RMweb Premium Siberian Snooper Posted June 20, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted June 20, 2020 12 hours ago, mdvle said: Amtrak. In a letter to employees, which has been posted on a 3rd party website, the following has been stated regarding Amtrak so far and going into 2021: beginning Oct 1 2020 - 32% fewer NEC, 24% fewer state supported, most long distance trains to 3 days / week ridership is down by as much as 95%, long distance service is down 70% expect systemwide ridership FY 2021to be 50% of 2019 http://texasrailadvocates.org/2020/06/15/amtrak-to-cut-national-trains-to-3-day-a-week-service/ That may well scupper my holiday plans for next year, as I was planning a circular trip around the country, but I don't want to end up stuck for an extra day or so at various destinations. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nova Scotian Posted October 1, 2020 Share Posted October 1, 2020 Noticed yesterday that Via's "The Ocean" is now cancelled through November, with bookings suspended for December. Others in a similar boat, although they state some services are returning. I've not heard word on a fix yet for the need to turn The Ocean after its arrival in Halifax and before departure, but I also have poor networks here and have very little clue in general! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted October 2, 2020 Author Share Posted October 2, 2020 15 hours ago, Nova Scotian said: Noticed yesterday that Via's "The Ocean" is now cancelled through November, with bookings suspended for December. Others in a similar boat, although they state some services are returning. Canadian and Ocean are, as stated, officially cancelled through end November with bookings no longer possible in December. This press release from VIA announcing the changes doesn't even give a new date, perhaps reflecting the fact that in the Maritimes the provinces still have travel restrictions from other parts of Canada and for the Canadian the lack of international tourism removes most of the potential customer base. https://media.viarail.ca/en/press-releases/2020/rail-postpones-service-resumption-canadian-and-ocean The corridor has had some service improvements but remains a fraction of what it used to be. GO Transit in Toronto added additional services at the beginnning of September but no changes observed in the small number of cars parked at Brampton's GO Station suggests that few people are commuting into Toronto still. There are 3 airlines that fly the Toronto/Ottawa/Montreal triangle, and the third (Porter Airlines, which uses Turboprops out of Toronto Island) remains entirely shut down and keeps bumping it's return to service date. With Canada now seeing increasing Covid cases, following like so many other countries, a return to normal seems unlikely. (but in the good news side, Alberta announced the kids could have Halloween). Quote I've not heard word on a fix yet for the need to turn The Ocean after its arrival in Halifax and before departure, but I also have poor networks here and have very little clue in general! The Ocean will when(if) it resumes be a Budd consist with a small number of Renaissance cars for accessibility purposes and will not need to be turned. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nova Scotian Posted October 2, 2020 Share Posted October 2, 2020 6 hours ago, mdvle said: The Ocean will when(if) it resumes be a Budd consist with a small number of Renaissance cars for accessibility purposes and will not need to be turned. I thought the reason it needed to be turned was the observation car (s) needed to be at the back? Or do they plan to run one at the front and one at the back? Dropping many of the renaissance cars seems like a step back in service quality - I know they're small for the loading gauge available here (and had corrosion issues), but they're strong, well insulated, quiet and, as you note, accessible. The chronic under investment in rail infrastructure and service, especially passenger, east of Mont Saint-Hilaire is depressing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted October 2, 2020 Author Share Posted October 2, 2020 1 hour ago, Nova Scotian said: I thought the reason it needed to be turned was the observation car (s) needed to be at the back? Or do they plan to run one at the front and one at the back? None. Instead of the Park car (observation dome), they apparently plan to use a Skyline dome car. The plan (VIA hasn't made any official announcements) supposedly is something along the line of a Budd-baggage, Budd coaches, Budd Skyline, Budd Chateau/Manor (sleeper), Ren transition car, Ren restaurant, Ren service car, Ren sleeper, ren baggage. 1 hour ago, Nova Scotian said: Dropping many of the renaissance cars seems like a step back in service quality - I know they're small for the loading gauge available here (and had corrosion issues), but they're strong, well insulated, quiet and, as you note, accessible. VIA hasn't said anything, but the rumours are that the renaissance cars are in bad shape and are close to being on borrowed time. Don't know how true that is, but the fact that VIA is moving to as close to an all Budd Ocean as they can speaks loudly. That said, at least some of the Budd fleet is in bad shape as well. Most of the fleet underwent urgent repairs over the summer for some sort of issue discovered last spring and VIA and Bombardier just announced that the contract to upgrade a bunch of Budd coaches (bought from US railroads years ago by VIA to expend the Budd fleet, that are about 7 years older than the CP Budd equipment) has been cancelled after 2 years as the work can't be done. 1 hour ago, Nova Scotian said: The chronic under investment in rail infrastructure and service, especially passenger, east of Mont Saint-Hilaire is depressing. No question VIA could do with a lot more money. But it is hard to justify a request for more money for Atlantic Canada trains when the current service performs so poorly financially compared to the Canadian. