Rural Commuter Rail

[ikerrin]

I really hope that these commuter rail plans and track improvements happen. Without owning a car, its next to impossible to get out of the city easily. I would love to take the train to Wakefield or Pembroke or Perth.

In the summer Perth is hopping, but there are cars parked everywhere. If train travel were possible, you could ditch all the parking lots and build more shopping, apartments, and commercial real estate. Between commuters and tourists, I am sure that Ottawa is ready to enter its rail era

[Rathgrith]

^^ I think one reason for welded rial on concrete tracks is that Europe, unlike Canada, has little forestry resources to cut down trees and true them into ties. Its could also be because of the heavy tracks but I think the resources plays a factor.

[DHLawrence]

They use concrete sleepers (ties) in the western US as well. I think it's mainly the weight--concrete sleepers are usually clamped to heavier rail to allow heavier freight trains to run on them, especially coal trains.

Some commuter agencies have even been experimenting with plastic sleepers. Not only recycling, but they're pretty much guaranteed to last forever and a day!

[the capital urbanite]

with few exceptions the Quebec city-Windsor corridor is continuous welded rail.

[Cre47]

Looks like they will make a trail run this fall.

Valley commuter train line set for test in October
The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Thursday, August 21, 2008

OTTAWA - The commuter rail line discussed by mayors of communities in eastern Ontario and West Quebec has set a date for its trial run.

On Oct. 5, the mayors of Bristol, Que., Arnprior and Renfrew will join other local politicians and Ottawa Central Railway staff on a test run of the train from the Walkley railyard to Pembroke along existing OCR tracks.

The trial run is intended to expose the riders to the route and duration of the trip.
The idea of a regional rail line for commuters was first raised last June by Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien's task force on transportation. Since then, the regional mayors have been looking into the viability of a commuter rail line on their own.

[Justin10000]

What vehicles do they have to run this trial?

[Aylmer]

OOoooooooooh!

Fancy! I wanna ride!

[Rathgrith]

Originally Posted by Justin10000

What vehicles do they have to run this trial?

That's exactly what I am thinking. The Wakefield Steam train. The O-train? Mayor O'briens personal fortune? Who knows!

[Dado]

They might be able to secure an RDC or two for the test run from VIA.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Budd_Rail_Diesel_Car

The other obvious possibility is to find a couple of carriages from somewhere (again, probably VIA - shouldn't be too hard since it will be in the off-season) and hook them up to an OCR locomotive.

The spare O-Train/Talent would be a possibility in a sane world, but somehow I don't think the powers-that-be at the City will be all that enthused to see their vehicles operating on other tracks.

I would think that some kind of DMU (either something heavy like an RDC or something light like a Talent) would make the most sense to run this service unless it becomes popular enough that a locomotive+carriages set-up becomes the more economical choice.

[c_speed3108]

Alright so now we need to bring up the other runs.....

Commuter rail to Alexandria a possibility by next year
Casselman mayor has high hopes for pilot project after area leaders meet with VIA president
Laura Drake, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Friday, August 22, 2008

A pilot project that would see VIA trains taking commuters between Alexandria and Ottawa could be in place by fall 2009, the mayor of Casselman said yesterday, but any integration into Ottawa's transit system will have to wait until big questions about downtown light rail are settled.

"In the past six months we've been getting regular phone calls. They want to know when the train's going to start," said Mayor Conrad Lamadeleine. "There's hope that next year we would be experiencing a pilot project."

Mr. Lamadeleine met VIA Rail president Paul Côté in Montreal yesterday, along with Ottawa Mayor Larry O'Brien and Smiths Falls Mayor Dennis Staples, to discuss regional commuter rail using VIA's property.

"VIA made it very clear that they wanted to work with us to look at the capacity of the current system to host some additional ridership," Mr. Staples said.

The idea of a regional rail service built mostly on existing tracks was sparked by a recommendation last summer by the mayor's task force on transportation. Discussions about the system were furthered at a regional mayors' meeting hosted by Mr. O'Brien in June.

