VIA Rail

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by acottawa

There might be a maximum transfer time in their algorithm. In most cases you would need to spend two nights in Montreal for this connection.

Which is fine, if the system said that.

Originally Posted by Urban_Sky

I‘m not sure why you get so worked up on VIA‘s admittedly ancient reservation system, when they are literally finalizing the implementation of a completely new reservation system (which is also widely used across Europe) as we speak:

https://www.sqills.com/cases/via-rail/

That is good news. Hopefully that means that I can pick 2 stations Via operates out of regardless of connections and it will tell me my options.

Originally Posted by J81

P42s are terrible. The F40s are actually in better shape since they were all completely rebuilt 10-12 years ago. They are refurbishing 40 of them to extend their lifespan so those ones arent going anywhere. The P42s are also not suitable for the long distance trains as they cannot be fed through by the 480V electrical system, meaning if you double head them only the rear locomotive will be able to provide 480v electricity to the train which is not ideal.

That helps me see what the decision will be and the reasoning.

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by Urban_Sky

I‘m not sure why you get so worked up on VIA‘s admittedly ancient reservation system, when they are literally finalizing the implementation of a completely new reservation system (which is also widely used across Europe) as we speak:

https://www.sqills.com/cases/via-rail/

Any idea if Amtrak is doing the same? It's good that VIA is doing this. Would be nice to have interlining with Amtrak improve.

[Urban_Sky]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Any idea if Amtrak is doing the same? It's good that VIA is doing this. Would be nice to have interlining with Amtrak improve.

I have unfortunately no information about what plans Amtrak has about its own redervation system, but I agree that it’s also a bit outdated, though not as much as VIA‘s…

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by Urban_Sky

I have unfortunately no information about what pland Amtrak has about its own redervation system, but I agree that it’s also a bit outdated, though not as much as VIA‘s…

Does VIA's new system plug into commercial systems like SABRE? Any idea? I assume there's a bigger motivation that just basic engine modernization.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by Urban_Sky

I have unfortunately no information about what plans Amtrak has about its own redervation system, but I agree that it’s also a bit outdated, though not as much as VIA‘s…

I would be nice if there was a more collaborative system between the 2 carriers that would be ideal. Think of it like a code share agreement with airlines.

[Urban_Sky]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

I would be nice if there was a more collaborative system between the 2 carriers that would be ideal. Think of it like a code share agreement with airlines.

Before you offer interlining, what sensible VIA-Amtrak connections exist without overnight layovers? Trains 22&33 from OTTW&QBEC to the Adirondack on weekdays or Maple Leaf to Train 79/81 towards LNDN/WDON, but neither connection works in the opposite direction. Other than that, there is only the Canadian to/from Seattle connection in Vancouver twice per week. No reservation system on this planet will solve the scarcity of interconnections&interconnectivity…

Not sure it‘s that much different with SABRE, or what operators and modes do they include…?

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by Urban_Sky

Before you offer interlining, what sensible VIA-Amtrak connections exist without overnight layovers? Trains 22&33 from OTTW&QBEC to the Adirondack on weekdays or Maple Leaf to Train 79/81 towards LNDN/WDON, but neither connection works in the opposite direction. Other than that, there is only the Canadian to/from Seattle connection in Vancouver twice per week. No reservation system on this planet will solve the scarcity of interconnections&interconnectivity…

Not sure it‘s that much different with SABRE, or what operators and modes do they include…?

I understand your point. Think of this as just making it easier. People talk of how we should have European speeds or European frequency for some or all of the lines. Maybe we start with European style of booking.

Fun fact.... The Cascades and Adirondack routes are not even listed on the Via accessible timetable list. That alone should change.

https://www.viarail.ca/en/plan/train-schedules

[swimmer_spe]

Over on the Federal government thread, there was a discussion on how the housing problem is rooted in our transportation network being subpar. It made me wonder if any of the housing problems would be solved with expanding Via. Something to dive into would be the percentage of increased population of the cities along the Corridor vs elsewhere. Looking at the 5 Prairie provinces, if the routes connecting them to each other still existed, would they have grown as much as the Corridor cities have. It is many of these unrelated things that may actually have been related to those cuts.

[Urban_Sky]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

People talk of how we should have European speeds or European frequency for some or all of the lines. Maybe we start with European style of booking.

You‘d be shocked how challenging it can be to book international connections in Europe:
https://www.railtech.com/all/2022/06...ore-difficult/

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by Urban_Sky

You‘d be shocked how challenging it can be to book international connections in Europe:
https://www.railtech.com/all/2022/06...ore-difficult/

30% failure rate is better than impossible. Book a train from Halifax to Boston... Heck, book a trip from Halifax to Vancouver without knowing or being pointed to "multi city". I do look forward to the new system for booking.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

30% failure rate is better than impossible. Book a train from Halifax to Boston... Heck, book a trip from Halifax to Vancouver without knowing or being pointed to "multi city". I do look forward to the new system for booking.

The new reservation system is still going to have algorithms that maximize the length of stopovers, etc. What you need is a travel agemt.

[Urban_Sky]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Over on the Federal government thread, there was a discussion on how the housing problem is rooted in our transportation network being subpar. It made me wonder if any of the housing problems would be solved with expanding Via. Something to dive into would be the percentage of increased population of the cities along the Corridor vs elsewhere. Looking at the 5 Prairie provinces, if the routes connecting them to each other still existed, would they have grown as much as the Corridor cities have. It is many of these unrelated things that may actually have been related to those cuts.

