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Canada studying cuts, sale of VIA routes
Well, there ya have it. Even the “untouchable” VIA Rail has become the butt end of its respective government. Next up: European rail systems getting the hatchet!
As per usual, VIA gets treated like the red headed step child.
No surprise here! The Transport Canada bureaucracy has for generations consistently been unsupportive of passenger rail .
But ultimately the fate of VIA rail is in the hands of federal politicians. There is no question that the government of the day – influenced in part by the minister of transport – will decide what happens to the passenger train network.
There appears to be little correlation between political party and passenger rail policy. Both Liberal (e.g. Pepin) and Conservative (e.g. Bouchard) transport ministers have presided over draconian cuts to VIA. Conservative Mazankowski restored some of the routes abolished during Pepin’s watch, while Liberal Collenette brought back trains cancelled under Bouchard.
Political pressure – strategically applied – is key to preserving what little remains of Canada’s passenger rail network.
Politiks not always so good. NJ
The Canadian Government has cut back way too much on Via over the years as it is. There was no justification for it whatsoever.
Evidently, nothing was learned when 55% of the VIA Rail System was cut back in 1990. When is somebody in North American government going to realize that we need a balanced transportation network that includes intercity trains?
Who ever said VIA was “untouchable”? In view of the information Mr. Bartlett related of past train cuts at VIA the agency hardly seems “untouchable”.
And why Mr, Crews are you gleefully wishing to see the passenger rail networks in western Europe get the “hatchet”? The Europeans seem to like their trains and believe in fostering transit oriented development. Just because that doesn’t fit your apparent ideology that a free society can only be one that’s totally auto-centric doesn’t mean they have to subscribe to that.
I don’t think the western Europeans feel any less free than we do when they rely on their passenger trains for mobility.
The reality is that more people would travel by train especially in the Ottawa, Montreal Toronto triangle if there were more trains.That means a higher level level of investment. If a public private partnership can provide that, then that is good. What would be bad if VIA is just considered an expense without considering teh impact on the young and elderly who depend on VIA. the remote routes will not be touched as often there is no alternative.
The unearthing of this out-of-date document coincides with the Liberals adopting HSR as party policy. I doubt the Conservatives will be crazy enough to cut off their own ridings, but they should probably save money at Transport Canada by unloading the people who suggested they step on this live rail.
Jacques “The Bus Driver” Martin and Pierre Elliot Trudeau are alive-and-well in Quebec! Sacre bleu!
Nothing will change until ‘Oh!, Canada’ moves the capitol to Calgary. CPR did it. Edmonton won’t work, as it is a Commie enclave. Gotta get the federal government away from the influence of the Quebecois and the bus-driver/sales tax mentality, methinks.
Sorry. I wouldn’t ride the ‘Ocean’ on the tinny/shoddy fire-sale Euro cars. Darn shame, but the Maritimes aren’t Quebec. With a 15% sales tax, they can’t afford to be. They be ‘tapped out’, methinks. Vote Liberal and lose!
VIA should try a straight through run Montreal/Toronto Montreal, no stops in between, just like air travel. At their present 120 mph, they will be about the same overall travel time as air. Who needs the HSR just to cut off an hour or so.
Did the US republicans or tea party members come up to Canada and try to get the government to get rid of VIA. See what’s happening with Amtrak.
For the record: I was being sarcastic! My wish is for rail passenger service to be supported and left alone by the bureaucracy to do what they’re supposed to do. I was merely alluding to the fact that Government funded passenger rail service in North America is the step child, and joking that the Europeans where going to start doing the same thing. I was not be serious.
I doubt if the oil companies and tire companies worry too much about any business they lose from the few people who take Amtrak. Most Amtrak (and VIA) passengers own automobiles and only use the train for an occassional vacation (or holiday). Outside the the Windsor - Quebec City corridor, VIA does not provide any meaningful service other than to some remote outposts in the bush that can be better served by a weekly mixed train paid for directly by the government. The Canadian is not a viable means of transportation for most of the local citizens and serves more as an expensive cruise train for vacationers. It should be privatized, operated as a cruise train and its subsidy stopped. The world did not end when VIA cuts were made. Neither will it end if it is eliminated outside the corridor.
The European transportation model really doesn’t apply to the US and Canada. In Europe the cities do not sprawl like they do here in North America, hence public transport is more practical over there. Here the rubber tire and gasoline folks are supreme and want to kill any possible vestige of a competing mode. The economic situation of both countries, but mainly the USA, are pushing cutting of government funding in some areas to foster more social engineering. I would think the Canadians are on a parallel track.
A feature of Canada’s parliamentary system is that earmarks are not as prevalent. Party discipline is strong, because if the ruling party loses a vote, the government could fall. Thus W.S. Gilbert wrote “I always voted at my party’s call and never thought of thinking for myself at all.” Thus, a Tory MP from Northern Manitoba could well vote to kill the Churchill train if the Conservatives made this a party line matter. Only way around that is if the PM calls for a “free vote”.
Canadians would like to have a sustainable transportation policy instead of doing things through political stuff