Transport 2000 Canada Hot Line

Friday 11 May 2001

This is the Transport 2000 Canada Hotline, issue number 601, recorded on 11th May 2001, our 25th anniversary year, Harry Gow reporting.

In this issue...

Mass transit, rail, bus and air items.

1 - Ontario transportation spending plans

Ontario Finance Minister, Jim Flaherty, announced on "budget day" (9th May) that the Ontario Government will at last spend money on rail and transit around Toronto, even if Ottawa, for example would get a small amount for highway interchanges only. He said that the G.T.A. and nearby regions would get $250 million to build up inter-regional transit infrastructure such as commuter rail, light rail and dedicated transit paths. He hopes for Federal and municipal contributions, and public-private deals. This is the first time the Harris government has committed one cent of new money to rail or transit. An Ontario backround document admits; "It is clear that provincial leadership is necessary." ENFIN!

2 - CN and Wisconsin Central closer to merger

CN, Wisconsin Central deal clears regulatory hurdle: A moratorium on major rail mergers does not prevent Canadian National Railway Co. from merging with Chicago-based Wisconsin Central Transportation Corp., U.S. regulators ruled recently. The quasi-judicial Surface Transportation Board said that the proposed transaction is a "minor" one for review purposes. The STB said it expects to make a final ruling on the merger by 7th Sept. The deal would give CN about 3500 kilometres of track, including an important link in its railway network between Chicago and Western Canada.

3 - New CN Board Member

Ex-ambassador joins CN Board: Former U.S. ambassador to Canada Gordon Giffin has been appointed a director of Canadian National Railway Co., boosting the board's membership to 14.

4 - Western rail developments

Omnitrax Inc. says its expansionist prairie plans are still on track despite a ruling against the way Omni proposed doing it by the Canadian Transportation Agency last week. Gary Rennick, CEO said Omni's Hudson Bay Railway Co. is still weighing its options. Meanwhile, CNR is finalizing an agreement to let its unions operate 1600 km of grain lines in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. Union BMWE would set up a non-profit group to lease and operate the lines.

5 - Lawsuit on Greyhound crash

The family of an elderly woman killed in a crash of a Greyhound bus near Thunder Bay in February is planning to sue police and other public authorities allegedly responsible for putting a mentally ill man on the bus. The man forced the bus off the road by grabbing the steering wheel. Alberta social service agencies are said to "export" poor people by putting them on buses to B.C. or to the east to move "problem people" out of the province. Ms. Lent's son, Robin, asked the essential question, as to why "these people are being shuffled from pillar to post across Canada with no jurisdiction willing to take responsibility for them?" (good Question).

6 - WestJet Passenger Traffic rose 57% in April

WestJet Airlines Ltd's total passenger traffic rose 57.2% in April to 166.9 million revenue passenger miles from 106.1 million a year earlier. The Calgary-based airline said for the year to date, passenger traffic rose 58.2% to 582.5 million revenue passenger miles from 368.1 million a year earlier.

7 - Air Canada customer relations

Air Canada has announced new customer committments, said V.P. Doug Port. Air Canada will respond to written complaints within seven days and update passengers four times an hour when flights are delayed. Andy Reddick, spokesman for the Canadian Association of Airline Passengers, said Air Canada doesn't go far enough. He suggests Air Canada take concrete measures, such as selling less seats to avoid over-booking. Bruce Hood, Airline Complaints Commissioner called on Air Canada to ensure all customers have a copy of the new customer service plan.

For its part, the airline has announced it will give passengers delayed more than 90 minutes a meal while they wait.

8 - Air Canada gets turbulence for Skyservice plans

Air Canada is in a controversy over its bid to buy a 50% share of Skyservice Airlines, which planned to launch a low-cost six-plane carrier in the place of Roots Air, the designer airline that went belly-up dlast week after barely five weeks in the air. Air Canada, after discussing the matter with its pilots' union, now seems ready to abandon the deal because of their opposition.

9 - APSG founding chairman moves on

The Air Passenger Safety Group (APSG), a Transport 2000 Canada affiliate, has lost its founding chairman, Mike Murphy, who has taken a position with the Ontario Government in Toronto. Mike may organize another air safety seminar later this year, with the help of IASA's Lyn Romano. The new chair of the APSG is James Lyon, QC, of Ottawa.

10 - Stop the Press: CN upgrades switch locks

CNR has decided to replace 1900 switch locks with stronger padlocks following the Stewiacke disaster and comments by Transport 2000 Canada about the need for an upgrade. This was announced at the Rail Safety Colloque in Sainte-Foy on 4th May, and in the media today.

11 - We acknowledge...

Finally, thanks to Louis-François Garceau for organizing the events at Sainte-Foy on 4th-6th May, and to David Glastonbury for planning the agendas. Thanks also to Post Time for a nice new Transport 2000 sign on our office door.

Thank you for calling the Transport 2000 Canada Hotline. For additional information, please contact our web site at:

www.transport2000.ca.