Canadian Railroads > VIA derailment New Brunswick

News sources are reporting that VIA derailed a couple cars this afternoon about half an hour northwest of Moncton. Global and CBC both have information on their websites.

Ken
 

Here is a little more, including some video.

https://globalnews.ca/news/5130857/via-rail-derail-moncton/
 

thatguyonthetrain Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "Firefighters stayed to help passengers get off
> the train and board a bus, a scary experience for
> those near the back."
>
> I agree 100% – buses are scary!

Not really!

'Maritime Bus' provides a good connecting service here feeding passengers to the Ocean from Saint John, Sydney and Charlottetown....and share the VIA Stations in Halifax and Moncton. Where I live I begin or end most of my rail trips on the Bus and service is just fine!

There should be more intermodal connections across the country.

---

"The train which is called Train 14." Would a train name be too much to hope for? 

andersonb109 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "The train which is called Train 14." Would a
> train name be too much to hope for? 

And this is important because?????

ghCBNS Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> thatguyonthetrain Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > "Firefighters stayed to help passengers get off
> > the train and board a bus, a scary experience
> for
> > those near the back."
> >
> > I agree 100% – buses are scary!
>
> Not really!
>
> 'Maritime Bus' provides a good connecting service
> here feeding passengers to the Ocean from Saint
> John, Sydney and Charlottetown....and share the
> VIA Stations in Halifax and Moncton. Where I live
> I begin or end most of my rail trips on the Bus
> and service is just fine!
>
> There should be more intermodal connections across
> the country.

To many people, especially those of us who pay for sleeping car accommodations, a long-distance bus ride is a "scary experience". I can tolerate a bus for an hour or two, but anything longer than that is a miserable experience. From reports I have read, VIA has bussed passengers from Halifax and Truro to Montreal, an overnight journey.  These were situations when it was impossible to run the train, but passengers should be flown long distances, not bussed.  Admittedly, the current situation involved a relatively short daytime bus ride to Moncton or Halifax.

DrawingroomA Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ghCBNS Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > thatguyonthetrain Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > "Firefighters stayed to help passengers get
> off
> > > the train and board a bus, a scary experience
> > for
> > > those near the back."
> > >
> > > I agree 100% – buses are scary!
> >
> > Not really!
> >
> > 'Maritime Bus' provides a good connecting
> service
> > here feeding passengers to the Ocean from Saint
> > John, Sydney and Charlottetown....and share the
> > VIA Stations in Halifax and Moncton. Where I
> live
> > I begin or end most of my rail trips on the Bus
> > and service is just fine!
> >
> > There should be more intermodal connections
> across
> > the country.
>
> To many people, especially those of us who pay for
> sleeping car accommodations, a long-distance bus
> ride is a "scary experience". I can tolerate a bus
> for an hour or two, but anything longer than that
> is a miserable experience. From reports I have
> read, VIA has bussed passengers from Halifax and
> Truro to Montreal, an overnight journey.  These
> were situations when it was impossible to run the
> train, but passengers should be flown long
> distances, not bussed.  Admittedly, the current
> situation involved a relatively short daytime bus
> ride to Moncton or Halifax.

I would suggest that there be an additional alternative when VIA cannot fully complete a trip, in the EXACT manner booked:  The passenger should be allowed to leave the train where the service ended, seek their OWN choice of transport from that point on and receive a 100% refund of the fare for the ENTIRE trip.  If the trip ends in an area inaccessible by other public transportation, VIA should be required to get the passenger to the closest city or town where alternative transportation is available and still provide the 100% refund.  Booking expensive train travel, only to be put on a bus, or even a plane for that matter, is unacceptable.  If VIA can’t or won’t deliver what they received payment for, then a full refund should be in order.  

I would also go further and say that if VIA cannot get a passenger to their destination—or even to various stops along the way—within a reasonable margin of error time wise—based on a percentage of the scheduled travel time (let’s say 10% to 15%)—that a 100% refund should also be in order.  Give the passengers some leverage.  VIA should be punished for bus rides and these insanely late arrivals, while the passengers should get their money back if they did not receive exactly what they paid for, period.

For example, if No. 2 pulls into Winnipeg 19 hours late (my experience), the passenger should have the option of leaving the train there and receive a 100% refund of the fare for the entire trip.  Give the passenger what they paid for or refund their money—ALL of it.

How do Canadian rules about airline trips interrupted at an enroute point work?

Creating unique rules for Via seems like a nonstarter.

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Recently, the Federal Minister of Transport introduced legislation entitled “A passenger Bill of Rights” legislation regarding airline passengers in Canada which includes mandated refunds and also how long passengers can be kept on the plane during delays and so forth. Although airline specific, it is logical that it could be extended to other modes of transport. There are some awful examples of how passengers have been stranded by some of the smaller Canadian airlines, with little recourse,

