VIA Rail

[lrt's friend]

Imo the most interesting potential use of the CP row is the installation of VIA owned rails along it to enable a shorter route from Vaudreuil to casselman/maxville or debeaujeu with a potential 200kph speed. However, this benefit seems like it would likely be less significant removing bottlenecks at the flat junctions been dorval and gare centrale.

Just to clarify that VIA also owns the former CP Shortline ROW between Rigaud and Ottawa and this was reserved for potential future HSR service. This was formerly used for CP transcontinental service between Montreal and Ottawa.

 

[lenaitch]

Respectfully, we will disagree, as we so often do.

First off, I specifically noted TFSA is a tax shelter (income generated inside them is not taxable), not that its a deduction/credit, so there was no need to correct my accurate statement.

Second........as someone who its fair to say is 'comfortable', I pay well less as a % of income on my tax than the sticker rate.

Its not a percent or two less.........its a lot less.

If your paying more, fire your accountant.

I would strongly advocate for a zero-deduction model, where 100% of income is taxed identically; but with a higher tax-free exemption and a lower rate structure; albeit, I'd be content to see more revenue collected as well.

At the risk of furthering this tangent, my dad was an accountant and a bit of packrat. After he passed and we were clearing out his house, I found tax returns dating back to the late'40s/early '50s. Back then, the entire return, including the tax tables, was four pages.

Yes, buying up the GEXR line and creating HFR there to London through Kitchener (and utilizing the Metrolinx improvements)

Buying anything assumes a willing seller unless folks are considering expropriation.

 

[roger1818]

Just to clarify that VIA also owns the former CP Shortline ROW between Rigaud and Ottawa and this was reserved for potential future HSR service. This was formerly used for CP transcontinental service between Montreal and Ottawa.

Currently yes, but there is talk of the United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR) purchasing it for continued use as a recreational trail. The lease of the trail was extended until June 30, 2021 and further extended until August 31, 2021 during discussions.

 

[crs1026]

Via Rail’s new plan is bold but can be even better​

Collenette weighs in.


- Paul

 

[Northern Light]

Via Rail’s new plan is bold but can be even better​

- Paul

To sum up the article................"I want HSR"

That's pretty much it.

 

[roger1818]

To sum up the article................"I want HSR"

That's pretty much it.

He does like the electrification part of the plan though. If Collenette wants HSR so much, why didn't he fund it in the 6 years he was Transportation Minister?

The problem with an HSR focused plan is it targets the Airline's tiny market share in the corridor and ignores the massive market share the automobile has. HSR is fine for what it does, but we can't ignore conventional intercity rail service.

 

[Northern Light]

He does like the electrification part of the plan though. If Collenette wants HSR so much, why didn't he fund it in the 6 years he was Transportation Minister?

An excellent question. He was a proponent of investing in VIA, at least publicly, but he never did seem to be able to get cabinet on board.

The problem with an HSR focused plan is it targets the Airline's tiny market share in the corridor and ignores the massive market share the automobile has. HSR is fine for what it does, but we can't ignore conventional intercity rail service.

I would disagree in as much as I would write the statement this way.........

The problem with an HSR focused plan is that its not going to happen right now, and the higher price tag risks deferring or nixing all together any meaningful improvement.

*****

I'm a proponent of HSR, but I will file this under 'down payment' or 'phase 1' or w/e and say lets get this done then push for incremental upgrades to HSR over time.

But lets not make the perfect the enemy of the good.

 

[kEiThZ]

The La Presse article said the minimum is 100 minutes not 90 minutes. Current best scheduled time from Dorval to Central is 17 minutes ... hopefully they can knock it to 15 with the new track through Turcot and some switch/track upgrades from St-Henri into Central. That would make Dorval to Ottawa 85 minutes not 60 minutes!

Honestly doesn't change much. It's the substantially improved convenience that will make Dorval a really solid option. Even if it is 85 mins. And that should help the competitive pressure on Air Canada and Westjet at YOW, especially with international travel where Ottawa residents often have to backtrack to Toronto anyway.

Heck, I hope airlines start codesharing with VIA from Ottawa. Lufthansa, Air France and KLM used to run buses from Dorval to Tremblay station. With HFR and REM they can simply help passengers make an easy connection.

 

[robmausser]

Just a bit of an aside question with all this 200kmh talk: The new Siemens trains can do 200 kmh. Are there any areas on the current corridor that are rated for those speeds?

How fast can the new Siemens trains go on the existing lines?

I know some areas had 100MPH postings for the LRCs... is that still the limit? Or are there places rated for 177kmh or even 200kmh on the CN track.

Any ability to play "catch up" after being stuck behind freight will be a nice addition.

 

[roger1818]

Just a bit of an aside question with all this 200kmh talk: The new Siemens trains can do 200 kmh. Are there any areas on the current corridor that are rated for those speeds?

How fast can the new Siemens trains go on the existing lines?

I know some areas had 100MPH postings for the LRCs... is that still the limit? Or are there places rated for 177kmh or even 200kmh on the CN track.

Any ability to play "catch up" after being stuck behind freight will be a nice addition.

The highest track class Transport Canada lists on their website is Class 5, which has a maximum speed of 95 mph, with an exemption of 100 mph for LRCs. I would hope that the chargers would be able to receive the same exemption, but AFAIK, there is no track with higher classes of track in Canada. LRCs were designed for higher speeds, but their speed was limited to reduce track wear.

 

[rbt]

To sum up the article................"I want HSR"

That's pretty much it.

He was in a position to have made that a reality. He gets a bit of credit for reversing the trend of funding cuts.

 

[kEiThZ]

The problem with an HSR focused plan is it targets the Airline's tiny market share in the corridor and ignores the massive market share the automobile has.

The bigger problem with an HSR plan is the price tag makes it dead on arrival. Collenette should know that better than anybody else.

If the Liberals announced a $20B HSR plan tomorrow, most of country would have aneurysm. Even this $6-12B is getting a lot of grumbling. This is a good downpayment.

 

[Allandale25]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1413115693999001607

 

[kingkam]

regardless we won't get this right period. Fluff and I'm not trying to troll.

 

[smallspy]

Just a bit of an aside question with all this 200kmh talk: The new Siemens trains can do 200 kmh. Are there any areas on the current corridor that are rated for those speeds?

No, not in Canada. At least not yet.

How fast can the new Siemens trains go on the existing lines?

The expectation is that they will be allowed to operate at LRC speeds. But that is also subject to dynamic testing.

So the reality is that we just don't know yet.

I know some areas had 100MPH postings for the LRCs... is that still the limit? Or are there places rated for 177kmh or even 200kmh on the CN track.

There is still lots of 100mph (162km/h) track not just for LRCs but now for all passenger trains. And Transport Canada did recently (-ish) make allowances for 110mph (177km/h) speeds, although there doesn't seem to be any movement afoot to actually enact those.

But acheiving 125mph (201km/h) requires another jump not just in track quality but also signalling, apparently. And the elimination of grade crossings.

Any ability to play "catch up" after being stuck behind freight will be a nice addition.

The schedules are written with an element of excess "fluff" to them - if in ideal circumstances it takes 20 minutes to travel from one station to another (plus, say, 3 minutes for the station stop itself), than rather than scheduling 23 minutes they will schedule 27 or 28. This will allow for a train that is late to make up some time if it is late.

The reality too is that the schedules used today are not even this simplistic, and take into account the daily freight schedules, track usage (crossing over from mainline-to-mainline once will cost something like 60 seconds if it is a 45mph crossover, and more if it is a slower one), meets on any single-tracked sections, and so on.

Dan