tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7878723379768073364.post4480369889462877167..comments2024-03-07T15:00:49.807-05:00Comments on High Speed Rail Canada - TGV - Train à grande vitesse au Canada: Judgement Day for VIA Rail's $4 Billion DebacleUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7878723379768073364.post-78882934104366782112019-03-09T00:39:40.096-05:002019-03-09T00:39:40.096-05:00Dear Mr. Langan:
It appears that you are again ex...Dear Mr. Langan:<br /><br />It appears that you are again expressing your complete disapproval and frustration for Via Rail's HFR plan even though it has been overwhelmingly endorsed, not only by the vast majority of towns and cities along the proposed routes, but also surprisingly by cities such as Kingston along the lakeshore route and Drummondville on the south shore of the St. Lawrence river!<br /><br />And the reasons are both obvious and practical as follows:<br /><br />- The use of higher-speed, conventional trains on dedicated tracks will provide quicker and more reliable speeds and schedules than on shared trackage. For example, my wife and I travelled by train from Toronto to London a few months ago and never reached the maximum speed of 160 kph; at the most, we reached 125 kph, and in some instances, were limited to 67 kph for nearly 1 hour due to worn trackage and being stuck behind a freight train!<br />- Although not as fast as HSR, HFR will still encourage some business executives to take the train as it provides a much more comfortable, consistently reliable (all-weather capability), productive work environment (WiFi), and downtown-to-downtown convenience as opposed to flying or driving. <br />- New train sets, built by Siemens, can reach speeds up to 200 kph.<br />- The trackage to be built along the HFR routes will most likely have at least a class 6 capability, that of providing a top speed of up to 177 kph; also, Via Rail may request class 7 trackage for some segments of the HFR routes from Transport Canada, providing a top speed of up to 200 kph, if safety conditions are met pertaining to at-grade crossings.<br />- The frequency of trains will increase up to 15 trains a day in each direction, thereby providing more convenience to travelers who would otherwise choose to drive and hence, increase gridlock.<br />- The completion time for the HFR project will be approximately 4 years rather than 10 years for HSR.<br />- HFR will also help our country meet its international climate change agreements by reducing carbon emissions, even more so if train sets are powered by electricity!<br />- HFR is the most likely plan to be approved in a timely manner in our present political environment compared with HSR due to significantly lower costs.<br />- Via Rail's HFR brings a lower ticket price to a much broader segment of Canada's population, the middle class, compared with HSR.<br />- The latest demographics indicate that between 10 to 13 million Canadians do not drive; as such, a modernized passenger rail system will allow seniors and/or millennials located in small towns and cities to have the means to travel to and from medical appointments, connect with family members, have access to employment opportunities or take affordable short- to medium-length trips to tourist areas.<br />- Most countries throughout the world have migrated to HSR several years after the implementation of HPR (or HFR in Canada), such as in the case of Britain, France and Germany!<br />- Most importantly, once Canadians reacquaint themselves with the concept of higher-speed, conventional rail, the possibility of eventually upgrading to full HSR will still exist and at less cost than would be the case by starting from scratch.<br /><br />Via Rail's HFR proposal also offers Canadians the best option to help mitigate the most pressing transportation issue affecting our quality of life, that of road congestion! <br /><br />Most Canadians agree that Via Rail's HFR is a concept worthy of consideration compared to costly high-speed rail that, based on historical evidence, may not materialize until several more decades to come!<br /><br />With Kind Regards,<br /><br />Marc Lemieux<br /> <br /><br />Marc Lemieuxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12902222754641259603noreply@blogger.com