This latest delay was blamed on various safety and procedural violations:
1. On 21st August, a backhoe operating on track work struck a rail, triggering a stop signal which caused an emergency stop on a VIA train;
2. Some heavy equipment was not secured in another case;
3. An unspecified mistake by one of the light rail driver trainees.
The four to six weeks of delays were described as a so-called "last minute" situation. But track work was also not completed in sufficient time, which delayed the advance driver training.
It is generally believed that there was a fuel line failure that began on the right side - possibly a leak or some other loss of fuel delivery to the right engine. Portugal officials investigating the emergency suggested a scenario where the Airbus began to pump fuel to the leaking right side, leaving the working left engine with no fuel, meaning the eventual failure of both engines. Had there been no fuel crossover, under this speculation, the left engine would still have had power.
A Trent 700 engine on the A330 was replaced in mid-August.
Transport Canada issued a directive to Air Transit last week (30th Aug) to improve its safety, maintenance and fuel management practices. Its planes must head for an airport landing when engine trouble is discovered, and those airports must be no more than an hour away during the flight.
The new policy already resulted in an Air Transat departure delay at Vancouver Airport 30th August. Passengers on the Toronto-bound flight waited many hours while Air Transat pumped out suspicious fuel. A fuel spill during that process added to the delay.
Air Transat was planning a new senior safety director staff position prior to the Azores emergency landing.
The doomed Swissair flight showed signs that a fire developed in the cockpit ceiling. The cause of this fire is still being investigated.
Some reports indicate that excessive weight was loaded onto the plane prior to take-off. Investigators from the U.S. and Bahamas will examine whether loading was a factor. The flight was a non-scheduled, charter operation.
The same make of plane was involved in a Florida crash in December 1998, where three experienced pilots were killed. That incident was also notable for its lengthy 8-day rescue effort.
Another fatal 402-B crash occurred in April 2001, as the pilot approached the runway at Del Rio airport in Texas.
The STCUQ website is at http://www.stcuq.qc.ca.
Also, Transport 2000 maintains links to transit websites across Canada at http://www.transport2000.ca/weblinks.htm. Some updates are in progress, since many transit websites tend to change addresses.
One new website will be for York Region Transit, representing the amalgamated bus systems north of Toronto. It will take effect on 4th September: http://www.yorkregiontransit.com.
Meanwhile, the nation's primary air carrier is facing federal Competition Tribunal hearings involving earlier actions against WestJet.
Motorists must stop two metres behind an open streetcar door, according to existing Ontario law. Yet vehicle operators break the law with wild abandon, over 9000 times in the past two years according to TTC counts. Transit riders have been injured and killed as a result.
Toronto officials want the provincial Highway Traffic Act to require motorists to stop behind the streetcar itself, and not merely two metres behind the rear streetcar doors.
1) A new early afternoon westbound train on Georgetown train line, as far as Brampton. Bus connections are necessary for Georgetown and Guelph.
2) New morning and evening trains on the Bradford line, using additional equipment leased from British Columbia and Florida.
3) A new eastbound afternoon semi-express train on the Lakeshore line, from Toronto Union to Oshawa, made possible by rearranging schedules of the existing equipment.
Reference: http://www.metrobus.com.
The Six Nations Confederacy also noted there are centuries-old treaty rights still in effect on the Red Hill Valley. The First Nations group is warning of Oka-style confrontations should the tree-cutting plans continue.
Yet $3.8 billion is needed in the next decade to run Toronto's existing system of buses, streetcars and subways. The City of Toronto has no financial means on its own to conduct huge transit capital projects. TTC's General Manager and Chair both warned that these projects should not proceed unless adequate funding can be guaranteed from governments.
The world air carrier industry group, International Air Transport Association (IATA) expressed support for this study, but claims there is no evidence to link air travel conditions with DVT. IATA suggested this illness may be linked to pre-existing medical conditions instead.
More information on this programme is available under the Mediation link at CTA's website: http://www.cta-otc.gc.ca/index_e.html.
Several companies have requested information on this subject, to assess whether privatising Northland's rail operations is good business. Another concern is the future of the Northlander and Polar Bear Express passenger services.
A group of Ontario Northland workers and union representatives are setting up their own proposal under the Internal Solutions Group banner. They hope to have a plan ready in the next few weeks which would demonstrate how rail operations could be better maintained without privatisation.
Tuesday 4 September 2001: Rocket Riders Toronto, City Hall, Toronto. http://www.rocketriders.org.
Monday 10 September 2001: Transport 2000 Canada Steering Committee meeting in Ottawa.
Saturday 15 September 2001: Transport 2000 Ontario Board meeting in Toronto.
No date for the fall National Board Meeting has been decided at this time.