Streamliner Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> DrawingroomA Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > ghCBNS Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > thatguyonthetrain Wrote:
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> > > -----
> > > > "Firefighters stayed to help passengers get
> > off
> > > > the train and board a bus, a scary
> experience
> > > for
> > > > those near the back."
> > > >
> > > > I agree 100% – buses are scary!
> > >
> > > Not really!
> > >
> > > 'Maritime Bus' provides a good connecting
> > service
> > > here feeding passengers to the Ocean from
> Saint
> > > John, Sydney and Charlottetown....and share
> the
> > > VIA Stations in Halifax and Moncton. Where I
> > live
> > > I begin or end most of my rail trips on the
> Bus
> > > and service is just fine!
> > >
> > > There should be more intermodal connections
> > across
> > > the country.
> >
> > To many people, especially those of us who pay
> for
> > sleeping car accommodations, a long-distance
> bus
> > ride is a "scary experience". I can tolerate a
> bus
> > for an hour or two, but anything longer than
> that
> > is a miserable experience. From reports I have
> > read, VIA has bussed passengers from Halifax
> and
> > Truro to Montreal, an overnight journey. 
> These
> > were situations when it was impossible to run
> the
> > train, but passengers should be flown long
> > distances, not bussed.  Admittedly, the
> current
> > situation involved a relatively short daytime
> bus
> > ride to Moncton or Halifax.
>
> I would suggest that there be an additional
> alternative when VIA cannot fully complete a
> trip, in the EXACT manner booked:  The passenger
> should be allowed to leave the train where the
> service ended, seek their OWN choice of transport
> from that point on and receive a 100% refund of
> the fare for the ENTIRE trip.  If the trip ends
> in an area inaccessible by other public
> transportation, VIA should be required to get the
> passenger to the closest city or town where
> alternative transportation is available and still
> provide the 100% refund.  Booking expensive train
> travel, only to be put on a bus, or even a plane
> for that matter, is unacceptable.  If VIA can’t
> or won’t deliver what they received payment for,
> then a full refund should be in order.  
>
> I would also go further and say that if VIA
> cannot get a passenger to their destination—or
> even to various stops along the way—within a
> reasonable margin of error time wise—based on a
> percentage of the scheduled travel time (let’s
> say 10% to 15%)—that a 100% refund should also
> be in order.  Give the passengers some leverage.
>  VIA should be punished for bus rides and these
> insanely late arrivals, while the passengers
> should get their money back if they did not
> receive exactly what they paid for, period.
>
> For example, if No. 2 pulls into Winnipeg 19 hours
> late (my experience), the passenger should have
> the option of leaving the train there and receive
> a 100% refund of the fare for the entire trip.
>  Give the passenger what they paid for or refund
> their money—ALL of it.
Why not suggest that VIA pays passengers to ride?  I think that is the simpler suggestion.  Sure as a Canadian tax payer I have deep pockets.  Better say this is tongue in cheek in case certain folks think that I am serious. SHEESH!!

Passengers should be refunded only for the portion of the trip where advertised rail service was not provided. Suggesting they be refunded for the entire trip is asking a bit much. After all, some of the service they paid for was provided. It should however be the customer's choice how they get to their ultimate destination. If that means a short bus or cab ride to the nearest airport or rental car facility, that expense should be covered assuming it's higher than the amount of money being refunded. Or at least equivalent points to the dollar amount put into their Preference or if Amtrak Guest Rewards account. That costs the carrier nothing and would probably lead to a future trip with additional revenue. That's standard operating procedure when something goes amiss on the airlines...at least if Delta is an example of industry wide standards. 

andersonb109 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Passengers should be refunded only for the portion
> of the trip where advertised rail service was not
> provided. Suggesting they be refunded for the
> entire trip is asking a bit much. After all, some
> of the service they paid for was provided. It
> should however be the customer's choice how they
> get to their ultimate destination. If that means a
> short bus or cab ride to the nearest airport or
> rental car facility, that expense should be
> covered assuming it's higher than the amount of
> money being refunded. Or at least equivalent
> points to the dollar amount put into their
> Preference or if Amtrak Guest Rewards account.
> That costs the carrier nothing and would probably
> lead to a future trip with additional revenue.
> That's standard operating procedure when something
> goes amiss on the airlines...at least if Delta is
> an example of industry wide standards. 

You make good points.  It would be great if discussions like ours would take place with the folks who oversee VIA.

4489 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> andersonb109 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > "The train which is called Train 14." Would a
> > train name be too much to hope for? 
>
> And this is important because?????

And the answer is, (The) Ocean. A simple look at the VIA Rail website confirms such. https://www.viarail.ca/sites/all/files/media/pdfs/schedules/winter2018/30_Halifax-Montreal.pdf

thatguyonthetrain Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "Firefighters stayed to help passengers get off
> the train and board a bus, a scary experience for
> those near the back."
>
> I agree 100% – buses are scary!

Good grief, four replies into a passenger train thread and someone gets off on bashing buses...

Jim

I see that the Ocean - train #14 and #15, east and westbound - is back to running. Are both train sets Renaissance or is it another mixture of one train set being a Budd? If VIA is able to make-up the Renaissance equipment with a Budd consist, then there should be an extra train set in Toronto rotated into the Canadian's schedule off peak. I don't get what happened the "third" Renaissance train set that used to cover the Ocean when operations were six days a week.......There shouldn't be any need to cover the Ocean with a Budd consist any time. But clearly VIA must have started to store or mothball the Ocean's former Renaissance fleet. Not good, as the Budd's are needed for the Canadian.  

The Ocean #15 of Friday the 5th was cancelled. Strangely, the tsimobile tracking site shows it as on time at all stations but not moving. Train #14 of the 5th is a Budd set. Number 14 of Sunday the 7th is showing as Renaissance.

eminence_grise Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Recently, the Federal Minister of Transport
> introduced legislation entitled “A passenger
> Bill of Rights” legislation regarding airline
> passengers in Canada which includes mandated
> refunds and also how long passengers can be kept
> on the plane during delays and so forth. Although
> airline specific, it is logical that it could be
> extended to other modes of transport. There are
> some awful examples of how passengers have been
> stranded by some of the smaller Canadian airlines,
> with little recourse,

Thank you. That seems like a good template for Via.

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