Transport 2000 Canada Hot Line

18 May 2001

This is the Transport 2000 Canada Hotline, issue number 602, recorded on 18 May 2001, our 25th anniversary year, Harry Gow reporting.

In this issue...

In this issue, rail air, transit and road items.

1 - DaimlerChrysler Canada reduces 401 traffic through innovative logistics partnership with Expressway Rail Service

DaimlerChrysler Canada announced its plan to reduce the number of trucks on Highway 401 by an average of 120 per day this summer. The company is partnering with Canadian Pacific Railway's Expressway Service to create an integrated transportation system that focuses on the safety and condition of Canadian roads while addressing environmental concerns.

DaimlerChrysler is the first auto maker in Canada to use this approach for in-bound logistics. Expressway's state-of-the-art truck/rail transportation system allows DaimlerChrysler to more efficiently transport automotive parts and components from suppliers to the Brampton Assembly Plant, along two of the country's busiest highway corridors: Detroit to Toronto, and Toronto to Montreal.

This service will reduce the number of trucks on Highway 401 by 120 per day this summer and will reduce highway usage up to 48 000 kilometres per day. The service focuses on environmental and safety concerns in Ontario.

2 - CSX blames Ohio runaway train on human error, praises "heroic" actions to halt train

Human error caused the runaway of a crewless 47-car CSX train in Ohio - a bizarre incident that drew live national television coverage, and culminated in a dramatic team effort to safely stop the train after several previous attempts to derail it had failed.

No one was injured in the runaway incident, which began around 12:25 p.m. in Toledo, and ended two hours and nearly 70 miles later in rural Kenton. The engineer on the train, whose name was not released, told investigators from CSX and the Federal Railroad Administration that he had made an error in controlling the train while in Stanley Yard near Toledo.

CSX praised the "professionalism and heroic" actions of the employees who played starring roles in efforts to stop the train: Senior Trainmaster Jon Hosfeld, a 31-year CSX veteran; Jesse Knowlton, an engineer with 28 years' experience; and Terry Forson, a conductor with one year of service.

3 - OC Transpo takes delivery of three Bombardier Talent Trains

Light Rail Transit is one step closer to reality. OC Transpo officials accepted the ceremonial key for three light rail vehicles from Bombardier Transportation during a ceremony at Walkley Yard. Ottawa is the first city to operate these sleek German built diesel-powered trains in North America.

"It's an exciting time for everyone involved in this project" said Mayor Bob Chiarelli. "The futuristic design of the Bombardier trains reinforces the fact that light rail is a very important part of serving future growth in Ottawa" added Mr. Chiarelli.

Train fatality subject of two probes where a 3 year-old girl is killed after walking on railway tracks

Transport Canada will make its own safety assessment of an unfenced portion of a CN rail line in Burlington where a 3 year-old girl was killed by a freight train.

Alexandra Dressler apparently wandered away just before an evening service last Wednesday at the Life Centre church on Industrial St., made her way 200 metres through a wooded lot to the railroad track where she was struck by the westbound train. Investigators say Alexandra may have zigzagged through trees and bushes, taking the line of least resistance, and could have walked along a temporary construction laneway that is used by crews working on the Guelph Line overpass.

The issue of fencing along rail rights-of-way, particularly those in older areas, has been debated for years. Burlington city manager, Tim Dobbie, said the city, Halton Region and CN are not required to install fencing along rights-of-way in areas where land use hasn't changed.

If there's an application for new development near a right-of-way, CN would insist the area be fenced at the developer's cost, he said. "Unfortunately, this is an older industrial area and there was no (development) application that would allow the municipality or CN to insist on fencing," he said.

The church, whence the little girl started her fatal journey, is apparently a sectarian establishment which took advantage of a loophole in zoning regulations to set up in an industrial park. Transport 2000 thinks that is where the real problem lies. Question: Why not fence the churchyard?

4 - transport mode cost recovery study

A recent study carried out under the direction of Professor Marc Gaudry of the Conseile Recherche sur les Transports at the University of Montreal; the MAST study method allocates infrastructure costs among its users.

The Quebec road network recovery rate is 82% (user costs vs total costs). Municipalities have a road infrastructure cash deficit of $1.3 billion whereas the Province and feds have (cash) surpluses of $1 billion and $0.78 billion respectively. Recovery rate of car passenger use is 99%, bus 88% and truck only 42%. Truck cash subsidy is $8,400 per truck per year, but with social and environmental costs are $15,600 pear year. TRAINS have a 100% recovery rate, upholding T2000's long standing contention.

5 - Canadian Airlines Facing Pilot Shortage

Canadian airlines say they need to increase the number of pilots by 60 per cent in the next three years to avoid a severe shortage. The report by the Air Transport Association of Canada says women and aboriginals may be two largely untapped talent pools. The association says many drop out of pilot's courses because of the fees, which range from $30 000 to $50 000.

6 - Lufthansa labour woes

Lufthansa and the Vereinigung Cockpit pilots union suspended contract talks after they failed to reach an agreement on pay issues. The union was set to move ahead with a 24 hour strike on Thursday.

Clearing the Air

Air Canada president and CEO Robert Milton spoke to the media on May 15th in Winnipeg after the company's annual meeting, where he told shareholders the country's largest airline was ready to turn a profit again after reporting a first-quarter loss of $168 million. But the company's growing pains from its merger with Canadian Airlines last year continued, with about two dozen former Canadian Airlines pilots attending the meeting to protest an arbitrator's recent ruling that deprived them of seniority.

7 - Call to save rail heritage

A Letter to the editor of the Ottawa Citizen was written by David Jeanes entitled Save our Railway Heritage.

The federal and Ottawa city governments should take better care of Union Station. The beautiful federal heritage building urgently needs $12 million in repiars, up from previous estimates of $6 million. However, the federal government, its owner for the past 34 years, is unwilling to pay the bill.

The City of Ottawa also expects the private developers of Canada's Sports Hall of Fame to assume the full cost of this neglect. Union Station was Ottawa's first Beaux-Arts monument and its first large steel-frame building. The federal and city governments must find the money to assure the survival of this fine Ottawa landmark, preserving its role as an anchor of the Confederation Square National Historic Site.

8 - Quebec transit amalgamation

The Quebec Minister of Transport, Guy Chevrette, has tabled legislation (Bill 24) to replace five transit commissions and five intermunicipal companies with nine new transit commissions. Each body will have seven board members, including a representative of passengers and a rep for persons with disabilities. This is new, but we don't know how the reps will be chosen.

9 - Ottawa ParaTranspo strike ends

Buses to roll by Weekend: The Ottawa ParaTranspo nightmare that has left thousands of disable citizens trapped in their homes for 66 days is ending. Buses will be back on the road by Friday with free service until the end of the month for registered users.

Assistant Deputy Labour Minister, Warren Edmondson, announced that Laidlaw and the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) agreed to have six outstanding contract issues including wages and breaks settled by an arbitrator rather than have the strike drag on any longer. A relieved federal Labour Minister, Claudette Bradshaw, praised the union and Laidlaw for finally agreeing to return to work and submit to binding arbitration.

10 - Union and CN agreement

Canadian National said yesterday it has reached a tentative collective agreement with unions representing 4800 locomotive engineers, conductors and train workers. The agreement with the Canadian Council of Railway Operating Unions is the fifth such deal reached with CN unions. Details will not be made public until it's ratified. CN has 14 300 unionized workers in Canada.

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