I thought only the American Congress was dumb enough to fall for this deal, under the arrangements setting up AMTRAK the passenger trains frequently share tracks with CONRAIL (freight rail) and freight trains get priority. We’re at least building bridges and finally adding track to deal with the worst bottlenecks.
I get what you’re saying. Though I’m a bit confused about the “CONRAIL” reference. Conrail was broken up in 1999, 42% of it going to CSX and the remainder (58%) going to Norfolk Southern. There is what is known as “Conrail Shared Assets,” but I doubt this is what you’re alluding to here.
Reading this after doing HSR from Taipei City to Kaohsiung (~350km) in 1hr 34mins this morning, operating absolutely bang to schedule ... with trains every 10 minutes, and fares around CAD$60 that you can buy right up until departure ... and it's pitiful what Canada can deliver.
Same for the U.S. We took the train out west on vacation a few years ago. Arrived in Flagstaff in the middle of the night, hours late, and had to wake my son from sound sleep and walk to the hotel in the dark. We had no place to be so it was a little fun and surreal, but also totally unacceptable.
It’s actually astonishing something so dysfunctional can continue to exist. I love trains and wished they worked, but It’s just an embarrassment.
I was on the 8:30 train to Ottawa that morning, and since our accumulated delay was ONLY 3hrs 55 minutes, not strictly 4, we only got 50% credit for it. I take the train about once a month, and this was the FOURTH one in the past year that was over 3 hours late. I have train brain, too, and I don't drive. But it's just not a serious option any longer when there is a deadline. The Megabus and the new Flixibus are much more reliable, and usually cheaper.
NOTE, HOWEVER, that you don't actually have to take the same route to get that credit. The way they describe it as "for this train only" makes it sound that way, but it turns out what they mean is that you don't get credit for any connecting train (even if you miss it). You can trade in that credit for any VIA train. OR for points, if you have their loyalty program. (Which is much less useful than it was until the revamp last year, but is still worthwhile. Points don't expire.)
I hope you can make use of the credit some time when you're in no hurry!
I admit that I still get a little thrill when a train starts moving, and when the food arrives on a business-class splurge trip, I feel like royalty. There's really a lot they get RIGHT at VIA--in general I find the staff exceedingly helpful, and the experience of travelling with her elderly mother, who needs a walker, was surprisingly good. It's political will to treat rail as a serious part of the nation's transportation that's missing. I therefore have very low hopes for the new high-speed trains; they'll have their own tracks, but the same governmental attitudes will oversee the project.
The crazy part is that flying from Centre Island to YOW is probably the same in terms of carbon emissions as taking the train, because Porter flies propeller planes (or they did last time I checked about 8 years ago).
Around 1950 and again in 1953, as a ypung kid, my sister, mother and I, minus my Dad, who was still in Germany; traveled by train, the straight through Sant Fe EXpress, from New York City to San Francisco, complete with sleepng cars and formal dining cars:
7 days of traveling across the US by train - it was great both times.
My business partner in Switzerland is alwasy cell-phoning me from the electrified high-speed expresses they have in Europe; and we've figured out how to self-power Magnevs when the train people get their heads out of a certain orifice.
The change that has to be realized -- is that you can't mix feight and hi-speed passenger trains on the same track system.
Europe learned that decades ago.
We in the US, and it sounds like in Canada - have yet to learn that lesson.
I used to take Voyageur/Orléans busses in the Ottawa-Québec corridor and it was cheaper and more frequent. Then COVID happened and the inter-city bus choices are dismal compared to pre-2020.
With the price of new automobiles now, I wonder if the busses will become more popular. There is an alternative for me with Communauto in Ottawa, but I am not aware of such a service elsewhere in Ontario.
Thoughts on the Alto HSR that’s in the works? For some reason my Facebook algorithm has decided to flood my feed with angry people worried about expropriations, saying it will be too expensive, no one will use it, etc.
I thought only the American Congress was dumb enough to fall for this deal, under the arrangements setting up AMTRAK the passenger trains frequently share tracks with CONRAIL (freight rail) and freight trains get priority. We’re at least building bridges and finally adding track to deal with the worst bottlenecks.
