Transport 2000 Canada Hot Line

19 October 2001

This is the Transport 2000 Canada Hotline, issue number 624, recorded on 19 October 2001, our 25th anniversary year, Harry Gow reporting.

In this issue...

In this issue, rail, air and transit items:

1 - Ottawa light rail service starts

Ottawa Mayor Bob Chiarelli, a champion of the light-rail project, praised everyone who made it a reality, calling it a train to the future that should serve the future transportation needs of a growing city. "This is the face of smart growth", said Mr. Chiarelli in his speech.

The excitement for this launch has been building over the last two years to the point that demand is now enormous to move as quickly as possible to east-west light-rail. Mr. Chiarelli said he was pleased by the provincial government's recent commitment to invest in municipal transit in the coming years, and the move should better the quality of life for residents, keeping our city liveable.

Everybody loves the O-Train. Commuters yesterday raved about the new light-rail service and marvelled at how comfortable and scenic the ride is through the city. Hundreds of people waited at the main stops, Greenboro, Confederation, Carleton, Carling and Bayview for a chance to ride the train on its inaugural run. No one was disappointed. And the ride on a sunny autumn day was spectacular, passing through parts of the city that were virtually unnoticed before when travelling by car.

Capital Ward Councillor Clive Doucet, also a big supporter of light-rail, blamed the Ottawa council of 1958 for shutting out electric streetcars, which triggered suburban growth and a dependence of automobiles for getting around. "This day is the best day we've seen since those street-cars came down because once we start extending the system, it will be the key to building communities that are more sustainable, more safe and more environmentally friendly", said Mr. Doucet. "There will be other high days I'm sure, but never one as important as this one".

David Jeanes, a Nortel engineer and a light-rail expert for the Transport 2000 was also enthusiastic the O-Train had finally arrived in the city. "This is an exciting opportunity to try rail again as part of Ottawa's transit system for the first time in 42 years and see why light-rail is so successful in many other cities", he said.

2 - Amtrak service to Maine to begin on December 15th

Passenger trains will use 78 miles of Guilford track between Plaistow, NH and Portland, ME which was rehabilitated in a $62 million project. Twelve freight trains a day use the single-track line.

3 - US Senate to vote on Amtrak emergency funding

Yesterday, the Senate Commerce Committee sent a proposal to the full Senate to vote on whether to give Amtrak $1.8 billion in funding for increased safety and security. Almost a billion would be used to upgrade evacuation, ventilation, and other safety systems inside Northeast Corridor tunnels in New York, Baltimore, and Washington. The remainder of the money would be used to bolster Amtrak's police force, add new surveillance equipment, and increase safety and capacity on the Northeast Corridor.

Amtrak had originally requested $3.2 billion, but money that would have funded new equipment purchases and repairs to wreck-damaged cars was taken out of the final bill.

4 - Freight rail downturn

Both intermodal traffic and carload freight were down on Canadian railroads during the week ended October 12th. Intermodal traffic totalled 34 205 trailers and containers, down 1.1 percent from last year. Carload volume was 60 448 cars, down 5.7 percent from the comparable week last year.

Cumulative originations for the first 41 weeks of 2001 on the Canadian railroads totalled 2 528 087 carloads, down 2.0 percent from last year, and 1 438 960 trailers and containers, up 2.0 percent from last year. Combined cumulative volume for the first 41 weeks of 2001 on 16 reporting US and Canadian railroads totalled 16 176 785 carloads, down 1.4 percent from last year and 8 486 943 trailers and containers, down 2.0 percent from last year.

5 - Prairie rail line rescue bid

The Prairie Alliance for the Future is spearheading a drive to save Prairie lines. A union-led plan4 to save railway branch lines in the Canadian Prairies is close to reality. The Prairie Alliance for the! Future is to announce today it has signed a long-term lease with Canadian National Railway Co. to take over 1600 kilometres of secondary line in Saskatchewan and parts of Manitoba. "I think this is completely different from anything that's happened before. It's extremely innovative in its approach", said Gary Housch, vice-president of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees. The union has been spearheading a drive to save prairie lines and has joined with community and farm groups to form the alliance.

6 - Funds spat threatens light-rail expansion

In a move that may have dire consequences for light-rail expansion in Ottawa, provincial Transportation Minister Brad Clark has called an emergency meeting with federal counterpart David Collenette to renegotiate government funding for public transit.

After media reports yesterday in which Mr. Collenette's assistant warned the Toronto Transit Commission shouldn't expect the federal government to make up for what's seen as a provincial responsibility, the two governments are again at odds over who should assist municipalities with ongoing maintenance and upgrades.

7 - VIA Rail and GO Transit sign Interline Agreement

Transport Minister David Collenette welcomed an agreement signed between VIA Rail and GO Transit to carry each other's passengers between shared stations, effective October 28th, 2001. This new ticketing agreement will improve the ease of travel for those commuting within the GTA as well as for those travelling to the GTA from other cities, said Mr. Collenette.

This will allow, for example, travellers from Montreal or Ottawa to make through connections for GO stops to the west of Toronto without having to purchase a separate ticket upon arrival in Toronto. With this agreement, VIA Rail and GO Transit can now carry each other's passengers between shared stations. A new VIA/GO pass has been introduced which, when combined with a GO ticket, allows the holder to travel on a VIA train between Toronto's Union Station and the shared stations' at Oakville, Brampton, Georgetown, Aldershot, and Oshawa. This means that commuters will have additional choices of trains on the Lakeshore and Georgetown lines. (When can the same apply in Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, etc.?).

8 - Air Canada seat sale

Air Canada launched a seat sale recently that undercuts the best advertised fares at its new discount brand Tango - a move observers say is sending out a confused message. Passengers travelling to Vancouver, for example, now have two options: Pay $398 return for a Tango fare, which does not include meals, drinks, or entertainment; or pay $388 for an Internet seat-sale fare at the mainline carrier, which includes all the extras.

Seat-sale tickets are valid for travel beginning Oct. 25th, just 4 days before Tango launches service on Nov 1st. Andy Reddick of CAAP and PIAC has just published a critical report on air deregulations, safety and service standards.

9 - Canadian airlines seek payment relief from suppliers

The woes besetting Canada's airline industry are deepening with two carriers said to be seeking payment relief from suppliers. Both Air Canada and Canada 3000 Inc. have approached some aircraft lessors looking to cut payments 25% and have asked other suppliers to extend payment to 120 days, sources have told the Financial Post.

The industry, already facing a money-losing year due to the slow economy, was put under severe pressure by the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks in the U.S.A.

Thank you for calling the Transport 2000 Canada Hotline. Thanks to Post Time, Jim Goss, and various newspapers for the items discussed. For additional information, please contact our web site:

www.transport2000.ca.