The rail line from Alexandria in the east has scheduled improvements such as installing a passing track at Carlsbad Springs that should make a pilot project possible by 2009, Mr. Lamadeleine said. The village mayor estimated that as many as 1,000 people would use the service that would terminate at Ottawa's main VIA station.

A pilot project for the commuter rail to the south of Ottawa is further down the line. Mr. Staples said Smiths Falls will start work immediately to identify what the exact need would be for the service, though he's certain it will be welcome.

"We have a number of people in our community who would be happy to use a line from our city through to the Fallowfield station," he said.

Mr. O'Brien said he was pleased with the commitments Mr. Côté made at yesterday's meeting, which included integrating OC Transpo's planned SmartCard payment system into any future commuter rail.

"We agreed that that once (Ottawa's transit) system has been approved by council we would see what integration would be needed to ensure that the systems work together," he said.

The City of Ottawa has decided on a $4-billion transit plan that includes a tunnel in the downtown core and expanding rail to the east, west and south. However, city council has not yet decided in what order the features of the plan will be built.

Bay Councillor Alex Cullen, who chairs the city's transit committee, said he expects discussion of the new rapid transit system to dominate this fall's public consultations on the city's transportation master plan, which were announced yesterday.

"I don't want to call (light rail) the elephant in the room, because everyone knows about it," he said, adding that issues such as cycling, walking and roads should all be addressed at the meetings.

Mr. Cullen said he expects city staff will unveil several possible schedules for building the transit system on Sept. 9, before the public consultations take place. He said he presumes most of those options will see the downtown tunnel built first, but after that there are many possibilities.

Council is set to vote on an implementation plan on Nov. 26.

- - -

Transportation Master Plan Public Consultations

Thursday, Sept. 11

City Hall Rotunda

110 Laurier Ave. West

Monday, Sept. 15

Jim Durrell Recreation Centre

1265 Walkley Rd.

Tuesday, Sept. 16

Bob MacQuarrie Recreation Complex

1490 Youville Dr.

Thursday, Sept. 18

Glen Cairn

50 Castlefrank Rd.

Monday, Sept. 22

Nepean Sportsplex, Salon A

1701 Woodroffe Ave.


© The Ottawa Citizen 2008

and maybe a tourist train for good measure....

Hawkesbury mayor makes pitch for operating steam train in Eastern Ontario
Charlebois seeks investors to buy grounded Wakefield train to boost area's economy
Dave Rogers, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Friday, August 22, 2008

The mayor of Hawkesbury wants investors to operate the Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield steam train in Eastern Ontario to create a "motor of economic development" for the town.

Mayor Jeanne Charlebois met André Groulx, the train operator, earlier this week to discuss operating the train on the track that carries Ottawa Central Railway freight and Via Rail passenger trains.

She has also consulted Ottawa Central Railway officials about the possibility, she said.

Mrs. Charlebois said the train could stop in L'Orignal, Hawkesbury, Vankleek Hill and at the Glengarry Highland Games in Maxville.

The steam train has been parked since May, when a landslide near the track forced the business to close. Since then, the owners of the train have put the operation up for sale and say they have received half a dozen interesting offers. The asking price is $2.5 million.

Mr. Groulx, who has run the train for his father-in-law, Jean Gauthier, for 14 years, said he will probably have to sell the train to a buyer from the U.S. or somewhere else in Canada. He added he has two serious offers from buyers who want to operate the train outside the Outaouais.

The three municipalities that own the tracks for the Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield steam train have rejected an offer from a buyer interested in operating the train in the Outaouais, increasing the chances that the train will leave the region.

"We are trying to find business people or investors in the Ottawa-Gatineau region who would be interested in buying the train because there is a track here," Mrs. Charlebois said. "It would be better if the train stayed in the region instead of going elsewhere in Canada or to the United States."

Mrs. Charlebois said the train could run on CN Rail and Via Rail track to the Glengarry Highland Games in Maxville and to Limoges 35 kilometres east of Ottawa, which will be the location of the $50-million Valcartier Village Vacations water park. (CN owns some of the rail lines that carry VIA trains.)

