Quote:
Originally Posted by GreatTallNorth2
I was watching an interesting show on TVO tonight produced by BBC about fast train systems around the world. One of the highlighted countries was Japan and the comment came from the Japanese train operator that they not only look at train speed but every single element of train travel to make the journey as fast as possible. Their goal was to shave as many hours, minutes and seconds off the trip with the desire to have the absolute best system in the world.
Conclusion: Canada has no desire to be good, let alone great, let alone the greatest and that is why our rail transport sucks. Who is looking at every minute detail of our system trying to shave seconds off the trip? No one.
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Well, I think the expectation was that VIA would simply preside over the demise of rail passenger transport in Canada, save for a couple of essential services. The US government had the same expectation with Amtrak. It never actually did die, however. Atrophied, yes, but never 'died' enough to give government the carte blanche to kill it.
So, you ended up with governments that put in the minimum cash to maintain a "network". It's a recipe for mediocrity, especially when the rail companies want priority for goods.
If you're in a management position in VIA, you're stuck in a loop of 'make this better' without any actual tools to do so. Shaving seconds doesn't matter when you're sitting for hours waiting for a freight to pass. It's not exactly a management role for somebody with any ambition. More like a place for your career to die, with the bonus of being subject to the whims of whatever government is in power.
You're also playing politics of spreading dollars across the country, as taking Western dollars and giving nothing in return is a hard sale.
JR Group has a much stronger mandate and support. It also has a much smaller, more dense, more urban country. It is a product of its environment. Until VIA gets a stronger mandate from the citizenry of this country, I don't see its future as bright.