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Waiting for 30 Minutes

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1 hour ago, InfiNorth said:

The lack of floor-level platforms along the Corridor outside of a few select stations really bothers me. Boarding/unloading in Montreal and Quebec City would be a breeze as all they do is place a ramp bridging the gap from the platform to the carriage, and the one positive thing I can say about the REN Carriages is that the doors are nice and wide, and the floors line up with the raised platforms nicely. That and the fact that the restrooms (including their doors) are massive, unlike the garbage in the HEP fleet. I understand not having raised platforms all the way from Toronto to Vancouver - that would be extremely costly for such a small benefit. As a note, the only station anywhere on the entire run of the Canadian with raised platforms is Winnipeg... which hilariously is also the second busiest station that the Canadian serves... after Toronto... which itself doesn't have raised platforms except for the UP Express (and subway, obviously).

You can’t raise platforms as you desire without the approval of the infrastructure owner, which is why you see level boarding only in Montreal, Quebec City and - on the platform right in front of the station building - in Ottawa (because these tracks never see freight traffic). I recall quite clearly, however, that Winnipeg didn’t have any raised platform when I stepped off to stretch my legs during my first trip on the Canadian in 2015 (I slept through the stop in Winnipeg during my second trip in 2019). Also, I’m curious where you read that Winnipeg was the second-busiest station along the Canadian, as I find that, let’s say, hard to believe...

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2 hours ago, InfiNorth said:

The lack of floor-level platforms along the Corridor outside of a few select stations really bothers me. Boarding/unloading in Montreal and Quebec City would be a breeze as all they do is place a ramp bridging the gap from the platform to the carriage, and the one positive thing I can say about the REN Carriages is that the doors are nice and wide, and the floors line up with the raised platforms nicely. That and the fact that the restrooms (including their doors) are massive, unlike the garbage in the HEP fleet. I understand not having raised platforms all the way from Toronto to Vancouver - that would be extremely costly for such a small benefit. As a note, the only station anywhere on the entire run of the Canadian with raised platforms is Winnipeg... which hilariously is also the second busiest station that the Canadian serves... after Toronto... which itself doesn't have raised platforms except for the UP Express (and subway, obviously).

A compromise would be to have a section of the platform for just one car to have a raised platform (like GO transits accessible coach platform).

And a ramp would be required to allow wheel chair riders and other customers like strollers to board easier.  

Now that's not possible for flag stops, and rural stations but it's doable for major stations such as Vancouver, Banff, Edmonton, Sudbury, Bala, and even at Toronto union station.  

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26 minutes ago, Shaun said:

A compromise would be to have a section of the platform for just one car to have a raised platform (like GO transits accessible coach platform).

And a ramp would be required to allow wheel chair riders and other customers like strollers to board easier.  

Now that's not possible for flag stops, and rural stations but it's doable for major stations such as Vancouver, Banff, Edmonton, Sudbury, Bala, and even at Toronto union station.  

I have really wondered why Union, Canada's biggest and busiest train station, has ground-level platforms. You'd think they could get into the 20th (yes, twentieth) century and leave behind North America's obsession with stairs to climb up onto buses and trains. At least the major stations should be fully accessible, with at least a remote possibility of boarding and exiting witha  wheelchair anywhere along the route.

1 hour ago, Urban Sky said:

Also, I’m curious where you read that Winnipeg was the second-busiest station along the Canadian, as I find that, let’s say, hard to believe...

First off, you're absolutely correct and I Was wrong: Winnipeg has no raised platforms. Regarding the second-busiest station on the Canada... again, I was wrong, that would be Vancouver, followed by Winnipeg (in terms of trains calling). The Canadian calls at only three stations that are served by more than one train: Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg. Winnipeg's station sees two Canadians in each direction each week as well as the twice-weekly trains to Northern Manitoba. 

So yes: Vancouver sees 30 trains per week (counting all inbound and outbound VIA and Amtrak services) in the shoulder season and 32 trains per week in the summer, while Winnipeg sees only 8 trains per week. I forgot to include Amtrak in my quick mental calculations; RM no longer uses Pacific Central (that I know of).