"Can you imagine going from Hawkesbury to the Tulip Festival by steam train for the day and then returning home?" Mrs. Charlebois asked.

"The train could eventually travel between Montreal and Ottawa if Via Rail agreed.

"This would be an extraordinary asset for our region in tourism and economic development, creating 100 jobs over six months of the year. It would be a natural link to all the attractions in our area. We could even have special trains for Halloween and Christmas."


© The Ottawa Citizen 2008

[Aylmer]

Woah!

[lrt's friend]

September 10, 2008

Pembroke kicks in cash for commuter trainCity to pay share of trial run for Valley-to-Ottawa route
By STEPHEN UHLER, Sun Media



PEMBROKE - The City of Pembroke is willing to pay up to $1,500 to take part in the trial run of a commuter train between the Upper Ottawa Valley and Ottawa.

The Oct. 5 trial, will see a group of community leaders from Renfrew and Pontiac Counties take a train ride between Ottawa and Beachburg and back, to test the viability of a regular commuter route.

The $10,000 cost of the trip is being split between the Pontiac and Renfrew County, which will each kick in $5,000. Each county in turn will be asking participating municipalities to help out. "There is no budget for this," Pembroke Deputy Mayor Les Scott said. "Our cost could be anywhere from $700 to $800 all the way up to $1,200, depending on who else joins in."

Although the trial run does not run as far as Pembroke, Scott said this is only designed to see how practical the idea of a regular commuter run would be. If successful, the route could be expanded to include Pembroke -- which would also open up the Petawawa region.

"This will indicate if it is worth doing at all, and if it will provide good service to the people of this area," he said.

Coun. Cheryl Lowe said a train route would be beneficial, as it is no longer convenient to get to Ottawa by bus.

"A lot of seniors are unable to drive to Ottawa," she said, so this is a worthwhile idea to investigate.

A regional commuter train was first proposed by Ottawa mayor Larry O'Brien, and since then has grabbed the imaginations of councils and economic development groups on both the Ontario and Quebec sides of the Ottawa River.

The Pontiac Community Futures Development Corporation based out of Shawville is a strong backer of regional rail.

The group has been behind a proposal to have the commuter train weave between the provinces to cover sections of both the Pontiac and Renfrew County.

In Renfrew County, Whitewater Region has been strongly supportive of the concept, with councillors seeing great opportunity and potential benefits for the municipality. Joining in to explore the idea is Renfrew, Arnprior, Pembroke and communities within the Pontiac including Bristol.

The train leaves Ottawa at 10 a. m. Oct. 5, heads to Beachburg and returns to Ottawa by 4 p. m.

.

[waterloowarrior]

CN buys Ottawa rail line
By Ottawa Business Journal Staff
Mon, Nov 3, 2008 5:00 PM EST


Ottawa Business Journal
The Ottawa Central Railway is among four properties that Montreal-based railway giant CN is buying from the Quebec Railway Corp. (QRC) for $49.8 million.

CN said today it has acquired three principal railway subsidiaries of the QRC, along with a rail-freight ferry operation, giving CN back the 540 track miles of rail line it formerly owned in eastern Ontario, eastern Quebec and northern New Brunswick, as well as a ferry service on the St. Lawrence River in eastern Quebec.

CN had sold the rail lines to QRC in the lates 1990s and has held a minority equity interest in the ferry operation since its startup in 1975, the company said.

The OCR runs between Coteau, Que., where it interchanges with CN, and Pembroke Ont., as well as serving Hawkesbury. Between Coteau and Ottawa, the OCR operates over VIA Rail trackage.

The other properties CN is buying are the Chemin de fer de la Matapedia et du Golfe, which has 221 miles of track from Quebec to New Brunswick, the 196-mile-long New Brunswick East Coast Railway, and the Compagnie de gestion de Matane Inc., which provides shuttle boat-rail freight service on the St. Lawrence River between Matane and Baie-Comeau, Que.

