Canada’s public passenger railway VIA Rail has been pulled back from pandemic-induced oblivion by a federal government now framing the scheme for a dedicated, electrified right-of-way linking Quebec City and Toronto as a certainty for the first time since the project was first revealed in 2015.
Battered by COVID-19 lockdowns, fatigued rolling stock, fierce competition for station slots and the ubiquitous adoption of alternatives to physical travel, Canada’s publicly owned intercity passenger system is mired in an existential crisis over which it has little or no control. That is the depressing message in VIA Rail’s 2021-2025 Corporate Plan, dated Nov. 5 2021 but never officially announced by way of news release. It resides in an obscure page of the company’s website.
The 2021 on-time performance of MTA Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) in New York has surpassed the previous record set in 2020. Also, this summer, Sacramento (Calif.) Regional Transit District (RTD) will start Gold Line light rail improvements; Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) has partnered with Magnusmode on a new rider app; and VIA Rail Canada has selected Icomera to deploy Wi-Fi and an onboard digital platform for riders on its new trainsets.
In September, VIA Rail Canada took delivery of the first of 32 new Siemens trainsets, and on Nov. 30, revealed it to the public; testing starts in December. Siemens was awarded the
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) has released a draft 2045 Transit System Plan. In addition, Denver (Colo.) Regional Transportation District is surveying riders to assess communication needs; MTA Metro-North Railroad is piloting a bike storage program in New York City; and Via Rail Canada will begin the final phase of its gradual service resumption plan in December.
“Our new train has arrived and we couldn’t be happier!” VIA Rail Canada tweeted on Sept. 29. It is the first of 32 trainsets that Siemens is delivering to the passenger railroad under a C$989 million (US$781.5 million) contract awarded in December 2018.
A glimpse of actual progress teased the passenger rail industry July 6 when the Canadian government unveiled previously obscure details of its long-running High Frequency Rail (HFR) program.
Toronto-area regional transit agency Metrolinx has opened the Bloomington GO Station, part of the Richmond Hill Line; the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) has launched a real-time digital signage pilot program; the Utah Transit Authority Board of Trustees has approved a new contract with the Utah Division of Air Quality for “free fare days,” according to the Daily Herald; and VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) will increase service on the Québec City-Windsor corridor starting July 12.
VIA Rail Canada has published a 199-page annual report for 2020, covering its response to pandemic- and blockade-related service disruptions and how it moved forward with the implementation of its 2020-25 strategic plan.
The Railway Association of Canada (RAC) has published the 28th edition of its Trends Report, providing a ten-year performance overview (2010-19) of its member passenger and freight railroads.