tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7878723379768073364.post7929446503039496639..comments2024-03-07T15:00:49.807-05:00Comments on High Speed Rail Canada - TGV - Train à grande vitesse au Canada: Transpod Signs Memorandum of Understanding with Province of Alberta Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7878723379768073364.post-53711007831072667402020-09-09T16:12:12.264-04:002020-09-09T16:12:12.264-04:00agree with the sentiments of the Hyperloop critici...agree with the sentiments of the Hyperloop criticism, although there<br />are a couple of trivial physics errors.<br /><br />What I don't understand is why the existing service is so extremely<br />bad. The distance from Calgary to Edmonton is almost exactly 300km. <br />The existing VIA Rail equipment is capable of sustained speeds of<br />200km/h. Throw in a couple of stops and the trip should take 2h. But<br />VIA Rail has abandoned the route, handing it over to a bus company. By<br />comparison the distance from Toronto to Ottawa is 400km and VIA Rail<br />completes that trip in less time than the bus from Calgary to Edmonton. <br />The main reason it even takes 4 hours is that most of the rail line<br />belongs to commercial freight carriers and VIA Rail must wait for<br />permission to use the line. For that reason VIA Rail has proposed<br />implementing its own line from Smiths Falls to Toronto along the<br />abandoned route through Peterborough to add to its existing line from<br />Ottawa to Smiths Falls. Now that is a lot of money but still a tiny<br />fraction of the cost of Hyperloop.<br /><br />One of the big challenges facing Confederation is convincing Alberta and<br />Saskatchewan to join the other 8 provinces in bringing its green-house<br />gas emissions, particularly methane from cattle and oil production but<br />also carbon dioxide from its almost entirely combustion-based electrical<br />generation system, into line. Obviously a few juicy political bribes<br />are necessary. How about the rest of the country paying to create an<br />electrified 300km/h rail corridor between Calgary and Edmonton, and<br />maybe even extending the 440km up to Fort McMurray so the oil sands<br />workers would not have to face the 4 1/2 hour drive each way along the<br />"Highway of Death" when they get their breaks?<br />https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/alberta/suicide-63-the-deadly-route-into-fort-mcmurray-finally-set-to-befixed/article28627352/<br /><br />You have permission to publish my comments. I could not find any option<br />to post a comment on the article on your web-site.<br /><br />-- <br />James Cobban<br />911-500 Springbank Dr<br />London, ON, Canada<br />N6J 4G6<br />mailto: webmaster@jamescobban.net<br />+1-226-504-7603<br /><br />James Cobbannoreply@blogger.com