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VIA Rail: New Funding

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Ottawa boosts spending to get Via Rail back on track
The Canadian Press
October 11, 2007 at 3:07 PM EDT
Toronto — The federal government is giving $691.9 million to Via Rail over five years to help refurbish passenger train service.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says the money will allow Via to provide faster, cleaner and more reliable service across Canada.

The announcement marks the first significant injection of new money to the cash-strapped Crown passenger rail corporation in years.

Mr. Flaherty announced the funding at Toronto's Union Station along with Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon and Via chairman Donald Wright.

Via receives about $170-million in annual operating subsidies from the government.

====================

Perhaps in the GTA, VIA Rail and GTTA/GO Transit should work together in investing in a passenger-only rail corridor. It would benefit both services immensely to be freed from CN Freight traffic.
 
Canada's New Government revitalizes inter-city passenger rail services in Canada


OTTAWA, Oct. 11 /CNW Telbec/ - The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister
of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, along with the Honourable Jim
Flaherty, Minister of Finance, today announced a new funding package for VIA
Rail Canada Inc., a Crown corporation, to revitalize inter-city passenger rail
services in Canada. The funding totals $691.9 million over the next five
years.
"Today, Canada's New Government is acting to provide faster, cleaner,
more frequent and reliable passenger rail service across Canada," said
Minister Cannon. "The corridor between Quebec City and Windsor has the largest
passenger volumes and will benefit from infrastructure improvements that will
make the entire passenger rail system more efficient and accessible."
"VIA Rail has a proud legacy of serving Canadians, and our government is
taking steps to make this wonderful service even better," added Minister
Flaherty. "We are launching the largest capital program in VIA Rail's history.
It will allow for the renewal of VIA Rail's fleet, the upgrading of the
existing network and it will support a stronger economy, a cleaner environment
and a safer Canada."
"I would like to thank the Government of Canada for this welcome and
timely investment in VIA Rail Canada," said Donald A. Wright, VIA's chairman.
"It is an important recognition of the entire team at VIA, whose hard work
over the past decade has earned VIA solid marks for its excellent customer
service and sound management. This investment is also recognition of the
potential of the current passenger rail service to meet the growing
transportation needs of Canadians in an environmentally responsible, efficient
and cost-effective manner."
This new investment addresses VIA Rail's capital needs, ensuring that its
current network and service levels are sustainable into the future.
Of the total funding package, $516 million in capital funds will be
allocated over five years for infrastructure improvements and equipment
refurbishments, beginning in 2007. This investment will be targeted towards:

<<
- fleet renewal, through refurbishment of the F40 locomotives and Light,
Rapid and Comfortable (LRC) passenger cars;
- strategic infrastructure improvements to eliminate bottlenecks in the
Quebec City -Windsor corridor; and
- station refurbishments.

The equipment refurbishment will also help improve the company's
environmental performance through increased fuel efficiency and reduced
greenhouse gas emissions per passenger.
The remainder of the funding, a total of $175.9 million over five years,
will be directed towards VIA Rail's operating costs. This additional funding
is needed to sustain VIA's national network until the capital program is
completed. VIA expects to reduce its maintenance costs after the equipment is
rebuilt and to attract more passengers as it moves to provide faster, more
frequent service on its trains in the Quebec City - Windsor Corridor.
"Once the F40 locomotive rebuilding program is complete, VIA will have one
of the most fuel efficient fleets of diesel locomotives of any passenger rail
operator in North America. The locomotives will also meet the new emissions
standards set by the recent Memorandum of Understanding between the Government
of Canada and the Railway Association of Canada - which includes VIA Rail,"
concluded Minister Cannon.
Funding improvements to the national transportation system is one of
Canada's New Government's priorities for investments in infrastructure.
Through its unprecedented $33-billion Building Canada infrastructure plan, the
Government of Canada is making partnership investments to support a stronger
economy, a cleaner environment, and a more secure Canada.

VIA Rail Canada Inc., a Crown corporation, was created in 1977 to operate
Canada's national passenger rail service.

A backgrounder on the new funding is attached.