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13 hours ago, Shaun said:

https://www.citynews1130.com/2020/06/17/b-c-hopes-to-lift-travel-restrictions-within-canada/

According to this article there where travel restrictions into the Yukon. 

And Albertans where advised to not travel outside of their province. 

 

Manitoba still imposes a 14-day quarantine on people entering Manitoba who are travelling from any place east of Terrace Bay (e.g. Toronto or Sudbury):

Quote

Travel and Self-isolation

In general, anyone arriving in Manitoba is required to self-isolate for 14-days upon arrival to reduce the spread of COVID-19. However, there are exceptions to this requirement specified in the order.

In particular, Manitoba residents who have travelled to "western Canada* or "northwestern Ontario** are exempt from the self-isolation requirements when they return to Manitoba if they have not travelled outside of western Canada or northwestern Ontario and are not displaying any symptoms of COVID-19. Residents of western Canada or northwestern Ontario are also exempt, if they have not travelled to another country or any part of Canada outside of western Canada or northwestern Ontario in the 14-day period immediately before entering or arriving in Manitoba and are not displaying any symptoms of COVID-19.

*Western Canada means British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. (as defined in the order).

**northwestern Ontario means that portion of Ontario that is located west of Terrace Bay (as defined in the order)

https://manitoba.ca/covid19/protection/soe.html

Edited by Urban Sky
EAST of Terrace Bay (not: west)
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If by "raised platforms" you mean the 48" high platform as is standard in places such as Montreal, Quebec and Ottawa....then no, Winnipeg does not have raised platforms. It uses the same 9" height as is standard elsewhere in Canada.

 

There had been plans made to installed 48" high platforms at Toronto's Union Station on 2 or 3 tracks for use by VIA's services, but those plans have seemingly stalled.

 

Dan

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20 hours ago, M. Parsons said:

There were no restrictions out west. You are mistaken. 

Correct.  Inter-provincial travel has been discouraged since March but not restricted.  Saskatchewan was recommending isolation when returning from out of province when restrictions were initially put in place but it wasn't mandatory.  It's since the downgraded to self-monitoring.  I believe most of the western provinces have been doing the same although the timelines have differed a bit.

Also, if someone test positive for COVID-19 after arriving in Saskatchewan by air the date, flight number and section of the plane is reported with a suggestion that passengers seated nearby self-monitor.  Currently all flights still arriving in Saskatoon or Regina terminate so there in no need to worry about through passengers testing positive elsewhere. Contact tracing across jurisdictions is hard.

Most of the large outbreaks in Saskatchewan after the initial wave have been directly traced to someone returning to Saskatchewan after being infected in another province.  Keeping the Canadian sidelined at this point is a wise choice I support.  If it came back, I'd hope there were rules restricting movement to the assigned car and assign cars based on destination -- that is everyone destined for some place in Alberta is in one car, everyone destined for some place in Saskatchewan is in another to simplify contact tracing should someone turn up positive later.

I'm sure someone will suggest rapid testing before boarding as a mitigation.  While that could help airlines where people are on a flight only for a few hours, it won't work on the train where people are together for a few days.  Someone may be exposed shortly before boarding the train and test negative with the infection developing while en-route, likely with a couple days being pre-symptomatic.  Long distance train travel is too risky at this point in time.

 

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21 hours ago, InfiNorth said:

First off, you're absolutely correct and I Was wrong: Winnipeg has no raised platforms. Regarding the second-busiest station on the Canada... again, I was wrong, that would be Vancouver, followed by Winnipeg (in terms of trains calling). The Canadian calls at only three stations that are served by more than one train: Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg. Winnipeg's station sees two Canadians in each direction each week as well as the twice-weekly trains to Northern Manitoba. 

