VIA Rail

[Streety McCarface]

We already have enough things to worry about causing delays without bringing an international border into the picture.

since when does it take 3 hours? the schedule still shows a 7:50am arrival, or a 2 hour and 31 minute trip.

Of course, it's still completely ridiculous.

And yes - the easiest thing to do is likely to just open the Whirlpool bridge to pedestrians. The Niagara Falls Amtrak station is 600m away from the Niagara Falls GO Station - running the train across seems silly if it's just going to that one stop. Let people cross the border on their own time and board on the Canadian side. If they want they can park in the Amtrak lot and walk across the bridge.

I wouldn't mind a more frequent type of service to Buffalo beyond the once a day Maple Leaf service today, but there's a lot that needs to happen first to make that more realistic. Better travel times, etc. Maybe once all the Niagara GO expansion construction finishes up. VIA / Amtrak would likely be a better fit to operate it anyway - it wouldn't really be a commuter type service.

Because GO is seen (from afar) as expansion friendly, whereas there isn't a hope in hell of Amtrak or VIA boosting service on that route.

The proponent (Niagara Falls NY mayor) hasn't done any deep analysis, but is a good strategist. Niagara Falls invested in a new rail station in the belief that it would be good economic development. Now the mayor is turning over rocks looking for ways to build that rail traffic. There's no down side to asking. It helps if you don't let the specific facts of what GO has done get in the way (a train leaving Niagara Falls NY at zero-dark-hundred isn't going to help them any, but with further GO expansion, it might).

And, while there are logistical/institutional barriers, it's a dirt cheap idea. The added route distance is a mere 2,300 feet, and the track is in place. They already have the customs facilities roughed into their station. Sometimes our "can't be done" attitude gets in the way.

Extension to Buffalo is a bit more effort, but not impossible.

And yeah, it's a Regional service not a commuter service, but a rose by any other name can be a GO train.

- Paul

I don't even get the controversy over the idea, it's literally a suggestion that would make traveling to the states a bit easier with little to no capital and operating expenses. It's also passenger friendly since you don't have to walk over the bridge and preclearance would enable travelers to save a lot of time, though, If they expand on this idea, it shouldn't be a double decker GO Train, the whole Niagara extension should not be double decker go trains.

Electrify the UPX as soon as possible and use the DMUs from there between Aldershot and Niagara Falls all day. It's a regional transit line with commuter capabilities.

 

[littlewill1166]

I was on one of the trains that was caught up in the delays caused by the accident. Any word on what this mysterious debris was? Somehow something caused a fuel leak and smashed windows.

Might be a tie plate according to this. https://www.todaysnorthumberland.ca...-believed-to-be-cause-of-damage-to-via-train/

 

[lenaitch]

Might be a tie plate according to this. https://www.todaysnorthumberland.ca...-believed-to-be-cause-of-damage-to-via-train/

Only partially instructive. The article says "tie plates" (plural) being found scattered. Loose plates placed on the rails? I'll wait for the TSB report. There was debris damage that resulted in criminal charges several years ago in the same general area (can't recall; Brighton, Trenton, etc.). Maybe it's a local thing.

 

[littlewill1166]

Only partially instructive. The article says "tie plates" (plural) being found scattered. Loose plates placed on the rails? I'll wait for the TSB report. There was debris damage that resulted in criminal charges several years ago in the same general area (can't recall; Brighton, Trenton, etc.). Maybe it's a local thing.

Someone on twitter said that track maintenance crews left tools on the tracks, but that doesn't make sense because it was a J-train and 62 the leading train was undamaged while 52 the train behind was. It seems like VIA has to reshuffle its trains because of what happened though. I've gotten 5 emails saying that my seat assignment was being changed on various trains since Saturday.

 

[reaperexpress]

I must be missing something here, but are you proposing northbound Barrie-Utopia-MacTier to Parry Sound? But not southbound (to avoid the wyeing issue)? If that's the case (which also bypasses Washago northbound), why not just use CP MacTier all the way to Parry Sound since a unidirectional link to Barrie isn't much use to anyone?

