Transport 2000 Canada Hot Line

11 July 2009

This is the Transport 2000 Canada Hotline, issue number 1028, for 11 July 2009. Compiled by Chris Holloway.

In this issue...

1 - VIA drops route names, Churchill rail line, Sleeper Touring Class

VIA has dropped some route names, the Churchill rail line, and the Sleeper Touring Class. This according to Carl Fowler, operator of the Rail Travel Centre. He says that the recent announced decision by VIA to remove the train names from the HUDSON BAY, CHALEUR and SKEENA is ill-advised and should be fought. He adds that unless this is preliminary to a decision to run down and then cut these trains... operating anonymous unnamed services renders the trains invisible.

The Rail Travel Center will continue to give these services their due recognition by using the proper names regardless of what VIA does, but he says T2000 needs to loudly dissent on this. Mr. Fowler adds that train names do matter to the public.

The Canadian Passenger Rail discussion group also has picked up on an apparent reduction in service of the Winnipeg to Churchill line, down to two days per week, while apparently remaining tri-weekly north of The Pas. Mr. Fowler fears that this reflects a desire to kill the route.

Finally the Silver and Blue and Easterly Class sleeper classes are apparently being rebranded a "Sleeper Touring Class". This may be a sensible simplification but says Mr. Fowler, "...we need to be sure this is not accompanied by removing the included meals and dramatically downgrading diner service."

2 - Rail Line Improvements in New Brunswick

$28 million upgrade to NB Southern Railway main track from Saint John to New Brunswick-Maine border (McAdam), and also the line to St. Stephen. This will improve capacity and promote the Port of Saint John's as an international freight gateway.

Details and source: Daily Gleaner, 7 July 2009

3 - Deadline looms to preserve Ottawa Valley line for commuter service

The Pembroke Observer reports that time is running out to preserve the 130 km Beachburg Subdivision connecting Ottawa and Pembroke for commuter service. Canadian National is open to discussing options for the line with bodies such as Whitewater council, but does intend to abandon the line. Saving the rails will require focused involvement of the affected counties (Renfrew and Pontiac) within the next six months, despite promising news of a commuter rail proposal. Proponents will meet at Renfrew County's administration office next week with relevant reeves and mayors for a status report.

Hon. Lawrence Cannon told Heather Alberti-Dixon, Pres. SADC that the "federal government would buy the line" if necessary at a meeting at Portage du Fort according to the Shawville Equity. MNA Charlotte L'Écuyer was said to have possibly warmed to the idea of the line's acquisition.

The Pembroke Observer report quotes Harry Gow, a technical advisor on the project, noting that freight must be part of the commuter plan. Rail freight is expected to be the only way to ship produce from the region within the next five years, according to a University of Ottawa economist.

Details and source: "6 months to keep rail line; Commuter Service"; Daily Observer (Pembroke), 9 July 2009

4 - CATSA lacking in procedures for confiscated airport items

CATSA, the agency responsible for airport passenger security screenings, has admitted in a confidential document that "[t]here are 'very few basic controls in place' and 'considerable inconsistency' for the handling and disposing of items confiscated from passengers at airport checkpoints" in Canada, according to a CanWest news report this week.

There is concern that screening officers could take confiscated items, particularly alcohol, for their personal use rather than disposing of them because of a lack of witnessing, lack of documentation and unclear procedures.

Transport 2000 president David Jeanes is quoted in the report, expressing surprise at the situation: "You could understand it if the airports or even the airlines were responsible for security. You'd think that CATSA, as a nationwide governmental organization, would be consistent with their protocols." Details and source: Confiscated goods from passengers face few controls: reports (CanWest News, 8 July 2009)

5 - Safer Transportation Reflected in U.S. Legislation

From the United States, new principles for transportation legislation announced this week will affect more than just cars and roads. They also have serious implications for public health and climate protection. This from Lena Ponds, a Policy Analyst at the Public Citizen.

The principles released identify safety as an important objective. In addition to safety improvements included, mandates are being made for electronic on-board recorders that ensure truck drivers comply with hours-of-service driving restrictions.

The Public Citizen believes the safety protections should include

Public Citizen will continue to work with the U.S. Congress to promote safe, clean transportation and ensure an envisioned 'transformation' includes important health and safety considerations for motorists.

Source: Public Citizen, 18 June 2009

6 - High Speed Rail in Alberta

The Alberta government released a report on Monday which concluded a high-speed rail network would be popular and produce up to $33 billion in economic benefits while adding thousands of jobs. A legislative committee will review the report in September.

Source: CBC News, High-speed rail link examined by Alberta, 6 July 2009

7 - Summit on Rail to be heard in the Sault

A summit on rail service in Northeastern Ontario will be held later this month.

The Coalition for Algoma Passenger Trains (CAPT), with help from NORDIK Institute and Community Development Corp. of Sault Ste. Marie, will host a day-long Algoma Rail Summit: Getting Transportation on Track.

The summit will include stakeholders from industry, government, First Nations, economic development, tourism and agriculture to discuss the importance of both passenger and freight rail service in Northeastern Ontario.

Source: Sault Star, 10 July 2009

8 - T2000 Ontario Report

The latest edition of Transport 2000 Ontario Report covers a June 24th vote of Waterloo regional council. It includes excerpts of Natalie Litwin's speech to council on June 10.

Other stories include: Electrification and commuter rail, a commuter railgroup formed in the St. Thomas / London area and GO Trains to Niagara Falls.

9 - Ottawa's LRT Plan criticized by Dr. Barry Wellar

An expert opinion by Dr. Barry Wellar, Distinguished Research Fellow at Transport 2000 Canada, raises serious questions about the thinking behind the talking and the planning for Ottawa's LRT program.

"The opinion, "Questions, Questions, and More Questions about Ottawa's LRT Plan, 2009 Edition", raises the issue of inadequate information being provided to the public about the LRT venture, it invites officials from the NCC and the federal and provincial governments to help obtain this vital information, and it identifies the need for information on several critical LRT decision points in order to conduct LRT-related assessments today as well as 10, 20, 30, and perhaps 50 years from now."

The report is available on the Transport 2000 website, www.transport2000.ca.

10 - The high cost of free parking

Stuart Donavan and David Seymour of the Frontier Centre for Public Policy wrote a recent Toronto Sun opinion recommending that cities remove regulations which demand that developers provide certain numbers of parking spots for vehicles. The authors note that parking spaces cost considerable amounts of land, up to $40,000 as estimated by the Toronto Parking Authority.

Donovan wrote the report "How Free is Your Parking?".

Details and source: Free parking ruins cities, Toronto Sun, 6 July 2009

11 - Second Seattle-Vancouver train trip during Olympics

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has agreed to suspend border inspection charges to Amtrak at the British Columbia-Washington border. This clears the way for Amtrak to run a second trip of the Cascades train between Seattle and Vancouver during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic games. The fee will be waived starting in August until next March as a pilot project, which will relieve a major irritant for Amtrak, where the previously-demanded $1500 daily CBSA charge would have resulted in an additional $500,000 annual expense.

Details and source: Seattle-B.C. route gets second train - Ottawa agrees to waive extra border fees; The Canadian Press, 7 July 2009

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

www.transport2000.ca.