So yes: Vancouver sees 30 trains per week (counting all inbound and outbound VIA and Amtrak services) in the shoulder season and 32 trains per week in the summer, while Winnipeg sees only 8 trains per week. I forgot to include Amtrak in my quick mental calculations; RM no longer uses Pacific Central (that I know of).

I think it's important to be clear on what "busiest" means -- what is the metric.  If you're limiting to the Canadian I can see two different metrics one of which would make the assertion that it's the 2nd busiest station for the Canadian.  If you count passengers who's trip originates or terminates in Winnipeg I'd say not a chance.  Even if you count the crew who area based in Winnipeg. 

If you talk about boarding, maybe.  In Winnipeg the train has a lengthy stop for servicing and when it's not running really late (which has been common), it's often early.  Passengers carrying on to other destinations are given the option to remain on board while the train is serviced or get off and stay off to re-board with the new passengers shortly before scheduled departure.  Many passengers get off and walk around The Forks, nearby downtown or just mill about in the station which is a gorgeous building and even has a small railway museum with hours that are compatible with the Canadian's schedule.  If you could all the passengers re-boarding and those originating from WInnipeg then maybe it's the 2nd busiest along the route.  Especially since the loss of Greyhound services in the Prairies.

But I'd bet Vancouver, Toronto and Jasper take the #1, #2 and #3 spots respectively on the Canadian route with Winnipeg taking #4.  I have no empirical data to back up my claim, just anecdotal evidence chatting with other passengers when I've taken that train.

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22 hours ago, InfiNorth said:

First off, you're absolutely correct and I Was wrong: Winnipeg has no raised platforms. Regarding the second-busiest station on the Canada... again, I was wrong, that would be Vancouver, followed by Winnipeg (in terms of trains calling). The Canadian calls at only three stations that are served by more than one train: Toronto, Vancouver and Winnipeg. Winnipeg's station sees two Canadians in each direction each week as well as the twice-weekly trains to Northern Manitoba. 

So yes: Vancouver sees 30 trains per week (counting all inbound and outbound VIA and Amtrak services) in the shoulder season and 32 trains per week in the summer, while Winnipeg sees only 8 trains per week. I forgot to include Amtrak in my quick mental calculations; RM no longer uses Pacific Central (that I know of).

While it is correct that Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver all have service with the Canadian and another train, Portage La Prairie, Manitoba sees two different VIA trains (the Canadian and 692/693 - former Hudson Bay). Interesting fact about Portage, its the only intermediate stop on two VIA routes west of the corridor. Jasper also sees two (or three depending on if you consider the third Canadian run between Edmonton and Vancouver as a different service) different VIA services (the Canadian and the Skeena - now 5/6). This is in addition to the semi-weekly RM  For what its worth, you could consider Mission, BC as a two-train city as it serves the eastbound Canadian twice a week ( three times during peak season) and the five-train daily West Coast Express service. The Canadian even passes through the West Coast Express station which is not adjoined to their station but within walking distance.

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2 hours ago, Viafreak said:

The Canadian even passes through the West Coast Express station which is not adjoined to their station but within walking distance.

Mission City Station is different than VIA's Mission Harbour station and I wouldn't really call it walking distance since it's such a miserable area. It's just an awful patch of asphalt on the side of the tracks in an industrial area. I don't consider RM to be a rail service, only a railcruise as you can't pick choose to get off an an intermediate stop like, say, Quesnel, and end your journey there. Thanks for those other points - especially Portage-la-Prairie. I can't believe I forgot about it as if you count a train arriving and a train departing separately (as they both serve a purpose differently), it is served more than Winnipeg.

3 hours ago, dbdb said:

In Winnipeg the train has a lengthy stop for servicing and when it's not running really late (which has been common), it's often early.  Passengers carrying on to other destinations are given the option to remain on board while the train is serviced or get off and stay off to re-board with the new passengers shortly before scheduled departure.  Many passengers get off and walk around The Forks, nearby downtown or just mill about in the station which is a gorgeous building and even has a small railway museum with hours that are compatible with the Canadian's schedule.

