02-02-2009, 11:59 AM
Hi Guys,
That's what the Automobile Lobby wants you to beleive...
That's what the Bus Coach line industry wants you to beleive...
That's what the Airlines want you to beleive...
However, there is a mountian of studies sitting on Parliament Hill that all agree that High Speed Rail is feasable in the Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Windsor corridor. Not to mention a line between Edmonton and Calgary.
The Problem is that we had a prime minister who owned a large stake in a Bus Coach Line who pushed rail travel off the table. [Thanks Paul Martin]
The problem is that there isn't the political/public will to pursue High Speed Rail in Canada.
The problem is, Rome wasn't built in a day, but many people think that High Speed Rail can be built in a day.
VIA Rail asked for $$$ to improve infrastructure and the government denied it. So they asked if they could borrow money to make improvements. The government passed a bill forbidding VIA Rail to borrow money.
Recently, Canadian National improved/replaced many cross-overs between Montreal and Toronto. Bringing the allowable cross-over speed up to ~40kph. They approached VIA rail and suggested that for a little more money, the cross-overs could be replaced with ones that would allow ~75kph operating speeds.
VIA couldn't get the $$$ so they are stuck with the slower cross-over speeds.
A Parliamentary Committee was set up to deal with High Speed Rail and they set the criteria of 300kph or bust. All or nothing. Well, that's what we got: Nothing.
The regular operating speed between Montreal and Toronto is slower now that it was 20 years ago because of the traffic congestion where VIA trains have give the Right-of-way to freight and/or pass through those slow cross-overs.
Higher Speed Rail [*note: "Higher" not "High"] rail could have been achieved with those cross-overs.
Also, the countries that do have High Speed Rail didn't build it overnight. It was built in stages. The High Speed Trains in France and England, for example, are able to hit those high speeds in the open country, but they have to slow down through the cities where they have to share track with other trains on older infrastructure. The High Speed sections were built by improving sections of track, not just by creating new ROW. It was done in incrementally in stages. And even now, those trains do not travel the whole length of the line at top speed.
The Key Word in Incremental.
Think of it like a trip to Grandma's house by car...
You pull your car out of your driveway and drive along your residential street at 30-40kph until you get onto mainstreet that allows you to travel at 50-60kph in stop-and-go traffic. From there, you get onto the Freeway and you can cruise along at 80-100kph [or more] until you get close to Grandma's town, where you pull off the Freeway and onto another mainstreet. You slow down to the 50-60kph until you get to Grandma's street where you slow down again to the 30-40kph to her driveway.
High Speed Rail works the same way. It only hits top speed in the open country.
High Speed Rail has to be competitive with other mods of transportation. It doesn't have to completely out-strip it.
The focus is on travelling from down-town to down-town. It takes 4-5 hours to travel by car from Toronto to Montreal. It takes about the same amount of time by train. And, even though the flight is very short, you have to travel a distance from downtown Toronto the Pearson, and then travel from Dorval to Montreal, so it still takes 4-5 hours in total from down-town to down-town.
Constant incremental improvements in the rail infrastructure will eventually leave the other modes in the dust by cutting the trip down to 3 hours or less...
Stop throwing money at the Highways and put it towards the Railway.
No one expects VIA Rail to be able to move at 300kph any time soon, but it would be nice if they could get up to 200kph in the near future.
That's what the Automobile Lobby wants you to beleive...
That's what the Bus Coach line industry wants you to beleive...
That's what the Airlines want you to beleive...
However, there is a mountian of studies sitting on Parliament Hill that all agree that High Speed Rail is feasable in the Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Windsor corridor. Not to mention a line between Edmonton and Calgary.
The Problem is that we had a prime minister who owned a large stake in a Bus Coach Line who pushed rail travel off the table. [Thanks Paul Martin]
The problem is that there isn't the political/public will to pursue High Speed Rail in Canada.
The problem is, Rome wasn't built in a day, but many people think that High Speed Rail can be built in a day.
VIA Rail asked for $$$ to improve infrastructure and the government denied it. So they asked if they could borrow money to make improvements. The government passed a bill forbidding VIA Rail to borrow money.
Recently, Canadian National improved/replaced many cross-overs between Montreal and Toronto. Bringing the allowable cross-over speed up to ~40kph. They approached VIA rail and suggested that for a little more money, the cross-overs could be replaced with ones that would allow ~75kph operating speeds.
VIA couldn't get the $$$ so they are stuck with the slower cross-over speeds.
A Parliamentary Committee was set up to deal with High Speed Rail and they set the criteria of 300kph or bust. All or nothing. Well, that's what we got: Nothing.
The regular operating speed between Montreal and Toronto is slower now that it was 20 years ago because of the traffic congestion where VIA trains have give the Right-of-way to freight and/or pass through those slow cross-overs.
Higher Speed Rail [*note: "Higher" not "High"] rail could have been achieved with those cross-overs.
Also, the countries that do have High Speed Rail didn't build it overnight. It was built in stages. The High Speed Trains in France and England, for example, are able to hit those high speeds in the open country, but they have to slow down through the cities where they have to share track with other trains on older infrastructure. The High Speed sections were built by improving sections of track, not just by creating new ROW. It was done in incrementally in stages. And even now, those trains do not travel the whole length of the line at top speed.
The Key Word in Incremental.
Think of it like a trip to Grandma's house by car...
You pull your car out of your driveway and drive along your residential street at 30-40kph until you get onto mainstreet that allows you to travel at 50-60kph in stop-and-go traffic. From there, you get onto the Freeway and you can cruise along at 80-100kph [or more] until you get close to Grandma's town, where you pull off the Freeway and onto another mainstreet. You slow down to the 50-60kph until you get to Grandma's street where you slow down again to the 30-40kph to her driveway.
High Speed Rail works the same way. It only hits top speed in the open country.
High Speed Rail has to be competitive with other mods of transportation. It doesn't have to completely out-strip it.
The focus is on travelling from down-town to down-town. It takes 4-5 hours to travel by car from Toronto to Montreal. It takes about the same amount of time by train. And, even though the flight is very short, you have to travel a distance from downtown Toronto the Pearson, and then travel from Dorval to Montreal, so it still takes 4-5 hours in total from down-town to down-town.
Constant incremental improvements in the rail infrastructure will eventually leave the other modes in the dust by cutting the trip down to 3 hours or less...
Stop throwing money at the Highways and put it towards the Railway.
No one expects VIA Rail to be able to move at 300kph any time soon, but it would be nice if they could get up to 200kph in the near future.
Ron Wm. Hurlbut
Toronto, Ontario, Dominion of Canada
Ontario Narrow Gauge Show
Humber Valley & Simcoe Railway Blog
Toronto, Ontario, Dominion of Canada
Ontario Narrow Gauge Show
Humber Valley & Simcoe Railway Blog