Light Rail in the Maritimes

[sailor734]

Better cars and better highways killed rail service in the Maritimes decades ago. Unless you are in a fairly compact urban corridor that contains many millions of people it's a non starter.

Let's not forget that Amtrak gets nearly 2 billion a year in government funding. On a per capita basis that's about double what Via rail gets here. You can have as much passenger rail service you want as long as taxpayers are willing to pay for it.

[josh_cat_eyes]

Originally Posted by sailor734

Better cars and better highways killed rail service in the Maritimes decades ago. Unless you are in a fairly compact urban corridor that contains many millions of people it's a non starter.

Let's not forget that Amtrak gets nearly 2 billion a year in government funding. On a per capita basis that's about double what Via rail gets here. You can have as much passenger rail service you want as long as taxpayers are willing to pay for it.

You forgot a key part, the politicians have to be willing to build it, and they’re not.

[sailor734]

Originally Posted by josh_cat_eyes

You forgot a key part, the politicians have to be willing to build it, and they’re not.

They'd be willing to build it if enough voters were clamoring for it.....and they're not.

[adamuptownsj]

Any Maritime rail discussion should begin and end at the SJ-Moncton-Truro-Halifax corridor. Fredericton stupidly allowed their rail to vanish and be replaced with urban trails. AFAIK the rail in western NS is gone, too. I agree nobody really wants it, and it's not exactly an economic benefit. But the only realistic-to-even-imagine intercity rail would be Saint John-KV-Sussex-Moncton-Sackville NB-Truro-Sackville NS-Halifax, sharing/improving the existing railway. How that would work, where stops should be, projected usage, logistics, etc.

Ironically Fredericton is probably the best 'cultural fit' for intercity rail in NB other than Sackville (students, government employees, general city attitude), but there is no chance anything happens now or in the future.

The next government willing to spend tax money on infrastructure pork in NB is more likely to push the twinning of 15 towards Cap-Pele, 11 across the Cocagne River, and maybe some more of 7 south of Welsford, along with improvements to 8 and 11 around Miramichi. Presumably somewhere on the North Shore would get some patronage too. All of this would generate local enthusiasm, much more than 'transit'.

A light rail pilot between Shediac, the Moncton airport/Dieppe, and the CN station could be vaguely plausible, if Codiac Transpo could tweak its routes to accommodate. Only issue is Moncton's population is heavily skewing northwest away from the railway.

[Nouvellecosse]

Sometimes politicians have the luxury of just responding to clear public preferences but often they need to show leadership and make tough decisions. Make cuts that aren't popular, change directions on things that aren't sustainable, and even take some risks to solve tough problems. Politicians that just do things that people are clamouring for are poor leaders.

[EnvisionSaintJohn]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

You're proposing a rail ferry across the Bay of Fundy?? Not bloody likely. I'm old enough to recall taking passenger trains to the mainland from PEI on the old Abegweit, and, it takes a lot of time and logistics to disconnect the rail cars and get them on the rail deck of the ferry. Also, you're routing on the NS side takes the train west to Yarmouth before heading back east to Halifax. I think even the most optimistic projection would make this a 9-10 hour trip.

I agree with the Amtrak connections. Just make it simple and route the train via Moncton and Truro rather than Yarmouth and Lunenburg!!!

Amtrak already serves Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto. Maybe we could convince them to serve Halifax too! Good for Saint John and Moncton. Reinstate a rail service to Boston.

Missed this before. Not a rail ferry, just a train or bus from Digby to Halifax would make the Saint John-Digby ferry a lot more useful than it is right now for most people. It sounds like passenger rail may be very unlikely if western NS doesn’t have tracks anymore, but a bus service shouldn’t be that hard to get up and running between the Digby Ferry terminal and Halifax.

If Bangor does get added to the Downeaster as has been rumoured, it could help motivate the Canadian side to figure out a way to link up with the Amtrak Downeaster. If the train could go beyond SJ to Moncton and Halifax, separate from the VIA service and running on days different than the VIA train, it could really help tourism and further enhance interprovincial transportation, which is pretty sorely lacking..

A bus to Bangor or Boston would be a nice first step, but trains are quite a step up comfort wise and should be the ultimate goal. Last time I took a Greyhound bus from Augusta to Boston, and it was quite a spacious, comfortable ride to my surprise. It’s too bad we can’t get a similar service from Moncton and SJ, as having to drive down to Bangor (bus) or Brunswick (Amtrak) only has one real benefit— not having to deal with driving and parking in Boston. It’s a benefit absolutely worth it, imo, but would be so much nicer being able to take a bus from our side of the border.