Transport 2000 Canada Hot Line

6 October 2001

This is the Transport 2000 Canada Hotline, issue number 622, recorded on 6 October 2001, our 25th anniversary year, David Leibold reporting.

In this issue...

Air

1 - Canadian air industry support announced

The federal government announced an air industry aid package of up to $160 million to compensate for losses in the wake of last month's terrorist attacks in the United States. Carriers may be required to apply for aid, giving justification as to lost income. The Air Transport Association of Canada reacted positively to this announcement.

2 - Air Security

An International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) assembly was to have proposed a major international conference on aviation security. The assembly was scheduled in Montreal from 25th September to 5th October. The resolution includes a call to review and upgrade ICAO's existing standards for air security.

Key pilot associations met with Transport Canada Security Directorate officials in Ottawa on 3rd October to present security recommendations from the pilots' viewpoint.

Related websites:

3 - Nav Canada cuts costs, increases charges

Nav Canada expects that its revenues will drop by $145 million due to current air industry woes in the current fiscal year that started 1st September. Costs will be cut and airline service charges will be increased to compensate for this situation. The Canadian Automated Air Traffic System (CAATS) will be delayed as part of the cost cutting.

Nav Canada has also restored war risk liability protection, through the federal government, since private insurers have cancelled such protection.

Rail

4 - Passenger and train information system for Amtrak

Calgary-based Triangulum Corporation announced 2nd October that it won a contract to develop a Passenger Information System for Amtrak.

This deal is for Triangulum's TransiTrack train reporting and passenger information system, which is in use in Vancouver, and being installed in Montreal. For Amtrak, the system will provide detailed information at Amtrak stations in Portland and the Willamette Valley.

5 - West Coast Express seeks lower track costs

Vancouver area commuter rail service West Coast Express wants the federal government to review its track costs in a Final Offer Arbitration process. The rail service management was joined by regional mayors in a bid to reduce the amount it pays CPR to operate passenger trains over its route.

The Canada Transportation Act provides Final Offer Arbitration as a means where rail rates can be reviewed by an independent arbitrator. Yet, the federal government has refused to grant this procedure to West Coast Express. The commuter service is also battling various secrecy provisions with the Purchase of Services Agreement involving the route.

6 - Rocky Mountaineer in Winter

The Rocky Mountaineer Rail Tour company is offering Winter train tours. More information is available through the website http://www.winterrailtours.com/ or through travel agents, or by calling 1 800 665.7245.

7 - CN / UP joint intermodal service

Next week, Canadian National and Union Pacific Railroad is scheduled to begin a joint intermodal rail service linking Central Canada with many central U.S. points and Mexico City.

8 - CPR appointment

Michael W. Wright is the newest member of Canadian Pacific Railway's Board of Directors, as of 1st October. Wright is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of Minneapolis-based Supervalu Inc and serves on other American company boards.

9 - New Canadian shortline industry group

BC Rail, The Hudson's Bay Railway, The Carleton Trail Railway, and Ferroequus Railway Company Limited have formed the Association of Regional Railways of Canada (ARRC). This new industry group will be concerned with the interests of member shortline and regional railways.

ARRC wants seamless access to tracks at competitive prices, and wants changes in the Canada Transportation Act to accomplish that end. The federal government is in the middle of a review of that Act.

ARRC Chairman is BC Rail President and CEO Mark Mudie, and former Railway Association of Canada President Robert Ballantyne is a spokesman for the group.

Transit

10 - Increases in transit fares may be higher than for road and property taxes

The British Columbia provincial government has offered 2 cents per litre of gas tax revenues to support the Vancouver area transport authority, TransLink. TransLink in turn needs to match this with $40 million a year from such revenue sources as transit fares and property taxes.

BEST, a British Columbia sustainable transport group, warned that current proposals could mean transit users may pay an extra $125 to $250 per year. Meanwhile, gas users would only face an extra annual $30-60 in tax, while property owners would only see a $22 annual tax increase.

Last summer's fare increase already cost transit users an extra $125 to $250 per year in fares. If the new proposal proceeds, transit fare increases would total $250 to $500.

A previous agreement to raise TransLink funds with a vehicle fee fell through when the previous provincial government refused to enforce that plan.

BEST suggested the adoption of a BC Automobile Association proposal to advance the schedule for Provincial gas tax transfers to the Vancouver Region as a means of providing the needed extra revenue support for TransLink.

BEST will be holding an evening forum on this situation 17th October at Simon Fraser University Harbour Centre.

11 - Calgary South LRT extension opening

A two station, 3.6 km extension for Calgary's South LRT line will open Tuesday, 9th October. The $80.1 million project, including the new Fish Creek-Lacombe and Canyon Meadows stations, was built during the past year and a half.

There were concerns from area residents about potential noise and crime, and especially lack of proper public consultation on the project. That situation forced the city to be more careful in public consultation with LRT extension projects.

Public open houses were conducted this summer for the next phase of the South LRT extension to Shaughnessy to Shawville Gate. Construction should begin next year with service expected to open in 2003.

Meanwhile in Edmonton, there are now calls to revisit a transportation plan that was approved two years ago. However, four city councillors want the south LRT extension to Heritage Mall built by 2006, rather than the existing 2009 target date.

12 - New Ottawa Rail startup date announced

Transport 2000 has learned that the re-scheduled O-Train start date will be Monday 15th October. After several delays, it is expected that the trains will actually be ready for public service. Most, if not all, the driver training should be complete by that time, and previous hurdles which prevented the opening of the line should be cleared.

But there are problems with slow speeds between the two south end stations - Confederation and Greenboro. This section travels through two rail intersections, the so-called "diamonds" at Walkley and Ellwood. Some speed restrictions became public in recent days:

The result is that while most of the line will have sufficient speed for service, the slowdowns on the south end could slow the entire service frequency, including the portion of the route that is unaffected by the severe slowdowns (between Bayview and Greenboro). It may not be possible to operate a 15 minute service frequency on the O-Train as originally intended.

Bus

13 - Greyhound terror in Tennessee

A passenger slashed the throat of a Greyhound bus driver in the state of Tennessee in the early morning of 3rd October. The attacker was killed in the resulting bus crash. Five other passengers were killed. The bus driver survived the attack and crash and is recovering.

Greyhound suspended all service within the United States for about seven hours, fearing this to be a terrorist attack. Greyhound service within Canada was not affected, except that trips across the U.S. border were stopped. However, it was later believed that the attacker was not acting out of terrorist intent, but was alone and was mentally disturbed.

Industry

14 - GM closing Quebec plant

General Motors will close its Ste. Thérèse, Québec plant next year, and with it the production of Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird cars. The plant opened in 1965.

15 - Shell looks beyond oil

Royal Dutch/Shell Chairman Philip Watts is looking beyond oil for energy in the coming decades. Speaking at a United Nations Development Programme event in New York City on 3rd October, he warned that oil companies will not face business as usual by mid-century as other forms of energy such as hydrogen will likely be commonplace.

16 - Rail and Road Safety Day

GO Transit and other parties held a Rail and Road Safety Day in Toronto Union Station on 3rd October. The event is to educate youth about the dangers of trespassing on railway tracks.

Last year in Ontario, there were 57 deaths from 129 railway crossing and trespassing incidents.

17 - Calendar

Here are some upcoming Transport 2000 related events in Canada:

Thank you for calling the Transport 2000 Canada Hotline. Thanks also to Louis-François Garceau for additional items. For additional information, please contact our web site at:

www.transport2000.ca.