I struggle to recall any historic VIA schedule which would allow to commute between any two Western Canadian cities which would allow commuting without relying on accommodation in both cities. Encouraging commuting on such a rail service would exacerbate and not relieve the housing shortages in either city…

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

30% failure rate is better than impossible. Book a train from Halifax to Boston... Heck, book a trip from Halifax to Vancouver without knowing or being pointed to "multi city". I do look forward to the new system for booking.

Had you tried to actually find a way to book such a connection by booking VIA and Amtrak trains seperately, you might have realized that not even the Amtrak website is able or willing to sell you a ticket from Montreal to Boston…

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by acottawa

The new reservation system is still going to have algorithms that maximize the length of stopovers, etc. What you need is a travel agemt.

For travel within Canada on the same carrier I shouldn't need one.

Originally Posted by Urban_Sky

I struggle to recall any historic VIA schedule which would allow to commute between any two Western Canadian cities which would allow commuting without relying on accommodation in both cities. Encouraging commuting on such a rail service would exacerbate and not relieve the housing shortages in either city…

You are in Montreal. You have a business meeting in Toronto. How are you getting there? Now, lets say you are in Regina. You have a business meeting in Calgary. Do those same options exist. They are not that much different in distance.

Originally Posted by Urban_Sky

Had you tried to actually find a way to book such a connection by booking VIA and Amtrak trains seperately, you might have realized that not even the Amtrak website is able or willing to sell you a ticket from Montreal to Boston…

Well, before I mentioned that route, I tried Toronto to Miami, and I could not figure it out. I was on Amtrak's website and it told me that no route existed. Again, I can book a flight from Timmins to Kamloops on Air Canada without anything special. I can book international too if they code share. Some reasons for people using a particular service comes down to ease of booking.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

For travel within Canada on the same carrier I shouldn't need one.

If your trip requires you to book 2 nights in a hotel in either Toronto or Montreal then you probably need one. Most airlines would not book a flight with a 48 hour layover as a single trip.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Well, before I mentioned that route, I tried Toronto to Miami, and I could not figure it out. I was on Amtrak's website and it told me that no route existed. Again, I can book a flight from Timmins to Kamloops on Air Canada without anything special. I can book international too if they code share. Some reasons for people using a particular service comes down to ease of booking.

Timmins to Kamloops does not require a 48 hour layover. If the Timmons flight was twice a week and the Kamloops flight was twice a week it would probably not give you a routing.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by acottawa

Timmins to Kamloops does not require a 48 hour layover. If the Timmons flight was twice a week and the Kamloops flight was twice a week it would probably not give you a routing.

Ah, now we are getting into other issues.

Regardless, I hope this new system is more user friendly where I can put in 2 Via stations and it will do the rest.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

Ah, now we are getting into other issues.

Regardless, I hope this new system is more user friendly where I can put in 2 Via stations and it will do the rest.

It is still going to have an algorithm that will limit layovers. The last thing they want is some European tourists who doesn't know anything about Canada buying a Halifax to Vancouver ticket with a 48 hour wait in Toronto. People who want such tickets should go to travel agents where they will get hotels and other necessary bookings.

[acottawa]

Before the pandemic it was possible to go from Portugal or Scotland to Vietnam by train, but no travel site would have listed such a trip.

[swimmer_spe]

Originally Posted by acottawa

It is still going to have an algorithm that will limit layovers. The last thing they want is some European tourists who doesn't know anything about Canada buying a Halifax to Vancouver ticket with a 48 hour wait in Toronto. People who want such tickets should go to travel agents where they will get hotels and other necessary bookings.

What about us "locals"? Why not simply tell me that there is a layover of a night in a city? I am a big boy. I can book my own hotel as needed if I know it is needed. I get the challenge of out of country people, or even out of province people who do not know that big city, but for people from the area, why would it be necessary to go through a 3rd party?

Originally Posted by acottawa

Before the pandemic it was possible to go from Portugal or Scotland to Vietnam by train, but no travel site would have listed such a trip.

The website I listed back a page or so showed a way to book a trip between London and Warsaw, which has 3 trains. That would be no different than going between Vancouver and Halifax in Canada.

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by swimmer_spe

What about us "locals"? Why not simply tell me that there is a layover of a night in a city? I am a big boy. I can book my own hotel as needed if I know it is needed. I get the challenge of out of country people, or even out of province people who do not know that big city, but for people from the area, why would it be necessary to go through a 3rd party?



The website I listed back a page or so showed a way to book a trip between London and Warsaw, which has 3 trains. That would be no different than going between Vancouver and Halifax in Canada.

Locals know they can book separate legs with accommodation in between if that is a trip they really want to take.

London and Warsaw are a series of trains that have frequent service. There is no layover of more than a few hours. Also, you are looking at a third party website. If you go to the Eurostar website it won’t offer Warsaw as a destination.

Also, London and Warsaw are 1600 km apart (about Halifax to Toronto, which you can book on Via), Vancouver and Halifax are 6000 km. An equivalent 6000 km trip from London would be Tashkent, Mecca or Dakar.