On my way up to Churchill last year I made a good friend who was coming back on a different train and transferring on the same evening as its arrival to the Canadian (which is probably the world's riskiest railway transfer in terms of how unpredictable both those trains are). I doubt Winnipeg station is usually that busy, but within a ten minute window, the exceptionally late Churchill-Winnipeg service pulled in followed by the (also late) Canadian on a different track, meaning you actually had two gates in service simultaneously. Canadian only hung around for about half an hour, I assume for nothing more than refueling, crew change and reprovisioning, then left. Probably one of the busiest evenings ever for the staff at that station as the train coming down from Churchill was also a train carrying three extra economy cars filled with university students, and probably upwards of sixty people boarded the Canadian that same evening.

 

I would bet Edmonton falls in at a close 5th on that list considering that VIA was willing to run from Edmonton to Vancouver for trains 3/4. A lot of people got off the train at Edmonton that had boarded in Jasper.

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32 minutes ago, InfiNorth said:

Back when the Canadian and Super Continental both served Kamloops, where did the Canadian stop? Neither the existing Kamloops North nor the old downtown station seem to be possible for a train without it backing into the station. 

3/4 used the current Kamloops North on the CN route while 1/2 used the CP station off 3rd Ave. 

Screen Shot 2020-10-11 at 5.25.27 PM.jpg

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55 minutes ago, cprted said:

 

3/4 used the current Kamloops North on the CN route while 1/2 used the CP station off 3rd Ave. 

Screen Shot 2020-10-11 at 5.25.27 PM.jpg

My question was how would a train make use of that station while on CP trackage - that station only has access to the connecting branch line between CP and CN trackage, not the mainline. A train eastbound would have to back into that station.

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31 minutes ago, InfiNorth said:

My question was how would a train make use of that station while on CP trackage - that station only has access to the connecting branch line between CP and CN trackage, not the mainline. A train eastbound would have to back into that station.

The Kamloops CPR station is located on the CPR mainline.  I think you might be thinking of the old CN station that is currently used by RMR and KHR. It is a little odd as CN had 2 Kamloops stations, "Kamloops" (the old station downtown) and "Kamloops Junction" (near where Kamloops North currently is).

1681565429_ScreenShot2020-10-11at6_46_16PM.thumb.jpg.24f8e08939be90baed5bd416b3b1199f.jpg

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2 hours ago, cprted said:

The Kamloops CPR station is located on the CPR mainline.  I think you might be thinking of the old CN station that is currently used by RMR and KHR. It is a little odd as CN had 2 Kamloops stations, "Kamloops" (the old station downtown) and "Kamloops Junction" (near where Kamloops North currently is).

1681565429_ScreenShot2020-10-11at6_46_16PM.thumb.jpg.24f8e08939be90baed5bd416b3b1199f.jpg

That "modern" CP station/blockhouse sure is an eyesore compared to the classic CN station. Thanks for the correction, much appreciated. 

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On 10/12/2020 at 12:23 AM, InfiNorth said:

That "modern" CP station/blockhouse sure is an eyesore compared to the classic CN station. Thanks for the correction, much appreciated. 

Back in the 1930s, "The Continental Limited" served Kamloops' CN Station in between two separate stops at Kamloops North:
image.thumb.png.ba53f13e6be5b4c1440b0e330f494538.png
Source: Canadian National Railways timetable (effective 1931-06-28)

In westbound direction only, this practice survived until 1949 (and without a second stop at Kamloops North):
image.thumb.png.13c47c0a112dbfa7d772fac53288e5b5.png

Source: Canadian National timetable (effective 1949-04-24)

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15 minutes ago, Urban Sky said:

Back in the 1930s, "The Continental Limited" served Kamloops' CN Station in between two separate stops at Kamloops North:

As always, thanks for pointing this out... I really should give these timetables a proper front-to-back readthrough since I have no shortage of spare time these days. That explains why CN had a major station downtown despite a lack of mainline tracks through town. My confusion was caused by my ignorance of the CP station (read: ugly concrete block) southwest of the CN station on the CP mainline. 

