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exo in Montreal doesn't share the ridership by station. His predecessor, the AMT, use to do it back in 2009. The STM, with the Metro, only gives the first and last 5 stations.

Metrolinx has a annual map of ridership across GO stations, wich I love. There is also some explanation on why there are some change.

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22 hours ago, Urban Sky said:

so please feel free to post any links to such data sources... :)

Found what I was looking for. The best document that I wish had an equivalent of in Canada would be the "Key Facts" and "Data" documents. This is from Network Rail, which admittedly operates very differently from VIA Rail in that competition isn't as much of a factor as it's franchised (I think it's that right word here). You made some really good points about competition, especially in Canada where private transportation still stands to (and does) compete heavily with VIA Rail, whereas in the UK Network Rail occupies a stable and safe corner of the market for the most part, at least compared to Canada. I tried finding an equivalent for Australia and could not. Amtrak provides a Top 50 detailed document but in my limited searching I didn't find anything beyond that, which makes sense as the market is (I would assume) similar with the risk of competition.

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On 1/9/2020 at 10:28 PM, InfiNorth said:

Excellent response, I especially appreciated your comparison with the ONTC "reports." I still stand by my point that having a pricetag, no matter how small, seems a bit silly when the information already exists and in most places where trains are operated publicly (or somewhat so, as in the UK), the data is accessible easily. The point wasn't that it was too expensive - it's simply that I don't believe it's acceptable to call information available the public and then charge a fee to see it. Just an opinion there, and your side of it is entirely valid. Cheers! 

The nuance might be the data to generate a report -- the information you seek -- may indeed exist but that may not be a report normally produced so you have to ask.  Data and information aren't the same thing.   I can't say that's the reason in this case but I'm just throwing it out as a suggestion why the information you seek isn't already available.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I was wondering, if this new high speed line is built between Toronto and Ottawa through Peterborough, should there be bus service to link the southern line with the northern one? 

Or people who are looking for a direct route between Toronto and Ottawa or Montreal will use the northern route, however if you wanted to visit Kingston, you would use the Southern route?

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57 minutes ago, Shaun said:

I was wondering, if this new high speed line is built between Toronto and Ottawa through Peterborough, should there be bus service to link the southern line with the northern one? 

Or people who are looking for a direct route between Toronto and Ottawa or Montreal will use the northern route, however if you wanted to visit Kingston, you would use the Southern route?

First of all, it’s High Frequency Rail, not High Speed Rail.

Second, a connecting bus only makes sense if the travel time including transfer time and shuttle is significantly lower than the travel time of the slower, but more direct train. Given that Cobourg (as the closest station on the Kingston Subdivision) is still a 45 minutes drive from Peterborough, it seems hard to believe that taking a train from Montreal or Ottawa to Peterborough and then transferring onto a bus shuttle could possibly become attractive for passengers to Cobourg, let alone for passengers who would have to transfer onto the Lakeshore service to another station.

Therefore, you would be more correct with your second statement...

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Speed limit for oil trains of 32 km/hr to 40 km/hr?

Is that going to impact VIA Rail operations?

Hmm, or GO operations ... though I assume most of the CP trains come down to the Junction on CP track, avoiding any shared GO track, with CN trains mostly on the bypass. I'm not sure if many head west from Toronto on various bits of track where GO operate.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/sask-train-derailment-1.5453942

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36 minutes ago, nfitz said:

Speed limit for oil trains of 32 km/hr to 40 km/hr?

Is that going to impact VIA Rail operations?

Hmm, or GO operations ... though I assume most of the CP trains come down to the Junction on CP track, avoiding any shared GO track, with CN trains mostly on the bypass. I'm not sure if many head west from Toronto on various bits of track where GO operate.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/sask-train-derailment-1.5453942

It's only temporary.  Hopefully this will encourage railways to do a better job maintaining the track and equipment. And how about transport Canada do a better job of regulating railways to prevent these kind of incidents in the first place.

