Canadian Railroads > Vancouver Island

Does anyone know if the Victoria–Courtenay train on Vancouver Island will be running this summer?

No, it won't be. The line needs about one year's work to be returned to operation and the work has not yet been given the green light to start. The BC Safety Authority is doing an analysis to see if the $20 million committed by governments will actually be sufficient to bring the line back into safe operating condition. If the outcome of this review is negative, all bets could be off.

Perfect opportunity to drop your speeder on it and enjoy the sights from the track.  (That headlight up ahead is on a road isn't it?)

Rick

rschonfelder Wrote:
 (That headlight
> up ahead is on a road isn't it?)
>
> Rick

Rick

You made me laff out loud this morning with your repartee . . .very funny!

Craig
http://mcmrailvideos.com/

While the jokes are funny, at the same time, for those of us who grew up on Vancouver Island and hope to be able to return some day, the whole situation is very disheartening!
The effort to save the railway looked so promising to begin, and then it went right down the drain due to lack of proper management.

 

Will MacKenzie
Dundas, ON

thehighwayman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> While the jokes are funny, at the same time, for
> those of us who grew up on Vancouver Island and
> hope to be able to return some day, the whole
> situation is very disheartening!
> The effort to save the railway looked so promising
> to begin, and then it went right down the drain
> due to lack of proper management.
>
>  

It seems that the lack of rail service between Calgary and Edmonton, as an example, would be a much bigger concern than Vancouver Island.

reindeerflame Wrote:

> >  
>
> It seems that the lack of rail service between
> Calgary and Edmonton, as an example, would be a
> much bigger concern than Vancouver Island.

There are many travel options between Calgary and Edmonton,  several scheduled Greyhound and PWT/Red Arrow buses plus frequent airline service from Westjet and Air Canada.

Sadly, Vancouver Island has seen a decline in all modes of public transit in recent years.

eminence_grise Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> reindeerflame Wrote:
>
> > >  
> >
> > It seems that the lack of rail service between
> > Calgary and Edmonton, as an example, would be a
> > much bigger concern than Vancouver Island.
>
> There are many travel options between Calgary and
> Edmonton,  several scheduled Greyhound and
> PWT/Red Arrow buses plus frequent airline service
> from Westjet and Air Canada.
>
> Sadly, Vancouver Island has seen a decline in all
> modes of public transit in recent years.

Nobody lives there.   This is exactly backward.  You want to run rail services where travel demand is high, such as Calgary-Edmonton, not where it is low, like Vancouver Island.  Listen to the market signals!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/01/15 13:26 by reindeerflame.

reindeerflame Wrote:

> Nobody lives there.   This is exactly
> backward.  You want to run rail services where
> travel demand is high, such as Calgary-Edmonton,
> not where it is low, like Vancouver Island. 
> Listen to the market signals!

There's more to it than that.  A rail service between Edmonton and Calgary would almost certainly fail, because not many people would choose to ride a train, that would likely cost more, and take longer than a bus trip on the same route.  In a place like Vancouver Island, there is a lot less choice, and the distances and speeds involved, would likely lend itself to a rail operation a bit better.

reindeerflame Wrote:
>
> Nobody lives there.   This is exactly
> backward.  You want to run rail services where
> travel demand is high, such as Calgary-Edmonton,
> not where it is low, like Vancouver Island. 
> Listen to the market signals!

Have you ever been on Vancouver Island?

To say I am unhappy with your "nobody lives there" comment is the understatement of the year!

 

Will MacKenzie
Dundas, ON

greasemonkey Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> reindeerflame Wrote:
>
> > Nobody lives there.   This is exactly
> > backward.  You want to run rail services where
> > travel demand is high, such as
> Calgary-Edmonton,
> > not where it is low, like Vancouver Island. 
> > Listen to the market signals!
>
> There's more to it than that.  A rail service
> between Edmonton and Calgary would almost
> certainly fail, because not many people would
> choose to ride a train, that would likely cost
> more, and take longer than a bus trip on the same
> route.  In a place like Vancouver Island, there
> is a lot less choice, and the distances and speeds
> involved, would likely lend itself to a rail
> operation a bit better.


If the service on Vancouver Island was of any significance, there would have been clamour to have it reinstated.  Instead, there is silence, meaning that the remaining transportation options likely are quite adequate.  It's akin to a Nova Scotia situation, where highway upgrades have been done and rail service is considered obsolete.

The local Martime RDC trains were quite popular when withdrawn. It fell to VIA Rail's policy that there shall be no short haul train service where there is a bus or a highway, except for their fabled "Corridor"/fuselage, and even there the Niagara Falls and Sarnia service is now down to useless levels, Niagara Falls would likely be off the map were it not for the Amtrak run-thru. VIA Rail has been dying slowly ever since.