A complete shot list as well as the B-Roll is also available at:

On-Demand Coordinates/URL available from 3:00PM ET, Thursday,
October, 11, 2007

http://cnw.pondeserver.com/story_details.asp?fn=137


Backgrounder
------------
------------

NEW FUNDING FOR VIA RAIL CANADA
-------------------------------

Canada's New Government recognizes that investments are required to ensure
the long-term viability of passenger rail services and to improve VIA Rail's
financial performance.
This new funding, totalling $691.9 million, will improve the
sustainability and reliability of passenger rail services in Canada and
provide more frequent, faster, cleaner and safer services along the Quebec
City - Windsor Corridor. The proposed equipment and facilities investments,
combined with strategic infrastructure improvements, will address VIA Rail's
capital needs and improve its operational performance. The funding will allow
VIA Rail to rebuild its aging fleet of locomotives and cars, upgrade stations,
and improve strategic infrastructure to eliminate bottlenecks and enhance
capacity for faster, more frequent and reliable service.
These investments will benefit Canadians across the country. For example:

- The F40 locomotive rebuilding program will improve the reliability of
VIA services, lower maintenance costs and help to improve the company's
environmental performance through increased fuel efficiency and reduced
emissions. The rebuilt locomotives will ensure another 15 to 20 years
of service on the eastern and western transcontinental trains, on the
regional service to Gaspé (Quebec) and on remote services to such
points as Parent (Quebec), Churchill (Manitoba) and Prince Rupert
(British Columbia). They will meet the new emission standards for
railway locomotives set by the recent Memorandum of Understanding
between the Railway Association of Canada, Environment Canada and
Transport Canada.

- Light, Rapid and Comfortable (LRC) cars will have their operating
systems and interiors rebuilt. Travellers will enjoy new seats, better
lighting, computer outlets and washrooms, while VIA will lower its
maintenance costs and energy requirements, thereby saving fuel and
reducing emissions.

- Several stations across the country will be refurbished.

- Strategic infrastructure improvements, which will be spread
throughout the Quebec City - Windsor corridor, will:
- increase track capacity and alleviate bottlenecks;
- improve on-time performance;
- reduce trip times through increased speed;
- allow for more trips; and
- improve safety and reliability of service.

With a total investment of $516 million in capital planned over the next
five years, VIA Rail's passenger services will continue to bring modern,
affordable, safe and efficient travel options to Canadians.
The government will also provide VIA with $175.9 million in additional
operating funding over the next five years. While VIA Rail's annual funding
level was frozen in 1998, the effects of inflation over the past decade have
had an impact on the purchasing power of this Crown corporation and its
ability to maintain its aging fleet of locomotives and cars. Once the capital
investment program is completed, VIA will be able to operate without this
additional funding.

October 2007
 
Edit: Oh nevermind I found my answer...

I would like to hear better news than this. This is just meh whatever.
 
It's basically a scaled-back version of VIA Renaissance II. The Ren II plan would have been refurbishing of locos and rail cars, track improvements and some new equipment, basically state-of-good-repair funding and improvements to run a few more trains in the corridor, at somewhat higher speeds with fewer bottlenecks.

Ren II was the first thing that Martin cut when he took over from Chretien. I'm slightly surprised that the Conservatives have re-announced it, but I'll take it for now. The next step should be VIA-FAST, which would be more substantial improvements to trim running times on the corridor, bringing it to 120 MPH standards, not quite high speed rail, but more reliable, consistant and faster.
 
No one takes VIA Rail because it's both unreliable and incredibly expensive. Why take the train when taking a plane is less than 25% more and takes an eightth of the time?

Amtrak is also unreliable, but at least their fares are reasonable, even through relatively unpopulated areas.

Did you know that it costs $213 to take the train from Toronto to Los Angeles but $517 from Toronto to Vancouver?

I'm sorry, even if I had an extra 4 days on my trip to look at scenery, I'm still going to take WestJet instead.
 
The funding is for the corridor fleet refurbishment and some station and trackage improvements. It won't do a hell of a lot, but it might, for example, speed up the slow sections of track between Georgetown and Kitchener, with modest signalling and track improvements, or help fix bottlenecks like the ones through Coteau, Smiths Falls, Brockville, Belleville and Oshawa (where there are freight yards and delays). For real improvements, another $700 million could be spent easy - such as triple tracking some of CN's Montreal-Toronto route.

The corridor service is competitive, especially Kingston-Toronto, or London-Toronto, even downtown-downtown Montreal-Toronto if you take the 17:00 express.

The transcontinental Canadian, though is marketed heavily to tourists. I've done the trip in two segments, Toronto-Winnipeg in coach (wasn't bad for one night as the seats recline quite far, and you're free to walk around, go to the dome, and can eat a real meal), and in a sleeping berth (cheapest bed) Winnipeg-Vancouver. I could only afford to do the latter because I combined coupons with my ISIC discount at the time, and flew WestJet to Winnipeg and back from Victoria. (Amazing trip by the way)

Amtrak has less of that touristy nature for its transcon trains, but still, you can't compare the Southwest Chief or California Zephyr to the Northeast Corridor, just as you shouldn't compare the Canadian to the Windsor-Quebec Corridor.
 