In my defence, I did allude to the fact that it's a dubious idea due given that unidirectional service to Barrie (or Washago) isn't much use to anyone. But yes, I did say northbound only on GO Newmarket, southbound still on CN Bala to avoid the wyeing issue and the whole kerfuffle at Snider diamond. I guess I was thinking that the Newmarket Sub is probably a fair bit faster than the MacTier sub, and Metrolinx would be a much friendlier landlord to VIA than CP would, especially in the vicinity of CP's key Vaughan Intermodal terminal.

 

[reaperexpress]

Continued from GO Transit Service Thread: Discussion about track routings and whether Malton should be dropped from VIA 87 (WB Toronto-Sarnia)

You'd think it would! But no, apparently they haven't seized this opportunity. The 17:40 VIA uses the north track and catches up to the 17:27 GO before Wice, only reaching Malton around 18:02 and passing the GO at or sometimes after Bramalea. The track assignments west of there are the same as before the changes, with VIA on the south and GO on the north track up to Georgetown. To overtake the GO before Halwest the VIA would have to use the southernmost track through Toronto, and to avoid a conflict with an eastbound UPE at Wice it'd have to leave 2-3 minutes earlier. And then it'd have to leave Brampton a little earlier if GO and VIA are to use the same track from Bramalea to Mount Pleasant, otherwise the GO would be delayed by 1-2 min entering Brampton.

I don't think VIA would need to use the southernmost track through Toronto, because there's a switch just west of Wice where the westbound GO 209 could pull out of the way onto track 2 without conflicting with the eastbound UP Express. That gives 3.2 miles (5.1 km) of parallel track for VIA 87 to overtake GO 209 before they merge back together at Halwest. If Malton Station we removed from the VIA 87 timetable, it could easily overtake the stopped GO train in that distance. And if the VIA is late, there is still the option of overtaking on the Halton sub as they did in the old schedule.

I showed the GO train pulling off at Wice so the VIA can pass through at track speed, which facilitates overtaking. Trains need to slow at Halwest regardless of their paths, so switching is not as big of a speed loss there.

 

[crs1026]

^Nitpick: currently the west end of T4 at Bramalea is a handthrow switch, so effectively it’s a stub end track. Putting in a power switch and wiring the siding as a through route would be a very easy and desirable upgrade.

If VIA got its head around not using its current routing (north track at Brampton, south track at Georgetown) CN might be appeased somewhat. VIA can follow GO on the same path, the headways are favourable and its schedule is not critical given that 87 plods the rest of the way to London.

- Paul

 

[Streety McCarface]

^Nitpick: currently the west end of T4 at Bramalea is a handthrow switch, so effectively it’s a stub end track. Putting in a power switch and wiring the siding as a through route would be a very easy and desirable upgrade.

If VIA got its head around not using its current routing (north track at Brampton, south track at Georgetown) CN might be appeased somewhat. VIA can follow GO on the same path, the headways are favourable and its schedule is not critical given that 87 plods the rest of the way to London.

- Paul

But does metrolinx have the resources to replace that switch within a week and a half?

 

[crs1026]

But does metrolinx have the resources to replace that switch within a week and a half?

Heh. Nope. Some engineering is involved, and then some field construction. "Simple" only relative to bigger stuff.

- Paul

 

[steveintoronto]

Just tripped across this reading another article at the Times-Colonist:

13 capital region mayors urge B.C. to act on commuter rail for E&N line
Bill Cleverley / Times Colonist
FEBRUARY 7, 2019 06:00 AM

[...pic removed for brevity of post characters...]
Immediate action is needed to get passenger trains running on the E&N Rail line between Langford and Victoria, the region’s 13 mayors say in an appeal to Premier John Horgan for funding in the upcoming provincial budget.
“The E&N — along with the addition of rapid bus lanes on Highway 1 — will provide significant environmental benefits including a reduction in [greenhouse gases] and will relieve regional gridlock,” the 13 mayors say in open letters to the premier and to Transportation Minister Claire Trevena.

