but I'm convinced the fix is in.
Even though that's an emotional view, it's impossible to debase logically. It's nigh impossible to reach any other conclusion. The Ministry is not even offering words of support at this time, let alone promises of funding. VIA yet again increases ridership, and not a word from the Ministry on it.
Let the equipment age, allow it to run at capacity but prevent anything that might lead to a further uptick in demand, and defer the final stroke until some future government has to deal with it.
There may be a sliver of logic in there, grotesque as it is: No-one could then blame the Feds for 'selling off the parts of VIA they could for cheap'. What we're seeing as closely akin to a holding company buying up a promising company (at least the Corridor) and squeezing it for all it's worth until it dies, Then sell off the carcass for whatever it brings. Ostensibly 'private interest' will step in and take the parts still alive at bargain basement prices (the legal mandate will be the real prize) and fashion something world class from the Corridor, albeit it would still command a subsidy...as much provincial as federal, as it would also absorb Ontario's HSR dreams. To make this work, it's got to be a backbone from at least London in the west to Quebec City in the east. Quebec and Ontario would/could each subsidize their own portions. The model already exists in the North East Corridor in the US, and now that's being copied in the Mid-West, California and Pacific North West. "State subsidized Amtrak".
The angle for private capital? Owning the RoW and not having to tender for rolling stock. They'll use their own, and *operation* is run by VIA for the various parties. (Or more correctly, the 'spun-off Corridor VIA')
You have to a business case for privatization. What investor will take on VIA, in the disastrous state it is in now? They could start a brand new rail company with none of VIA's legacy issues, if they wanted to invest in this sector.
Completely agree with my nemesis on this one. Most of VIA is a black hole financially, but it serves an essential purpose. The Corridor is different, very different, and very ripe for investment, even if *apparently* it doesn't make a profit per-se. It can still be very financially viable in other ways.
People love to cite Japan as an example. And conveniently never talk about what made privatization possible in Japan:
Yup, Japan is not a model to be copied if you can avoid it. Japan's situation is very different though as per imperatives to move people, no matter what it costs.
And 4 of the 7 companies spun off from JNR are still owned by the state, at that.
Yeah...it's far too easy to lambaste Chinese State Enterprises (albeit other nations must be very careful dealing with them) when many 'Western' (which includes Japan) ones are just as inbred.
Interesting discussion...
The Corridor is the only one not running at a "loss".
Why is that?
How can we get the Canadian and the Ocean also not running at a "loss"
There just isn't the demand on the scale of the Corridor. This is the nub of the reason that VIA in some form must continue to exist *at a large loss* purely for the purpose of tying together the nation.
Canada was born catering to CP, and lived in suffrage of it ever since. The Corridor is an entirely different basis, and even at a slight loss, displays large gains in other ways.
The Corridor truly is a 'Loss Leader'.
Loss leader - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loss_leader
A loss leader (also leader) is a pricing strategy where a product is sold at a price below its market cost to stimulate other sales of more profitable goods or services. With this sales promotion/marketing strategy, a "leader" is used as a related term and can mean any popular article, i.e., one sold at a normal price.