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nova Scotian Posted October 3, 2020 Share Posted October 3, 2020 14 hours ago, mdvle said: No question VIA could do with a lot more money. But it is hard to justify a request for more money for Atlantic Canada trains when the current service performs so poorly financially compared to the Canadian. I get the argument, it's just depressing that there's been a steady, targeted decline of service since the early 90s, including the shocking state of some of the class 1 railroad in the maritimes. Check out the CN cap-ex plan, $30 for NS and NB combined for this year, out of $2.7bn. It's embarrassing, and we'll see whether it's dangerous or not too. Then VIA is stuck using tracks it doesn't own, ancient rolling stock, stations that are devoid of any character greater than an industrial estate, servicing communities that aren't connected by other means (eg. rail/bus/intercity bus interconnects are very poor). Thanks for sharing all of this. Very interesting and it's much appreciated. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted October 3, 2020 Author Share Posted October 3, 2020 The following PDF has ridership figures for various North American transit operators, it is for 2020 2Q and shows the dramatic drop the Covid created. https://www.apta.com/wp-content/uploads/2020-Q2-Ridership-APTA.pdf 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted October 21, 2020 Author Share Posted October 21, 2020 VIA is partially restoring the Canadian effective December 11th, with a once a week service between Vancouver and Winnipeg (for those not in Canada, Ontario and Quebec are like a lot of other places seeing Covid numbers starting to increase in a concerning way again). VIA responses on Facebook indicate sleeper passengers will be required to remain in their rooms except for pre-booked meal sessions, so there will be no access to the Park car (or it would appear any other dome or public space that might be in the consist). For those not in a sleeper (or sleeper passengers while not in their rooms) they will be required to wear masks at all time while on board (except when eating/drinking/showering) as well as at all stations. https://media.viarail.ca/en/press-releases/2020/rail-announces-gradual-service-resumption-western-canada Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nova Scotian Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 On 21/10/2020 at 19:59, mdvle said: VIA is partially restoring the Canadian effective December 11th, with a once a week service between Vancouver and Winnipeg (for those not in Canada, Ontario and Quebec are like a lot of other places seeing Covid numbers starting to increase in a concerning way again). VIA responses on Facebook indicate sleeper passengers will be required to remain in their rooms except for pre-booked meal sessions, so there will be no access to the Park car (or it would appear any other dome or public space that might be in the consist). For those not in a sleeper (or sleeper passengers while not in their rooms) they will be required to wear masks at all time while on board (except when eating/drinking/showering) as well as at all stations. https://media.viarail.ca/en/press-releases/2020/rail-announces-gradual-service-resumption-western-canada This is quite surprising; Alberta has some eyewatering rates (BC and SK are keeping it more contained in comparison). However SK has what appears to be some unpleasant community spread (lots of cases where they can't identify the source). MB is ramping hard, mostly Winnipeg. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted October 26, 2020 Author Share Posted October 26, 2020 Starting November 9th VIA will require an official document from a medical practitioner verifying that a person is unable to wear a mask for medical reasons https://www.viarail.ca/en/help/faq/COVID-19?question=button-q2#medical-certificate https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/via-rail-to-require-passengers-without-masks-to-provide-medical-proof-of-exemption-1.5153173 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted October 30, 2020 Author Share Posted October 30, 2020 VIA has reduced service in the Ottawa Montreal Quebec City corridor from 3 times a day to twice a day. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted November 4, 2020 Author Share Posted November 4, 2020 VIA has cancelled sleeper service on the Winnipeg - Churchill train until March 31st, only economy/coach service will remain. They have also clarified how the Vancouver-Winnipeg Canadian will operate, some of the changes/restrictions are: passengers must remain in their seat/cabin (no dome access or lounge access) no Prestige service Sleeper passengers get breakfast and dinner in the dining car by reservation, lunch served to them in their cabin at-seat cart food service for economy passengers etc https://www.viarail.ca/en/explore-our-destinations/trains/rockies-and-pacific/toronto-vancouver-canadian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsp3970 Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 On 02/10/2020 at 16:14, Nova Scotian said: I thought the reason