I get what you’re saying. Though I’m a bit confused about the “CONRAIL” reference. Conrail was broken up in 1999, 42% of it going to CSX and the remainder (58%) going to Norfolk Southern. There is what is known as “Conrail Shared Assets,” but I doubt this is what you’re alluding to here.
So I’m out of date, I never hear their whistles where I live
Reading this after doing HSR from Taipei City to Kaohsiung (~350km) in 1hr 34mins this morning, operating absolutely bang to schedule ... with trains every 10 minutes, and fares around CAD$60 that you can buy right up until departure ... and it's pitiful what Canada can deliver.
Same for the U.S. We took the train out west on vacation a few years ago. Arrived in Flagstaff in the middle of the night, hours late, and had to wake my son from sound sleep and walk to the hotel in the dark. We had no place to be so it was a little fun and surreal, but also totally unacceptable.
It’s actually astonishing something so dysfunctional can continue to exist. I love trains and wished they worked, but It’s just an embarrassment.
In the U.S. Amtrak is inconvenient and expensive, yet I still take it. I guess I’ve got train brain, too.
Your VIA Rail and my Amtrak should get together and go bowling.
I was on the 8:30 train to Ottawa that morning, and since our accumulated delay was ONLY 3hrs 55 minutes, not strictly 4, we only got 50% credit for it. I take the train about once a month, and this was the FOURTH one in the past year that was over 3 hours late. I have train brain, too, and I don't drive. But it's just not a serious option any longer when there is a deadline. The Megabus and the new Flixibus are much more reliable, and usually cheaper.
NOTE, HOWEVER, that you don't actually have to take the same route to get that credit. The way they describe it as "for this train only" makes it sound that way, but it turns out what they mean is that you don't get credit for any connecting train (even if you miss it). You can trade in that credit for any VIA train. OR for points, if you have their loyalty program. (Which is much less useful than it was until the revamp last year, but is still worthwhile. Points don't expire.)
Thanks for the explanation about the credit; it makes it slightly more palatable. I am sorry about your experience!
I hope you can make use of the credit some time when you're in no hurry!
I admit that I still get a little thrill when a train starts moving, and when the food arrives on a business-class splurge trip, I feel like royalty. There's really a lot they get RIGHT at VIA--in general I find the staff exceedingly helpful, and the experience of travelling with her elderly mother, who needs a walker, was surprisingly good. It's political will to treat rail as a serious part of the nation's transportation that's missing. I therefore have very low hopes for the new high-speed trains; they'll have their own tracks, but the same governmental attitudes will oversee the project.
https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/rail-transit-development-hasnt-kept-us-population-growth-heres-how-policymakers-can
The crazy part is that flying from Centre Island to YOW is probably the same in terms of carbon emissions as taking the train, because Porter flies propeller planes (or they did last time I checked about 8 years ago).
This is still true.
Hi Lloyd --- what doo you thin needs to be done to correct what you ran into? Is is more tracks or different scedualing?
separate freight from passengers. My dad talked about this decades ago https://lloydalter.substack.com/p/an-alternative-vision-of-transportation?utm_source=publication-search
Around 1950 and again in 1953, as a ypung kid, my sister, mother and I, minus my Dad, who was still in Germany; traveled by train, the straight through Sant Fe EXpress, from New York City to San Francisco, complete with sleepng cars and formal dining cars:
7 days of traveling across the US by train - it was great both times.
My business partner in Switzerland is alwasy cell-phoning me from the electrified high-speed expresses they have in Europe; and we've figured out how to self-power Magnevs when the train people get their heads out of a certain orifice.
The change that has to be realized -- is that you can't mix feight and hi-speed passenger trains on the same track system.
Europe learned that decades ago.
We in the US, and it sounds like in Canada - have yet to learn that lesson.
Sorry for your looong delays.
I used to take Voyageur/Orléans busses in the Ottawa-Québec corridor and it was cheaper and more frequent. Then COVID happened and the inter-city bus choices are dismal compared to pre-2020.
With the price of new automobiles now, I wonder if the busses will become more popular. There is an alternative for me with Communauto in Ottawa, but I am not aware of such a service elsewhere in Ontario.
Thoughts on the Alto HSR that’s in the works? For some reason my Facebook algorithm has decided to flood my feed with angry people worried about expropriations, saying it will be too expensive, no one will use it, etc.
The government owns VIA? I thought it was a joint venture between them, CN and CP.