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3 hours ago, Urban Sky said:

Back in the 1930s, "The Continental Limited" served Kamloops' CN Station in between two separate stops at Kamloops North:
image.thumb.png.ba53f13e6be5b4c1440b0e330f494538.png
Source: Canadian National Railways timetable (effective 1931-06-28)

In westbound direction only, this practice survived until 1949 (and without a second stop at Kamloops North):
image.thumb.png.13c47c0a112dbfa7d772fac53288e5b5.png

Source: Canadian National timetable (effective 1949-04-24)

One of the other interesting (at least to me) features of CN passenger service in Kamloops is the interchange between the transcontinental service and train 192/193 (Kamloops-Vernon-Kelowna).  Train 3 and 4 each had a sleeper designated for Kelowna and when the train arrived in Kamloops, the sleeper would be cut off the train and left at Kamloops Jct. to be picked up by the southbound #192, thus avoiding having to wakeup and detrain sleeper passengers bound for Kelowna in the wee hours of the morning. 

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On 10/3/2020 at 4:15 PM, Shaun said:

https://www.citynews1130.com/2020/06/17/b-c-hopes-to-lift-travel-restrictions-within-canada/

According to this article there where travel restrictions into the Yukon. 

And Albertans where advised to not travel outside of their province. 

 

I live in Ab and never heard about anything advising Albertans not to travel outside the province. Just said non essential travel which dont mean a whole lot between northern ab and northern bc

 

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I'm back on the historical hunt, and I located the old VIA Rail Station that was used as (one of) the replacements for Gare du Palais during its years-long refurbishment. It's here, on Ave Saint-Sacrement. While I'm thrilled to have finally located this old platform and utterly hideous building, I'm still confused about where Limoilu (the replacement CN station) was located. Does anyone know where this was?

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3 minutes ago, DavidW said:

I have found this photograph online.  Which Kamloops station is this?  Does the bus transfer passengers between Kamloops' two stations?

kamloops_CNR_d-03855_141.thumb.jpg.3345ca4edbe6986a42a96af44ab56d1c.jpg

That is the downtown CN station, and that bus is likely a connecting bus to Kelowna (just a guess). Once the Super Continental was running and transcontinental trains no longer called at the CN station downtown, it saw no passenger trains as the only ones passing through downtown would be the Canadian and Dominion, both of which would stop at Kamloops CP. Thus it would be illogical for the bus to go to a station with no passenger services - though this shot looks like it's from the late 40s. Do you know a year on this?

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6 hours ago, InfiNorth said:

I'm back on the historical hunt, and I located the old VIA Rail Station that was used as (one of) the replacements for Gare du Palais during its years-long refurbishment. It's here, on Ave Saint-Sacrement. While I'm thrilled to have finally located this old platform and utterly hideous building, I'm still confused about where Limoilu (the replacement CN station) was located. Does anyone know where this was?

When Gare du Palais closed in 1976 the xCN route trains originated/terminated at Gare Sainte-Foy......not Limoilou. Limoilou was in the Yard about 1km north of Gare du Palais and was a stop for the Railiner to Clermont and the trains to Riviere-a-Pierre/Chicoutimi.

St. Sacrement closed on Dec 1 1979 and the xCP Dayliners running via Trois-Riviere also moved to Gare Sainte-Foy.

 

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11 hours ago, ghYHZ said:

When Gare du Palais closed in 1976 the xCN route trains originated/terminated at Gare Sainte-Foy......not Limoilou. Limoilou was in the Yard about 1km north of Gare du Palais and was a stop for the Railiner to Clermont and the trains to Riviere-a-Pierre/Chicoutimi.

St. Sacrement closed on Dec 1 1979 and the xCP Dayliners running via Trois-Riviere also moved to Gare Sainte-Foy.

 

Did the Limoilou stop have any kind of a building or was it just a trackside flag stop? The reason I consider it to have "replaced" Gare du Palais is because it was otherwise the closest station to Quebec City proper. 

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