I'm surprised to see no mention of refurbishing the Renaissance cars, and without more cars VIA won't be able to add any new trains. On holidays, they sell out a week in advance and don't have enough cars to add more.

I once took the Canadian from Edmonton to Vancouver with my family when I was very young. We had a pass that allowed us to travel free in coach. Unfortunately, we discovered that the coach fare was only a tiny fraction of the cost of a sleeper trip. Finally we discovered a big discount for one week, and we travelled then. It was an amazing trip. I'd love to do the whole route one day.
 
I was really lucky on my Wpg-Vcr trip back in August 2005 with the coupons I had, and the weather was wonderful (I think I still have pics from the trip online somewhere on this forum). I loved it because even travelling by myself, I was never alone. I chatted with a funny couple from Switzerland, a few American tourists (of the reserved, insightful variety) and other Canadians. I even chatted at length with a former president of the Canadian Medical Association travelling to Vancouver from his hometown of Gimli (I found out he was in town when C-GAUN landed there).

I also like spending some time in Winnipeg (I've been there twice). It's underrated as a city.

The scenery was spectacular, I love seeing the prarie transform to the central Albertan parkland, to the foothills to the mountains starting at Jasper. I almost have enough VIA points to do the trip again if I wanted.

I'd like to do one of the Amtrak transcons - probably the Southwest Chief, or even the Empire Builder.
 
This announcement is so Mickey Mouse. Whatever happened to high-speed rail service between Quebec City and Windsor? We should at least have it between Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa. I'd also heard the Alberta government was considering high-speed rail between Calgary and Edmonton. I guess we have to settle yet again for mediocrity. Europe and South-east Asia are light years ahead on this. Even the U.S. has fairly high-speed service between New York, D.C. and Philadelphia.
 
gibsonm said:
Even the U.S. has fairly high-speed service between New York, D.C. and Philadelphia.
Click to expand...

Actually, the high speed service in the Boston-NYC-Washington corridor is not that much of an improvement over the service we have in Windsor-Quebec.

Due to constraints with the track, power supply and regulations, the Acela trains can do the entire trip from Washington to Boston in 6 hours and 36 minutes, which averages to 109 km/h. The fastest portion of the trip, from Washington to New York, is covered in 2 hours and 48 minutes, averaging a speed of 143 km/h.

Via Rail Canada’s train 66, the express train from Toronto to Montreal (stopping at both Montreal’s Central Station and Dorval station) covers the 520 km between the two cities in 3 hours and 44 minutes, averaging 142 km/h, only 1 km/h slower than it’s high speed brother.

Granted, Acela has some stops along the way whereas Via's 66 doesn't. But Via is still not that bad. I'd love to see true high-speed rail, but in the absence of that, a few more express trains at more convienent times, and I think that Via between Montreal-Toronto is a real competitor to flying.
 
Actually, the high speed service in the Boston-NYC-Washington corridor is not that much of an improvement over the service we have in Windsor-Quebec.

Due to constraints with the track, power supply and regulations, the Acela trains can do the entire trip from Washington to Boston in 6 hours and 36 minutes, which averages to 109 km/h. The fastest portion of the trip, from Washington to New York, is covered in 2 hours and 48 minutes, averaging a speed of 143 km/h.

Via Rail Canada’s train 66, the express train from Toronto to Montreal (stopping at both Montreal’s Central Station and Dorval station) covers the 520 km between the two cities in 3 hours and 44 minutes, averaging 142 km/h, only 1 km/h slower than it’s high speed brother.

Granted, Acela has some stops along the way whereas Via's 66 doesn't. But Via is still not that bad. I'd love to see true high-speed rail, but in the absence of that, a few more express trains at more convienent times, and I think that Via between Montreal-Toronto is a real competitor to flying.
Click to expand...

It's not the speed of one train that matters but the frequency of the service. VIA runs 6 trains, of varying service levels, between Toronto and Montreal. To compare, Amtrak runs 46 trains on an average weekday between New York and Washington, and that does not include the even greater number of electric commuter trains that run between major cities in the corridor operated by NJ Transit, SEPTA, Marc, etc. You don't even have to rely on a schedule: a New Yorker will know that every hour, on the hour, an Acela express train will leave for Washington.
 
Via Rail across the country really does not make that much sense in the modern world...... The only real place that rail actually makes sense is between the major cities: Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, then maybe Quebec City, and Southern Ontario. The federal government will not likely push for any real improvement in service. The push for any upgrade in service would need to be done more by Ontario and Quebec. I think the only thing that makes sense, is for the federal government to transfer the rail service to the provincial governments... or a joint ontario/quebec crown corporation -- which either oversees and subsidizes or runs the rail company directly.
 
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