VIA Rail

[ManyQuestions]

Literally different from VIA's own website. Where is the Franco press getting all this?

Almost certainly from this morning's press conference where it seemed that maybe not everyone was fully aware of the original plan; Lebeaume repeatedly called it 'TGV'. Unfortunently I missed most of it and there doesn't seem to be a recording.

Also interestingly, via seams to be leasing part the Ottawa station to Orleans Express now for regular busses to Montreal. I'll probably try the bus alternative next week as I prefer them to via for MTL-QC due to speed and cost

Orleans Express Will Offer a Service Route Between Quebec and Ontario

/CNW Telbec/ - As of July 8, Keolis Canada's intercity transportation service – Orléans Express – will be enhanced by a daily connection linking Montreal,...

www.newswire.ca

 

[crs1026]

^I will bet a box of donuts that the “bypass” is just the existing line, and the essence of the mistranslation was simply that somebody tried to say that there would still be service on that line.
Just speculating.

- Paul

 

[Bordercollie]

But if there is a fall election and the government falls, none of this will ever get built.

 

[kEiThZ]

^I will bet a box of donuts that the “bypass” is just the existing line, and the essence of the mistranslation was simply that somebody tried to say that there would still be service on that line.
Just speculating.

- Paul

But then there's the crazy travel times that La Presse posted in their article.

 

[p_xavier]

But then there's the crazy travel times that La Presse posted in their article.

La Presse is the media I trust the most. They are usually right with their facts.

 

[Allandale25]

A hint at a Peterborough announcement?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1412522731816599559

 

[kEiThZ]

La Presse is the media I trust the most. They are usually right with their facts.

They may be right. I'd just like some explanation of those numbers. Their travel times don't add up at all. And if VIA going to running express services on Lakeshore why bother with $6-12B in spending. Something doesn't add up.

 

[crs1026]

They may be right. I'd just like some explanation of those numbers. Their travel times don't add up at all. And if VIA going to running express services on Lakeshore why bother with $6-12B in spending. Something doesn't add up.

Yeah…. putting aside the thought of express trains on the Kingston line…. , I have a hard time seeing how they would get Ottawa-Toronto all the way down to 3 hours. That’s just too ambitious for me, and we have seen a lot of noodling on those numbers here in this thread. I hope they aren’t over selling this project (while not rushing to get it going, either). I would hope this isn’t Wynne-style Liberalism at work.

The optimist in me hopes that the sudden restatement in cost from the earlier $4.5B-$5.5B to the current $6B-$12B represents an upward shift in scope. Remember the earlier leaks (attributed to Sabia, iirc) that some Cabinet Ministers wanted a more high end system? Maybe they carried the day in part, and secured a more enhanced plan that has some actual 200 km/hr construction in it.

More likely, they will do the bare-bones Phase I construction but in promoting the project they will wax poetic about what the line will look like when some notional Phase II comes along. As if it’s already here.

One tries to look for a plausible explanation, but….

- Paul

 

[innsertnamehere]

Yeah…. putting aside the thought of express trains on the Kingston line…. , I have a hard time seeing how they would get Ottawa-Toronto all the way down to 3 hours. That’s just too ambitious for me, and we have seen a lot of noodling on those numbers here in this thread. I hope they aren’t over selling this project (while not rushing to get it going, either). I would hope this isn’t Wynne-style Liberalism at work.

The optimist in me hopes that the sudden restatement in cost from the earlier $4.5B-$5.5B to the current $6B-$12B represents an upward shift in scope. Remember the earlier leaks (attributed to Sabia, iirc) that some Cabinet Ministers wanted a more high end system? Maybe they carried the day in part, and secured a more enhanced plan that has some actual 200 km/hr construction in it.

More likely, they will do the bare-bones Phase I construction but in promoting the project they will wax poetic about what the line will look like when some notional Phase II comes along. As if it’s already here.

One tries to look for a plausible explanation, but….

- Paul

given the mention of 200km/h, I suspect we are looking at a primarily new alignment between Peterborough and Smith Falls. The area is too curvy as is to really be useable, and the isolated location means a grade separated 200km/h line wouldn't be too much additional in cost over a 177km/h line as minimal grade separations are required.

