VIA Rail

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by someone123

A train to Moncton running downtown to downtown every day would be vastly more useful. Eventually the train should go on to Saint John too. In the long run the Halifax-Moncton route should have trains running over 100 km/h and enough trains every day that people can do easy daytrips. In addition to the two cities at the endpoints, YHZ is along the route as are a bunch of small towns (Truro, Amherst, Sackville NB). There's a lot of latent demand for decent service along that route, but nobody takes the current train because it sucks.

I am not arguing against expanded intercity regional rail in the Maritimes. I'm in fact all for it.

The Halifax/Moncton/Saint John corridor is home to most Maritimers, probably in the vicinity of 900,000 or so. 2-3x daily bidirectional downtown to downtown rail service would be very well received (I think), especially if relatively time competitive with car travel. Maritime Bus could easily provide connecting bus service to other cities and towns, and already does so in Moncton. The Moncton VIA station doubles as the city's Maritimes Bus terminal. It's not unusual to see four busses lined up side by side at the station.

I think it's outrageous that we might potentially lose out connection to the national passenger rail network here on the east coast. This should be maintained at all costs. ghYHZ suggested some alternative options. I hope these are being explored. I suppose Moncton could serve as the Ocean terminus, especially if there is a connecting train onwards to Halifax, but I can't imagine that possibility would be too attractive to too many Haligonians.......

[esquire]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I think it's outrageous that we might potentially lose out connection to the national passenger rail network here on the east coast. This should be maintained at all costs. ghYHZ suggested some alternative options. I hope these are being explored. I suppose Moncton could serve as the Ocean terminus, especially if there is a connecting train onwards to Halifax, but I can't imagine that possibility would be too attractive to too many Haligonians.......

There is no national passenger rail network anymore. Just a bunch of crown corporation owned railway equipment sitting in yards at the moment.

But kidding aside, it's clear that the parts of the network outside of the corridor are fading fast. The western transcons are down to 2x a week for most of the year and what's left is subject to constant extreme delays due to heavy CN traffic. The eastern transcons have also had frequency reduced, and they're faced with rotting equipment and logistical challenges like the elimination of the wye in Halifax. All of these things are taking a toll... I doubt that there will be much if anything left of the non-corridor VIA network in a decade.

[milomilo]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I am not arguing against expanded intercity regional rail in the Maritimes. I'm in fact all for it.

The Halifax/Moncton/Saint John corridor is home to most Maritimers, probably in the vicinity of 900,000 or so. 2-3x daily bidirectional downtown to downtown rail service would be very well received (I think), especially if relatively time competitive with car travel. Maritime Bus could easily provide connecting bus service to other cities and towns, and already does so in Moncton. The Moncton VIA station doubles as the city's Maritimes Bus terminal. It's not unusual to see four busses lined up side by side at the station.

I think it's outrageous that we might potentially lose out connection to the national passenger rail network here on the east coast. This should be maintained at all costs. ghYHZ suggested some alternative options. I hope these are being explored. I suppose Moncton could serve as the Ocean terminus, especially if there is a connecting train onwards to Halifax, but I can't imagine that possibility would be too attractive to too many Haligonians.......

Yes, outrageous that an area might have no rail connection whatsoever to the rest of the country (glances at my location...)

Though, if I had to choose, I'd far prefer an intercity system that connects me to local destinations in a few hours, than a rail line to places elsewhere that takes days. The former is useful, the latter useless.

[milomilo]

Originally Posted by esquire

There is no national passenger rail network anymore. Just a bunch of crown corporation owned railway equipment sitting in yards at the moment.

But kidding aside, it's clear that the parts of the network outside of the corridor are fading fast. The western transcons are down to 2x a week for most of the year and what's left is subject to constant extreme delays due to heavy CN traffic. The eastern transcons have also had frequency reduced, and they're faced with rotting equipment and logistical challenges like the elimination of the wye in Halifax. All of these things are taking a toll... I doubt that there will be much if anything left of the non-corridor VIA network in a decade.

Money has to be spent. What will be outrageous is if that money goes on routes other than the most cost effective.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by milomilo

Though, if I had to choose, I'd far prefer an intercity system that connects me to local destinations in a few hours, than a rail line to places elsewhere that takes days. The former is useful, the latter useless.

The Ocean operates at a loss of millions of dollars per year. Imagine if that money had been spent on improving the physical railway infrastructure instead, and we let private operators figure out which routes are or aren't profitable.

There are dozens of little improvements that could be made bit by bit to the rail links around the central parts of the Maritimes (e.g. build sidings or shorten the route here or there), and there's plenty of transportation demand. It's not working because the infrastructure is mismanaged, little capital investment is happening, and VIA is bound by political constraints that force it to run services that don't fit usefully into the national transportation network.

The railway network should probably have been maintained provincially just like the highway system. If the provincial governments of NS and NB cared about it, it would be completely reasonable and realistic for them to maintain a single decent rail corridor running for a few hundred kms to serve 1 million people or so.

[Truenorth00]

Canadians aren't willing to fund these services. Simple as that. Our only hope is HFR being profitable enough to allow a reduction of subsidies to new services.

[Dengler Avenue]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Canadians aren't willing to fund these services. Simple as that. Our only hope is HFR being profitable enough to allow a reduction of subsidies to new services.