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54 minutes ago, Shaun said:

It's only temporary.  Hopefully this will encourage railways to do a better job maintaining the track and equipment. And how about transport Canada do a better job of regulating railways to prevent these kind of incidents in the first place.

Is it? I thought it would be in place for a few days at least. Long enough to start impacting services.

I'm not sure the point, if it's only for a few hours or something ... some kind of stand-down warning thing?

(agree on all counts though!)

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15 hours ago, nfitz said:

Is it? I thought it would be in place for a few days at least. Long enough to start impacting services.

I'm not sure the point, if it's only for a few hours or something ... some kind of stand-down warning thing?

(agree on all counts though!)

This restriction will last until March 8th, and will only be on trains that run with more than 20 cars of dangerous goods of a couple of specific subtypes (goods that can aerosolize, flammibles, etc.)

 

There may be some remarshalling of trains of the next month to get around the restrictions, but by and large it shouldn't greatly affect the operations of either CN or CP, and thus VIA or GO as well.

 

1 hour ago, John Oke said:

ALL trains are canceled until further notice on the corridor between Toronto and Ottawa/Montréal due to anti-pipeline protestors blocking the tracks bear Belleville

https://www.thepostmillennial.com/breaking-anti-pipeline-protestors-shut-down-train-travel-between-toronto-and-montreal/

As of this moment, only one train is cancelled, with no other cancellations for today. It appears that the protesters are not renewing their protest today.


Dan

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31 minutes ago, smallspy said:

This restriction will last until March 8th, and will only be on trains that run with more than 20 cars of dangerous goods of a couple of specific subtypes (goods that can aerosolize, flammibles, etc.)

 

There may be some remarshalling of trains of the next month to get around the restrictions, but by and large it shouldn't greatly affect the operations of either CN or CP, and thus VIA or GO as well.

 

As of this moment, only one train is cancelled, with no other cancellations for today. It appears that the protesters are not renewing their protest today.


Dan

Is it just a fluke that two of the trains that derailed in the same are within a month where Oil tank cars? The risk of derailment should be the same regardless of the equipment, it's just more impact when the train is carrying hazardous materials. 

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1 hour ago, smallspy said:

As of this moment, only one train is cancelled, with no other cancellations for today. It appears that the protesters are not renewing their protest today.


Dan

I’m afraid that this is no longer correct:

Friday, February 7, 2020:

Due to the protesters currently blocking tracks near Belleville, Ontario, train service between Montreal and Toronto and between Ottawa and Toronto is affected in both directions on Friday, February 7, 2020. None of the trains on these two routes will operate until the issue is resolved. We are asking passengers to check our online tools for departures and arrivals updates.

 

  • Services continue to operate between Ottawa and Montreal, between Montreal and Quebec City, and west of Toronto in Southwestern Ontario. 
  • Train 51 on Feb. 7, 2020 will operate between Montreal and Ottawa but will be cancelled between Ottawa ad Toronto.
  • The following trains of Feb 7, 2020 have been cancelled: 651, 41, 43, 50, 51 (between Ottawa and Toronto), 52, 60, 61, 62, 63.
  • While all other trains between Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto are prepared to leave on schedule should we achieve line clearance, your departure may be delayed or may not operate due to circumstances beyond our control. Please stay tuned for further updates.

https://www.viarail.ca/en/plan-your-trip/customize-your-train-schedule

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On 2/8/2020 at 1:39 PM, Shaun said:

Are the tracks on native land? Isn't the right of way the property of the railway?

these protests generally occur at grade crossings, as did the one on CP near Dupont on Toronto.

Closing the 401 or blocking the approach roads to YYZ or YOW would get a lot more attention but would also attract a much more rapid and confrontational response from government.

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On 2/8/2020 at 1:39 PM, Shaun said:

Are the tracks on native land? Isn't the right of way the property of the railway?

Private property and native land is not necessarily mutually exclusive, as explained in this excellent post on a different forum:


Regardless of whether a rail line runs directly through FN reserves; this detail will not stop blockages till underlying issues are resolved. Railway blockades are popular in part due to the historical fact provisions in Federal law made it easy to expropriate *reserve* land (not just treaty land) without consultation or payment. See the creation of Depot Harbour as a way to both screw the Town of Parry Sound for asking too high a price from J. R. Booth so he just stole the native land on Parry Island.