it needed to be turned was the observation car (s) needed to be at the back? Or do they plan to run one at the front and one at the back? Dropping many of the renaissance cars seems like a step back in service quality - I know they're small for the loading gauge available here (and had corrosion issues), but they're strong, well insulated, quiet and, as you note, accessible. The chronic under investment in rail infrastructure and service, especially passenger, east of Mont Saint-Hilaire is depressing. Had the misfortune of riding in a Ren car from Truro to Montreal back in 2004. At first I was excited as I had seen these cars being built in Washwood Heath in 1996 but by the time the train reached Moncton I was happy to be able to get off and walk the platform. By the time the train reached Montreal it was all I could do to stand up after spending all night in a cramped seat. Have to say they made the LRC cars look spacious! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nova Scotian Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 1 hour ago, jsp3970 said: Had the misfortune of riding in a Ren car from Truro to Montreal back in 2004. At first I was excited as I had seen these cars being built in Washwood Heath in 1996 but by the time the train reached Moncton I was happy to be able to get off and walk the platform. By the time the train reached Montreal it was all I could do to stand up after spending all night in a cramped seat. Have to say they made the LRC cars look spacious! I would only want to be in a sleeper for that distance! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Siberian Snooper Posted November 6, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 6, 2020 11 hours ago, jsp3970 said: Had the misfortune of riding in a Ren car from Truro to Montreal back in 2004. At first I was excited as I had seen these cars being built in Washwood Heath in 1996 but by the time the train reached Moncton I was happy to be able to get off and walk the platform. By the time the train reached Montreal it was all I could do to stand up after spending all night in a cramped seat. Have to say they made the LRC cars look spacious! 10 hours ago, Nova Scotian said: I would only want to be in a sleeper for that distance! I would agree, I did the return trip from Montreal to Halifax a few years ago and with access to the observation car on the rear was quite pleasant. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peach james Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 If you read OK the PK & Trains, apparently VIA only has enough carsets to make up 4 Canadian consists- so on return the Canadian will only be 2x/week. Said article indicates the end is near for the Budd S/S cars, as it appears that refit/repair isn't practical. I am willing to bet that the Canadian will end soonish. I'd like to take it in a sleeper across Canada, but... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted November 12, 2020 Author Share Posted November 12, 2020 9 hours ago, peach james said: If you read OK the PK & Trains, apparently VIA only has enough carsets to make up 4 Canadian consists- so on return the Canadian will only be 2x/week. VIA recently put its 2020-2024 corporate plan summary online (I created a new topic with a link), having to divert some of the Budd cars to the Ocean does indeed mean that they don't have enough equipment for a 5th Canadian consist. Combined with the slower schedule to try and deal with the CN delays means they can't run the 3rd Toronto-Edmonton segment. 9 hours ago, peach james said: Said article indicates the end is near for the Budd S/S cars, as it appears that refit/repair isn't practical. From the corporate plan: ---- "VIA Rail recognizes that despite the inherent quality of construction and intrinsic longevity of the stainless steel used, it is no longer reasonable to expect an extended service life from the Budd manufactured rolling stock equipment (HEP cars) that is approaching or has exceeded 70 years of age. At some point the effectiveness, usefulness and maintenance costs of any product will reach a point where replacement must be considered and unfortunately this also includes the HEP cars. " ---- This may be the result of the cancellation of the upgrades to the non-CP Budd coaches Bombardier was supposed to do several months ago after issues were found that prevented some of the work to be done. VIA also had to do urgent work on most of the Budd fleet starting late Spring, so the guess is something problematic was found. As to the future of the Canadian, that depends on the government and what they are/aren't willing to fund. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nova Scotian Posted November 13, 2020 Share Posted November 13, 2020 Rather than repairing/replacing piecemeal, there must some economies of scale from a large order; would be good covid-19 recovery for manufacturing, as well as "green" transit. Though how many railcar manufacturers have modern, off-the-shelf sleeper car designs ready to go? Observation/dome? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium cessna152towser Posted November 18, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 18, 2020 On 12/11/2020 at 16:19, mdvle said: VIA recently put its 2020-2024 corporate plan summary online Sadly no mention of any proposal to re-instate VIA Rail's Victoria-Courtenay service. The only mention I could find of that route was the passing remark that the service was currently suspended. I used to enjoy riding on the Dayliner when I visited my cousins on Vancouver Island. I have the Rapido HO Budd RDC #6148 which occasionally has running powers on my British outline layout. