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Via Rail Train Speed??


YRT-Guy

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Hey all. Can someone answer my above question? I was driving on the 401 the other day around pickering/ajax heading westbound to the 404. A via train sped right by all the highway traffic heading westbound. I was going with the flow of traffic at the time which was easily doing 100km/h. Just how fast do these Via rail trains go and how fast are they allowed to go?? I tried a search on here for the information to no avail and Wikipedia is useless. Besides, people on this board are smarter than your average person! Thanks!

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Hey all. Can someone answer my above question? I was driving on the 401 the other day around pickering/ajax heading westbound to the 404. A via train sped right by all the highway traffic heading westbound. I was going with the flow of traffic at the time which was easily doing 100km/h. Just how fast do these Via rail trains go and how fast are they allowed to go?? I tried a search on here for the information to no avail and Wikipedia is useless. Besides, people on this board are smarter than your average person! Thanks!

Some sections of line they are allowed to hit 100mph (yes, miles per hour...that's about 160km/h). Others they're restricted to a max of 80.

I'm sure smallspy knows the specifics better then I however...

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Hey all. Can someone answer my above question? I was driving on the 401 the other day around pickering/ajax heading westbound to the 404. A via train sped right by all the highway traffic heading westbound. I was going with the flow of traffic at the time which was easily doing 100km/h. Just how fast do these Via rail trains go and how fast are they allowed to go?? I tried a search on here for the information to no avail and Wikipedia is useless. Besides, people on this board are smarter than your average person! Thanks!

According to the CN Employee Timetable I have (dated December 1, 2007) the Kingston Subdivision speed limits for passenger trains are 90 MILES per hour. There are some areas where 100 miles per hour is permitted. It all depends on the maximum speed for passenger trains allowed by the host railway (in this case CN). They do vary. For example between Brockville and Toronto, the maximum speed varies from 65 to 100 depending on different aspects such as curves, residential areas, and level crossings. Signals and Signs display to the engineer and conductor what speed is needed based on different conditions. Signs display the permanent speed limit, which may be reduced if a train is approaching another train to a switch. See http://www.tc.gc.ca/Railway/cror/signals.htm for more info on speed reductions...

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According to the CN Employee Timetable I have (dated December 1, 2007) the Kingston Subdivision speed limits for passenger trains are 90 MILES per hour. There are some areas where 100 miles per hour is permitted. It all depends on the maximum speed for passenger trains allowed by the host railway (in this case CN). They do vary. For example between Brockville and Toronto, the maximum speed varies from 65 to 100 depending on different aspects such as curves, residential areas, and level crossings. Signals and Signs display to the engineer and conductor what speed is needed based on different conditions. Signs display the permanent speed limit, which may be reduced if a train is approaching another train to a switch. See http://www.tc.gc.ca/Railway/cror/signals.htm for more info on speed reductions...

Hmm... 90 to 100 miles sounds about right. This was right by the Pickering GO station about 9pm at night. All I know is that is seemed to be passing by everyone, and you know how fast some people drive on the 401! I'll check that link out too.. thanks!

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Pickering Is one of the 100mph zones...but only for LRC's.

There are three different sets of speed limits posted for any given stretch of track - freight trains (with additional limits for different types of freight trains or specific restricted loads), "regular" passenger trains such as GO trains or stainless steel equipment, and LRC equipment. LRC's are allowed higher speeds because of their tilting, their light weight and braking ability, and that they were designed and built for operation up to 125mph.

On top of that, there may be other speed limits as well - for instance, VIA's F40's are limited to 90 or 95mph, regardless of the speed limits of the track they are running on.

THEN, there are local speed limits for physical situations - Permanent Slow Orders. For instance, the bridge over the Ganaraska River Valley at Port Hope has a PSO of 45mph for all trains because of the curves to the west and the condition of the bridge.

Dan

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