“We call on you to commit to both in this February’s budget. This region needs your leadership and we are here as mayors to support you and stand with you as you make these important investments in our region,” the letters say.

Once the rail line between Langford and Victoria is addressed, the mayors recommend a phased approach for the rest of the line on Vancouver Island “that honours the wishes of First Nations along the corridor.”

The letters note that there was overwhelming support at a December E&N stakeholder meeting for rail on the corridor “to ease traffic congestion and boost economic development.”

View Royal Mayor David Screech called the transportation investments “overdue” and said the unanimity of the 13 mayors signifies the importance of the issue.

“I think this is the first time that I can ever recall all 13 mayors signing a letter on any issue to the province, and I hope the province interprets that as how seriously we mean this,” Screech said.

“Everyone agrees there’s congestion between downtown and the West Shore and, therefore, between the West Shore and the Peninsula. So the call is not just for the train,” said Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps.

Improving transportation will bring many benefits, she said. “It’s going to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It’s going to reduce congestion. It’s going to make the economy better. It’s going to give people more time at home with their families,” Helps said.

In a statement, Trevena said reconciliation and partnership with First Nations are key in any decision around future use of the E&N corridor.

https://www.timescolonist.com/news/...-act-on-commuter-rail-for-e-n-line-1.23626082

See also:
Island Corridor Foundation: E&N Rail line is not dead yet

Bill Cleverley / Times Colonist
JANUARY 2, 2019 06:00 AM
https://www.timescolonist.com/news/...tion-e-n-rail-line-is-not-dead-yet-1.23570436

 

[reaperexpress]

If VIA got its head around not using its current routing (north track at Brampton, south track at Georgetown) CN might be appeased somewhat. VIA can follow GO on the same path, the headways are favourable and its schedule is not critical given that 87 plods the rest of the way to London.

I don't agree that 87's schedule is irrelevant, but that's exactly the change they need to do. And dropping the Georgetown stop would have an even greater effect, giving VIA the flexibility to use either track based on rail traffic rather than being forced to merge across all the other tracks to get from the south-side Georgetown platform to the Guelph Subdivision which exits from the north side.

VIA needs to capitalize on its market advantages or it will keep being totally uncompetitive against GO and Greyhound. VIA 87 runs in the midst of a wave of GO trains from Union to Kitchener, which have cheaper tickets useable on multiple departures so VIA simply cannot compete as a regional rail service. But with fewer stops, VIA could be an attractive premium express service relative to GO. Combined with the 5-minute improvement from in-progress track upgrades in Guelph, dropping Malton and Georgetown stops would allow VIA 87 to run a 90-minute schedule from Toronto to Kitchener, which is consistently faster than driving:

 

[BurlOak]

Someone on twitter said that track maintenance crews left tools on the tracks, but that doesn't make sense because it was a J-train and 62 the leading train was undamaged while 52 the train behind was. It seems like VIA has to reshuffle its trains because of what happened though. I've gotten 5 emails saying that my seat assignment was being changed on various trains since Saturday.

No new information on what happened?

 

[WillTo]

I had a weird experience yesterday.
Was riding train 69 from Montreal to Toronto. It was an LRC. Approached my seat 8C and was surprised to see it was in a quad. Eventually there are 3 of us single passengers in the quad and we get chatting about how it was kinda crowded and we'd prefer if one set of seats was rotated. Thankfully the onboard staff were able to rotate 8 C/D. They did it for 8 A/B as well. One lady was very thankful that someone had asked because she didn't even know it was possible. In looking at the seat map, the seats were not supposed to be in quads in the first place. Rows 9 and 10 are supposed to form quads and I can tell that there is a wider gap between them to allow this more comfortably.

 

[Streety McCarface]

Yesterday, I saw an F40PH leading a Sarnia Bound train at Kitchener. Was there an equipment swap recently? I've only ever seen Genesis locos on that line.

 

[reaperexpress]

Yesterday, I saw an F40PH leading a Sarnia Bound train at Kitchener. Was there an equipment swap recently? I've only ever seen Genesis locos on that line.

No it's normal to have F40's on the line: