Transport 2000 Canada Hot Line

23 January 2004

This is the Transport 2000 Canada Hotline, issue number 742, recorded on 23 January 2004, Bert Titcomb reporting.

In this issue...

As stated last week, we wish to consult with our listeners. We are presently considering several options for the HotLine, including a website and an email version to reduce the time it takes volunteers to record the existing message. Please let us know your opinion regarding this alternative. Kindly leave a message on (613) 594-3290 or send an email to hwgow@uottawa.ca. A number of members have already called and said they want to retain the existing system. We thank all members who wish to participate in this survey.

1 - Deadly derailment in Ontario

An extensive investigation has commenced to determine why the last two cars of a CP freight train derailed last week in downtown Whitby and sent fourteen large containers crashing onto a highway below a railway overpass. Two women travelling in a vehicle on the highway were killed instantly. Investigators from the railway, Transport Canada, and the Transportation Safety Board have begun a thorough probe.

2 - First Australian train between north and south coasts

Last week, a 100-car freight train, decorated with Aboriginal artwork, left Adelaide at the start of a two-day journey through Australia's parched interior to Darwin, capital of the Northern Territory. The train was laden with furniture, beer, cars, household goods, groceries and fuel. The project 's backers hope the 3,000-km rail link will enable Darwin to become a gateway to Asia, a "second Singapore" handling billions of dollars worth of goods. The city hopes to transform itself from a tropical backwater into one of Australia's most dynamic regions. The railway was first proposed in 1858, but work to link Australia's southern and northern coasts, filling in a 1500-km gap between Alice Springs and Darwin, began only in April 2001.

Last year, Chris Corrigan, head of a large Australian stevedoring company, described the financial returns on the project as being "smaller than a tick's testicles." He said the train which would operate five times a week was unlikely to carry more than "a few cartons of beer." Freightlink, which operates the railway, says it is confident of transporting 350,000 tonnes of cargo a year and hopes to be moving 800,000 tonnes a year by 2010.

3 - Lake Erie killer plane crash

Federal investigators are trying to determine whether icy conditions caused a Cessna Caravan to crash into Lake Erie shortly after takeoff from Pelee Island last week, killing all 10 people on board. Investigators will not be able to examine the plane until coast guard crews can recover the wreck. The plane had skidded across the ice upon impact before breaking through the ice and sinking. It is lying in about 7.5 metres of water.

4 - Trans-Canada steam train excursion

The Royal Canadian Pacific train, consisting of 11 cars for just 32 guests, will travel across Canada from Vancouver to Montreal from May 10 to 31, 2004. The train will be hauled throughout the 3,042 mile journey by CP's heritage steam locomotive no. 2816. The train will stop every night in a quiet location. It has been 40 years since the Canadian Pacific Railway last operated a trans-continental passenger train and 50 years since one was steam-hauled.

Further details are available at the website: www.irtsociety.com/canadiansteam2004.html.

5 - CPR intermodal renewal

CPR is embarking on a major renewal of its intermodal fleet. The program involves acquiring 5,500 new double-stack cars, extending track sidings in northern Ontario, making longer trains and adding locomotives in the middle of each train. Pat Pender, vice-president of product design and customer services, said the investment will allow CP to have fewer but longer trains, saving costs in fuel and labour. Each train will be able to carry 28 per cent more containers, while there will be 16 per cent fewer train starts once the entire fleet is renewed. The new trains will be a maximum of 9,600 feet long, or almost three kilometres. The average train length now is 6,000 feet, or 1.8 km.

6 - VIA/WestJet excursion deal

VIA Rail Canada and WestJet have signed an agreement to provide travellers with "excursion-rate," multi-modal fares to destinations served by VIA Rail and WestJet. Brewster, one of Canada's leading tour operators will be the exclusive sales agent for these package tours. Travellers will be able to combine rail/air travel with Brewster tour packages that include sightseeing and hotel stays. Packages will go on sale in January for the 2004 winter touring season. Tours will include the following destinations: Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Toronto, Hamilton, Montreal and Moncton.

7 - Light rail expansions reported

The December/January issue of Mass Transit contained an interesting article titled "Light Rail Update 2003." Virtually every North American city with light rail is either planning or building new extensions. The article contains a list of 15 cities, when service started and when extensions were completed. The national office has obtained a copy of the full report which was presented at the 2003 LRT conference in Portland, Oregon. If anyone would like a copy, please contact the office.

Thank you for calling the Transport 2000 Canada Hotline. For additional information, please contact our web site at:

www.transport2000.ca.