That would inch up construction costs closer to that $6-12 billion number and would allow trains to clear Toronto-Ottawa much quicker.

If you could get Fallowfield-Peterborough mostly into 200km/h territory, you could theoretically clear that stretch in 1:30 or so, giving 1:30 for Peterborough through Toronto and access into Ottawa.

3 hours for Toronto-Ottawa is an average speed of 130km/h or so - fast, but not crazy if you can get a good chunk of the line up to 200km/h.

 

[crs1026]

given the mention of 200km/h, I suspect we are looking at a primarily new alignment between Peterborough and Smith Falls. The area is too curvy as is to really be useable, and the isolated location means a grade separated 200km/h line wouldn't be too much additional in cost over a 177km/h line as minimal grade separations are required.

That would inch up construction costs closer to that $6-12 billion number and would allow trains to clear Toronto-Ottawa much quicker.

If you could get Fallowfield-Peterborough mostly into 200km/h territory, you could theoretically clear that stretch in 1:30 or so, giving 1:30 for Peterborough through Toronto and access into Ottawa.

That theory also fits with a timeline that runs to 2030. It would take that extra time to build a new alignment.

I would feel a lot better with that plan ( even though it costs more) than with settling for whatever speed can be wrung out of the existing alignment. Do it right from the beginning.

- Paul

 

[nfitz]

With HFR, Dorval is now 1 hr from Ottawa. It just became Ottawa's second airport.

Currently best time is almost 90 minutes from Ottawa to Dorval. I'm hard-pressed to how you increase it much more! You'd need an average of 104 miles/hour, platform to platform.

 

[ssiguy2]

For 6-12 billion, this is pretty damn unambitious. These travel times are still ridiculous considering the money they are spending.

Also, what about London & Windsor?

 

[p_xavier]

Almost certainly from this morning's press conference where it seemed that maybe not everyone was fully aware of the original plan; Lebeaume repeatedly called it 'TGV'. Unfortunently I missed most of it and there doesn't seem to be a recording.

Also interestingly, via seams to be leasing part the Ottawa station to Orleans Express now for regular busses to Montreal. I'll probably try the bus alternative next week as I prefer them to via for MTL-QC due to speed and cost

Orleans Express Will Offer a Service Route Between Quebec and Ontario

/CNW Telbec/ - As of July 8, Keolis Canada's intercity transportation service – Orléans Express – will be enhanced by a daily connection linking Montreal,...

www.newswire.ca

Any means of transport without alcohol is meaningless in my eyes but good for you..

 

[nfitz]

Moving the existing station from St-Foy to Jean-Lesage seems an odd move (or adding a station I suppose). Presumably those in Quebec City wouldn't be using it to get to the airport, as intra-city travel is normally not allowed on VIA. And surely those near Montreal would be heading to Dorval airport Would there be that much travel from people in the Trois-Rivieres area to justify this - and where would they be heading - biggest destinations from Quebec City are Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto ... which from Trois-Rivieres may make more sense on the train!

I'm hoping that image from R-C is correct, as it would mean they are on CP tracks all the way from Dorion to Smith Falls, and make a 4-hour run to Toronto feasible. How wide is the ROW there? Is it enough to add a 3rd and perhaps 4th exclusive VIA track?

Also, what about London & Windsor?

Good question. It seems wrong to include Montreal to Quebec City, but not Toronto to at least London (with some trains carrying on existing tracks to Windsor and Sarnia).

Any means of transport without alcohol is meaningless in my eyes but good for you..

Easily solved.

 

[ShonTron]

The only thing that I find really interesting from the Radio-Canada map is how the new HFR alignment would follow CP from Dorval to De Beaujeu, rather than the existing CN route through Coteau. That would shave a few miles off the route between Ottawa and Montreal, plus potentially save on a major grade separation at the diamond at De Beaujeu.

Somehow, I doubt we'd see yet another VIA route bypassing Ottawa on the Winchester Sub, when VIA is supposed to maintain service on the Kingston Sub as well.