CN said it will be investing in the properties over the next three years to upgrade their rail lines and replace their existing locomotive fleet with "more modern motive power."

[eemy]

The article is correct, but the map is rather deceptive. My understanding is that VIA owns the tracks from Smith Falls, ON to Coteau, QC.

[waterloowarrior]

yeah I think the map includes track that the railway has some kind of right to use, not necessarily owns

[ikerrin]

I think that the whole press release is incorrect, it doesn't say anything about buying the track to ensure that it doesn't fall into passengers hands.

[Deez]

This is quite the longshot, but does anybody think this might be a signal that CN believes it could operate a profitable passenger rail service some time in the near-ish future?

My understanding (though not backed up with any significant research) is that a good chunk of Via's unprofitability stems from having to pay CN and CP to use their tracks for passenger rail. Passenger rail service run by the actual owner of the tracks wouldn't have to worry about these fees and could run at a much higher level of service if the demand is there. That said, there are a wackload of capital and maintenance issues associated with starting a passenger railway, and without a reliable market, it doesn't seem likely to happen any time soon.

But a man can dream.

[c_speed3108]

Originally Posted by Deez

This is quite the longshot, but does anybody think this might be a signal that CN believes it could operate a profitable passenger rail service some time in the near-ish future?

My understanding (though not backed up with any significant research) is that a good chunk of Via's unprofitability stems from having to pay CN and CP to use their tracks for passenger rail. Passenger rail service run by the actual owner of the tracks wouldn't have to worry about these fees and could run at a much higher level of service if the demand is there. That said, there are a wackload of capital and maintenance issues associated with starting a passenger railway, and without a reliable market, it doesn't seem likely to happen any time soon.

But a man can dream.

I can't see CN being interested in passenger service as such, but if it looks like the track might have a larger customer base than it becomes a good buy since the revenue might increase.

[c_speed3108]

Rural transit is growing...

This is a bit like Clarence-Rockland Transit...it will be called "Transit Eastern Ontario".... http://www.teo-eot.ca/

Major expansion to Glengarry-to-Ottawa Bus Service

By DAVID NESSETH, Sun Media

CORNWALL - A North Glengarry-to-Ottawa commuter bus service expected to move some 500 people a day is on the road after three years of planning.

The North Glengarry Prescott-Russell Transport Board launched the motor coach network this week in St-Albert, St-Isidore and Maxville at Highland Rd. near Highway 417. The villages of Casselman, Limoges and Crysler benefit from upgrades to existing services.

Board members and 417 Bus Lines representatives were on some of the first buses out to provide information, answer questions and note any adjustments needed.

"There are still wait lists for certain runs, so we have to work on satisfying that remaining user demand," spokeswoman Mary McCuaig told reporters. "We worked very hard to set up these services but we believe that the basic framework is in place. We are open to suggestions from users for improvements with the final adjustment of schedules at the end of November."

There's already been one route change.


Route no. 556 has been extended beyond Place du Portage Phase IV to Tunney's Pasture in the morning and will start at Tunney's in the afternoon and run via Place du Portage. The board is also considering an extension to Alexandria, where there are plans to install a park-and-ride lot at the Alexandria VIA station.

The public transit system will replace routes previously operated by 417 Bus Lines, a private commuter service which carried some 350 riders each day.

Bus stop signs and shelters will be installed in the near future once the board has hired a manager for the bus service.

The new transit lines are expected to complement, not replace, a long-range plan to expand Ottawa's light rail service to North Glengarry communities like Maxville and Alexandria, said Terry Hart, the township's planning manager.

To sign up for the commuter service, call the transportation board at 1-613-764-5444 X 222

[p_xavier]

Originally Posted by c_speed3108

I can't see CN being interested in passenger service as such, but if it looks like the track might have a larger customer base than it becomes a good buy since the revenue might increase.

I can't see it either. They'd rather lease the tracks, that's where they make their money. I still find it silly that they only paid $50M for all these tracks. Which, in 30 years, will need to be rented at 10x the costs.