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=8825611&postcount=1872

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20 hours ago, Urban Sky said:

Private property and native land is not necessarily mutually exclusive, as explained in this excellent post on a different forum:

 

 

http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=8825611&postcount=1872

I bet CN wishes that they didn't rip up their northern route. 

Trains are backed up on the York sub as a result. 

Can they make an agreement to use the Belleville sub? 

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1 hour ago, Shaun said:

I bet CN wishes that they didn't rip up their northern route. 

Trains are backed up on the York sub as a result. 

Can they make an agreement to use the Belleville sub? 

To divert a massive amount of trains over a different route, you need to have LEs which are qualified for that route in a quantity which might far exceed the number of LEs you usually require for that route.

As for CN trains using the Belleville Sub, I’m not sure whether CP would be willing to delay its own trains by multiplying the number of trains through those of its arch-rival, especially given that this would risk making the Belleville Sub itself an even more attractive target for protesters to bring to a halt...

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2 hours ago, Urban Sky said:

As for CN trains using the Belleville Sub, I’m not sure whether CP would be willing to delay its own trains by multiplying the number of trains through those of its arch-rival, especially given that this would risk making the Belleville Sub itself an even more attractive target for protesters to bring to a halt...

This is a very, very interesting point. CP's daily traffic on the Belleville Sub is currently measured in the single-digits, and they have certainly benefited from CN's track capacity in the past when derailments and other incidents have tied up their lines - so in theory, the capacity to run some of CN's traffic is there. But would routing CN's traffic along the Belleville Sub cause protesters to move and attempt to close that line as well? It's certainly within the realm of possibility, although it doesn't seem like there have been any moves to close off the ONR or CN's line from Rouyn-Noranda since CN started rerouting some trains up that way.

 

Dan

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1 hour ago, smallspy said:

This is a very, very interesting point. CP's daily traffic on the Belleville Sub is currently measured in the single-digits, and they have certainly benefited from CN's track capacity in the past when derailments and other incidents have tied up their lines - so in theory, the capacity to run some of CN's traffic is there. But would routing CN's traffic along the Belleville Sub cause protesters to move and attempt to close that line as well? It's certainly within the realm of possibility, although it doesn't seem like there have been any moves to close off the ONR or CN's line from Rouyn-Noranda since CN started rerouting some trains up that way.

 

Dan

Geography matters:

Rouyn-Noranda is hundreds of kilometers away, CP’s Belleville Sub is less than a kilometer from the current protest site...

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2 hours ago, Urban Sky said:

Rouyn-Noranda is hundreds of kilometers away, CP’s Belleville Sub is less than a kilometer from the current protest site...

Has the protest site moved? I thought they were at Wyman Road. The CP line is 4.5 km away along Wyman Road.

However, the CP line (briefly) enter the reserve a bit further west, just west of Shannonville (where Burns Drive would intersect with the tracks, if it had continued north of Highway 2). Though, I'd think they'd choose a point like Hinchley Road (or Melrose Road near Wyman), that's more accessible, and doesn't interfere much with local traffic.

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1 hour ago, nfitz said:

Has the protest site moved? I thought they were at Wyman Road. The CP line is 4.5 km away along Wyman Road.

However, the CP line (briefly) enter the reserve a bit further west, just west of Shannonville (where Burns Drive would intersect with the tracks, if it had continued north of Highway 2). Though, I'd think they'd choose a point like Hinchley Road (or Melrose Road near Wyman), that's more accessible, and doesn't interfere much with local traffic.

My apologies, I should have re-checked this map, which I posted in a different forum, as Wyman Road is also what I heard as the protest’s location:
image.thumb.png.66a148983012028da5c2b0b6a56bd7b2.png
 

The point remains that the protests can move as fast as CN’s freight trains can switch onto a competitor’s tracks...

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