benefit travellers across Canada," Cannon said.

I'm a traveller and this doesn't benefit me, since I can't board the train here. Cannon should maybe know that as transport minister.

someone123 · #20 Posted **Oct 11, 2007, 7:48 PM**

Inter-city passenger rail is pretty much pointless in most of Canada. Trips in Western Canada and Northern Ontario are way too slow to actually be useful and only appeal to a tiny minority of tourists.

Freight rail lines are much more important and Canada's current network leaves a lot to be desired.