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peach james Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 2 hours ago, cessna152towser said: Sadly no mention of any proposal to re-instate VIA Rail's Victoria-Courtenay service. The only mention I could find of that route was the passing remark that the service was currently suspended. I used to enjoy riding on the Dayliner when I visited my cousins on Vancouver Island. I have the Rapido HO Budd RDC #6148 which occasionally has running powers on my British outline layout. The track hasn't seen any real work since 2011...so no, it isn't coming back until someone funds rehabilitation. The numbers mentioned range as high as $400 million- that's for 200+ km of track, including the Port Sub... It gets the occasional air here in the BC photos thread. James 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted November 18, 2020 Author Share Posted November 18, 2020 3 hours ago, cessna152towser said: Sadly no mention of any proposal to re-instate VIA Rail's Victoria-Courtenay service. The only mention I could find of that route was the passing remark that the service was currently suspended. I used to enjoy riding on the Dayliner when I visited my cousins on Vancouver Island. I have the Rapido HO Budd RDC #6148 which occasionally has running powers on my British outline layout. James covered the current situation, but it it is out of VIA's control - they need the owner of the tracks to make it safe for passenger use before they can do anything (the same thing applies to a Quebec service, though in that case the Quebec government I think is funding the restoration of the tracks. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsp3970 Posted November 18, 2020 Share Posted November 18, 2020 I don't think you will ever see VIA service restored on Vancouver Island. They have destroyed the southern end into Victoria while the rest of the line is slowly deteriorating. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted November 30, 2020 Author Share Posted November 30, 2020 VIA has posted the 3rd quarter financials. While better than the 2nd quarter ridership was still down about 80%, and of course with things having gotten worse since then the 4th quarter numbers are likely to be worse again. https://media.viarail.ca/sites/default/files/publications/Q3 Report 2020_VIA Rail_EN.pdf Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibber25 Posted December 10, 2020 Share Posted December 10, 2020 On 18/11/2020 at 11:11, cessna152towser said: Sadly no mention of any proposal to re-instate VIA Rail's Victoria-Courtenay service. The only mention I could find of that route was the passing remark that the service was currently suspended. I used to enjoy riding on the Dayliner when I visited my cousins on Vancouver Island. I have the Rapido HO Budd RDC #6148 which occasionally has running powers on my British outline layout. Peach James says the track hasn't seen any 'real work' since 2011, but it was long before that. 2011 was when the VIA service was withdrawn because the poor state of the infrastructure meant speed restrictions extended the journey time to the point where the crew could not get out and back within their permitted working hours. I'm sure the occasional spot re-sleepering was done and there were a fair few gauge bars when I looked at various locations back in the first decade of this century. However, I'm not sure when the railway received its last serious maintenance - maybe 1885!. After taking this picture I walked on sleepers which were hanging from the rails with no ballast or any support underneath them, on others that were rotted right through. There was little or no ballast, plenty of weeds, and missing spikes. That was in 1976!! Passenger service would continue for another 35 years! In truth Vancouver Islanders mostly don't want it back or don't care. NIMBYs in Victoria made sure it could not come back into their city by taking out the Johnson Street bascule bridge and putting in a new wider highway bridge. The sound of the horn at grade crossings disturbed them. The roundhouse in Vic West survives because it is classified as a heritage building (recently seen in a Netflix movie 'A Rose for Christmas' as a factory where parade floats were built (purporting to be in Pasadena!) - still with rails in the floor. It is increasingly surrounded by high-rise apartment blocks. The Island Corridor Foundation now owns the right-of-way but is simply a vehicle for politicians to receive remuneration and to placate indigenous peoples who dream one day of getting back land that was taken from them. Canadian rail service closures make Beeching look like a railway benefactor. (CJL) 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdvle Posted April 12, 2021 Author Share Posted April 12, 2021 VIA is restoring what is currently the Canadian to a Vancouver - Toronto service starting May 17th (from it's current Vancouver - Winnipeg service) for one trip a week in each direction. Nothing official but expectation would be as it is being done for essential travel purposes that the current restrictions - no dome cars or lounges, stay in seat / room at all time except breakfast/dinner (lunch served to room), remain masked, etc. https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/via-rail-announces-resumption-of-the-toronto-winnipeg-portion-of-the-canadian-861609154.html Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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