Canadian Railroads > VIA Venture-Equipped Trains Delayed: One Week On

It's been a week since VIA's level-crossing speed reductions, imposed by CN took effect in earnest. Daily delays have settled into a pattern of average delays on CN's Kingston Subdivision being 40-50 minutes per Venture-equipped train per day. Yesterday's twelve Venture-equipped trains by Train No. (and # Minutes Late): 40(110?), 41(44), 42(44), 44(42), 45(54), 47(30), 48(83*), 54(81*), 59(70*), 641(50), 643 (116?), 644(24).
(Symbols *=departed 25-40 minutes late, ?delayed 1 hour plus west of Belleville for unknown incident)

Don't ask me how the 24-minute delay is even possible! A small number of trains continue to depart their originating station late, perhaps due to delays to run-through Venture-equipped trains.

This post (link below) on the CN-imposed VIA delays is continually updated, and my initial post on this topic is about to hit 1,000 views here in just 10 days. The highest on the Canadian Railroads board since the September 1 posted sad saga of VIA train No 622, which coincidentally will be profiled in my next Trackside Treasure post!

http://tracksidetreasure.blogspot.com/2024/10/breaking-buffer-cars-20-on-via.html
Eric Gagnon
Kingston, ON

CN on the former IC in Illinois finds hundreds of ways to delay Amtrak almost daily..........

Has VIA figured out how to MU these Venture/Charger things into J trains without their software from going nuts, which happened last Spring I believe ? 

I keep wondering why equipment design planning like that, which would seem to be obvious and routine, doesn't get done well in North America.

Until we hear from CN just where the recent problem arose, after introducing the Ventures into SW Ontario revenue service, it appears that two years of Venture operation over the CN Kingston Sub (Montreal-Toronto) did not present any actual problems or incidents. We need to hear from CN, or from Transport Canada, whichever comes first.

I'm predicting a quietly-building passenger revolt once it becomes more widely-known through social media that VIA is practically withholding its knowledge of Passenger X's Venture-equipped departure taking an hour longer (and potentially leaving its originating station 20 minutes later due to the run-through train set being late on its previous leg)  than Passenger Y's Legacy-equipped departure an hour later.

If this turns into any kind of groundswell, which it probably won't since VIA passengers are already quietly accepting of built-in delays in our quintessentially Canadian sensibility and quintessentially Canadian passenger rail lateocracy, Transport Canada or the Commons Transportation Committee, or both, will have to swing into action to be seen to be doing something, anything, in their respective oversight and elected-official roles.

So, CN, where is the smoking gun?

Eric Gagnon
Kingston, ON



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/23/24 11:29 by Trackside_Treasure.

Without actual public timetables, the riding public has no clue what is a run-thru train, where it originated, nor where it is ultimately headed to, or whether their train with their trip originating in Montreal came from somewhere else. It would be helpful to avoid such trains. Concealing information with no-need-to-know authoritarian BS is never a good sign. 

Do any train sets run thru Ottawa between Montreal and Toronto, changing train numbers from one arrival to the next departure ?

Yes, they do.

https://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/mechanical-issues-and-unsuccessful-tow-keep-via-rail-passengers-stuck-near-brockville-for-hours-1.7083545
 

Which type of train broke down ? 

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Which type of train broke down ? 

It was reported on another discussion site that it was - wait for it - a Venture.

DrawingroomA Wrote:

> It was reported on another discussion site that it
> was - wait for it - a Venture.

I am shocked, SHOCKED !