With OC Transpo doing downhill though, I’m having second thoughts about going to Ottawa without a car...

[Hali87]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I suppose Moncton could serve as the Ocean terminus, especially if there is a connecting train onwards to Halifax, but I can't imagine that possibility would be too attractive to too many Haligonians.......

I don't think many Haligonians would mind having a transfer in Moncton or if the Halifax-Moncton leg had minimal luxuries. It just needs to be quicker than bussing and cheaper than flying.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by ghYHZ

Don't think it would actually have to be backing. The locomotives could run around to the opposite end and be leading. Only the cars would be running backwards for 65 miles.....and some of the seats are facing the opposite direction anyway.

How does the locomotive turn around though? I get that they can run the locomotive to the other end using parallel tracks and switches, but it would still be facing the same way as it was when hooked up to the other end of the train.

[Djeffery]

Also, I saw a VIA train in London today that I don't recall seeing there yesterday. Engine and 2 cars, pointed Toronto bound. Lights were all off in the station as they were yesterday morning when I drove by on the way to work. Didn't happen to notice if the CN trains were moving yesterday, but the CP sure were. Except for the one that was stationary across all the east London level crossings at about 745am yesterday lol.

[J81]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

How does the locomotive turn around though? I get that they can run the locomotive to the other end using parallel tracks and switches, but it would still be facing the same way as it was when hooked up to the other end of the train.

The locomotives would have to be placed back to back as opposed to the current nose to tail configuration they use.

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by J81

The locomotives would have to be placed back to back as opposed to the current nose to tail configuration they use.

These wouldn't be the locomotives that were said to not be able to go in reverse at speed then, I take it

[Nouvellecosse]

Am I missing something? The Ocean always runs with consists of multiple locomotives (I recall seeing as many as four) so why can't they have at least one at the rear? Does Via not have any locos anywhere across the country that are capable of running at full speed in either direction?

[vid]

VIA can't even run to Calgary, I'm surprised they have locomotives at all. One of the lines in Northern Ontario is literally a single diesel Budd car that you wave down like a New York taxi.

[Nouvellecosse]

Can you wave it down anywhere or does it have to be near a station? If it's the former, it sounds super convenient. For those doing the waving.

[vid]

Originally Posted by Nouvellecosse

Can you wave it down anywhere or does it have to be near a station? If it's the former, it sounds super convenient. For those doing the waving.

I imagine it can be anywhere since it travels through literal fucking nothingness. It's basically only there so Marcel can get to Sudbury for work.

[MonctonRad]

This excellent link describes the three major challenges facing the VIA Ocean.

https://www.transportaction.ca/regions/atlantic/ocean-faces-triple-jeopardy/

The loss of the loop at Halterm is only one of the issues at hand. The Renaissance fleet has to be retired by 2022 at the latest, and there is no replacement stock. The CN rail line on the Tantramar Marsh is also at risk of being overtopped by major tidal events. If this ever happened, it would imperil freight and passenger service to NS, as well as breaching the TCH. Right now, the CNR embankment is doing double duty as a dyke during flooding events, a task it was not designed for.

Meanwhile the feds and the governments of NB & NS fiddle while Rome burns......

[milomilo]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

This excellent link describes the three major challenges facing the VIA Ocean.

https://www.transportaction.ca/regions/atlantic/ocean-faces-triple-jeopardy/

The loss of the loop at Halterm is only one of the issues at hand. The Renaissance fleet has to be retired by 2022 at the latest, and there is no replacement stock. The CN rail line on the Tantramar Marsh is also at risk of being overtopped by major tidal events. If this ever happened, it would imperil freight and passenger service to NS, as well as breaching the TCH. Right now, the CNR embankment is doing double duty as a dyke during flooding events, a task it was not designed for.

Meanwhile the feds and the governments of NB & NS fiddle while Rome burns......

Thanks for the good read.

IMO, I'm not particularity nostalgic for keeping the overnight services and realistically it seems doomed to go away. Rightly, a big investment in equipment is needed and it seems to me that spending that money on sleeper cars would be a waste, when the money could be spent on vehicles that serve normal intercity functions. It would be more flexible.

Is there any real reason (other than politics and money) that the government couldn't just buy more of the new vehicles they are buying for the corridor, and deploy them on intercity services in the east? Of all the ways the government could spend money, adding trains to a contract should be about as easy a decision as it gets?

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by Dengler Avenue

With OC Transpo doing downhill though, I’m having second thoughts about going to Ottawa without a car...

That's a bit extreme. Despite the drama queening, OC Transpo is still very much functional.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

Also, I saw a VIA train in London today that I don't recall seeing there yesterday. Engine and 2 cars, pointed Toronto bound. Lights were all off in the station as they were yesterday morning when I drove by on the way to work. Didn't happen to notice if the CN trains were moving yesterday, but the CP sure were. Except for the one that was stationary across all the east London level crossings at about 745am yesterday lol.

I’m in London at the moment and I saw a CN train cross Oxford near Wonderland yesterday morning.

EDIT: I don’t know if the CN trackage west of CN London yard is considered part of their “eastern” network, as those tracks cross into the United States only 100 km west of the London yard.