Transport 2000 Canada Hot Line

22 February 2002

This is the Transport 2000 Canada Hotline, issue number 642, recorded on 22 February 2002, Bert Titcomb reporting.

In this issue...

All items concern rail issues.

1 - New equipment for the Shinkansen

Japan Railways plan to introduce a new design of the Shinkansen train on the Shin-Yatsushirro-Nishi-Kagoshima high-speed line which is due to open in March 2004. It will build five six-car series 800 emus at a cost of about $US 71 million, the first of which is expected to be delivered by summer 2003. The series 800 will seat 390 passengers and operate at 260 km/h.

2 - Connecticut rail renewal

The State of Connecticut will invest $US 1 billion in railway and rolling stock improvements during the next decade, under a programme announced by the state governor, Mr. John Rowland. Initially, a fleet of 241 M-2 Metro-North New Haven line passenger coaches will be refurbished at a cost of $US 150 million.

3 - UK rail strategy released

Britain's Strategic Rail Authority has published its long-awaited strategic plan for the development of the national rail network during the next 10 years. It sets out how 33.5 billion pounds of government funds will be invested, which is about 4.5 billion more than originally planned. The SRA needs at least another 34 billion pounds in funding from the private sector in order to implement the plan. It wants most projects to be carried out as public private partnerships.

The objective is to increase passenger traffic by between 40 and 50% compared with 2000 - 2001. This would boost passenger-km to about 55 billion. The plan is even more ambitious for freight as it calls for an 80% increase in tonne-km. By comparison, passenger traffic has grown by 34% and freight traffic by 40% since 1994 - 1995. The SRA also wants to improve safety, and bring about much-needed improvement in areas such as punctuality, reliability, over-crowding, accessibility to the network, and competitiveness.

4 - Rails to Airports

Some recent news about rail connections to large international airports. A contract has been let in Greece to build a rail link between Athens' new international airport, Spata, and the city centre. It is one of a number of transport schemes being pushed through for completion in time for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. The railway line will run mainly in the median strip of a new highway from Elefsina to the airport, which is situated south-east of the city. Hellenic Railways will operate a 10 minute interval airport service, using 20 five-car aluminum emus from Siemens Transportation System.

The mayor of Venice is seeking private-sector funding for a 90 million pound underground rail line with a capacity of more than 2000 passengers/h running from Marco Polo international airport to a former shipyard near St. Mark's Square.

Meanwhile in Canada, we still have citizens who claim a rail link to Pearson airport is not required! If Vancouver is serious about submitting a bid for future Olympics, officials at all levels of government had better start planning now for a rail connection to the Vancouver Airport.

5 - Australian train amenities

An at-seat video entertainment system is part of a new concept for long distance rail travel in Queensland, Australia. The quality of train interiors and onboard services have a high priority in Australia where rail journeys regularly extend over 24 hours often through spectacular and remote countryside. One example of the attention given to these features is the new Cairns Tilt Train, which is being designed and built for the 1600 km journey along the east coast between Brisbane and Cairns. The two new trains are due in service by the end of this year and are claimed to be the world's fastest narrow-gauge diesel trains, with a maximum speed of 160 km/h. All the seats are of business-class standard, with a pitch of 1080 mm and extra recline to ensure that passengers have plenty of room. The seats themselves were designed specifically for this project, after an extensive world search failed to find a seat suitable for the long journey.

6 - Egypt rail disaster

A serious rail accident occurred this week in Egypt which killed about 370 passengers on a train travelling from Cairo to Luxor. Police said 65 passengers were being treated for injuries. A fire broke out in a crowded train and the train continued for four kilometres before the engineer realized the train was on fire. Seven coaches in the train of eleven cars were destroyed. The cause of the fire was not known, however suspicion fell on gas containers that passengers often bring with them to cook food or make tea on the long journey. The fire spread quickly due to the draft from the open windows.

7 - Ottawa Transit Summit

The City of Ottawa held a Community Public Transit Summit on February 21st. Four questions were presented by guest speakers and then the public was invited to participate. One of the guest speakers was David Jeanes from Transport 2000 Canada. Approximately 150 people attended the meeting, which was ably hosted by Clive Doucet, councillor for the Capital Ward in Ottawa.

8 - U.S. Customs drops border bus shuttle for train passengers

The U.S. Customs Service has reverted to its pre-September border inspection procedure for the joint Amtrak - VIA Rail train "The International" operating between Toronto and Chicago. This move will terminate the inconvenient bus detour all U.S. bound passengers were forced to endure at the border. Many thanks to Helena Borges at Transport Canada for taking action on this issue. Also thanks are due to ordinary passengers who raised the matter in the first place.

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