Passenger Trains > Continued Interruption of VIA Rail Services Leads to Layoffs

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?15,5060941

People just aren't travelling and the Canadian and Ocean routes remain suspended although there is now double daily service on the main Corridor routes and that is gradually increasing. Remote service routes have weekly service.

Yesterday....Ontario with a population of 14.5 million recorded 118 new Covid cases where Florida with 21.5 million had 10,000 new cases. Canadians want the US/Canada border to remain closed so don't expect Amtrak to resume service anytime soon.

As the Premier (Governor) of my province said 'Stay the Blazes Home!' and it seems to have worked. The Canadian Charter or Rights (constitution) guarantees the right to travel between provinces and territories but an Emergency Health Order would trump (sorry!) that. Sure we have those here too that feel their rights are being infringed but just do the right thing and your personal responsibility to follow the guidelines of the health authorities.

All provinces are gradually relaxing requirements and here in the 4 Atlantic Provinces with such low Covid numbers.....the interprovincial borders here have now reopened without the the requirement to isolate for 14 days. But that is only for travel within the 4 provinces (NS, NB, PEI and Nfld). Cross the Quebec-New Brunswick border or fly in from elsewhere and you still have to isolate.

But there's lots of opportunity here for a staycation this summer. Just too bad VIA didn't offer any service here other than the Ocean....suspended until November.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/09/20 02:15 by ghCBNS.

Canada, Mexico and the EU have banned American travel, and rightfully so, even though lack of our tourist dollars hurts their economies. 

There are vast differences from state to state, NJ, NJ, and New England have their act together, and their various curves look like the EU's. Maryland is in good shape, yet Delaware is on the list of 19 hotspot states for NJ/NJ/CT requiring 14 day quarantine. 

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Canada, Mexico and the EU have banned American
> travel, and rightfully so, even though lack of our
> tourist dollars hurts their economies. 
>

Its obvious that you do not understand the political nature of all of this. Of course, what they are doing hurts their economies. The more pain you inflict on your citizenry, the more you can control them.

Posted from Android

P Wrote:
>
> Its obvious that you do not understand the
> political nature of all of this. Of course,
> what they are doing hurts their economies. The
> more pain you inflict on your citizenry, the more
> you can control them.

It is obvious you do not understand much about virus spread and how to control it any better than Brazil does. 
132,000 deaths and 3 million infections in 4 months is plenty of pain, and the economic fall-out it brimngs.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/09/20 05:55 by joemvcnj.

P Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Its obvious that you do not understand the
> political nature of all of this. Of course,
> what they are doing hurts their economies. The
> more pain you inflict on your citizenry, the more
> you can control them.
>
> Posted from Android

From this statement, it's obvious that you don't understand the political nature of all of this -- because what you wrote is absolute nonsense.

Greetings from Germany, where the virus is largely under control and, consequently, the citizenry is not (i.e. no more lockdowns, etc.).

pennengineer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> P Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Its obvious that you do not understand the
> > political nature of all of this. Of course,
> > what they are doing hurts their economies. The
> > more pain you inflict on your citizenry, the
> more
> > you can control them.
> >
> > Posted from Android
>
> From this statement, it's obvious that you don't
> understand the political nature of all of this --
> because what you wrote is absolute nonsense.
>
> Greetings from Germany, where the virus is largely
> under control and, consequently, the citizenry is
> not (i.e. no more lockdowns, etc.).

Exactly!

In Canada we hunkered down for nearly 4 months but are seeing the benefits of that now with very low Covid numbers and things opening up. I now feel much more comfortable going out......but still following health authority advice on masks and physical distancing to keep this under control.

Here the partisan politics between the feds and provinces were mostly set aside with a 'we're all in this together' approach......and on more than one occasion you had the very conservative Premier Ford of Ontario singing the praises of the Liberal Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/09/20 06:37 by ghCBNS.

I was warned that the passenger train board can get political. That's OK as long as it stays on topic. I think we are all passenger train advocates and share the desire to see passenger trains continue and to flourish, but we work toward that aim better if we don't go off on tangents like troops in Germany or responding to homonyms of the president's name. Passenger train opponents are united; we'd better be too. I guess there are those that buy into the conspiracy theory that Covid-19 is a political tool to damage the president and to control people and take over the world. Fine, but it would be nice if they would also try to work that into the subject at hand.  Everything else just takes up space.

alally8444 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was warned that the passenger train board can
> get political. That's OK as long as it stays on
> topic. I think we are all passenger train
> advocates and share the desire to see passenger
> trains continue and to flourish, but we work
> toward that aim better if we don't go off on
> tangents like troops in Germany or responding to
> homonyms of the president's name. Passenger train
> opponents are united; we'd better be too. I guess
> there are those that buy into the conspiracy
> theory that Covid-19 is a political tool to damage
> the president and to control people and take over
> the world. Fine, but it would be nice if they
> would also try to work that into the subject at
> hand.  Everything else just takes up space.

Very well said!

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Canada, Mexico and the EU have banned American
> travel, and rightfully so, even though lack of our
> tourist dollars hurts their economies. 
>
> There are vast differences from state to state,
> NJ, NJ, and New England have their act together,
> and their various curves look like the EU's.
> Maryland is in good shape, yet Delaware is on the
> list of 19 hotspot states for NJ/NJ/CT requiring
> 14 day quarantine. 

Too little too late maybe. International travel across the board should have been completely stopped except for only absolutely essential requires from the beginning. 

ghCBNS Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> People just aren't travelling and the Canadian and
> Ocean routes remain suspended although there is
> now double daily service on the main Corridor
> routes and that is gradually increasing. Remote
> service routes have weekly service.

Plenty of travel demand in the US. Airline travel is up to 26% of previous now and rising rapidly.  Same story on Amtrak.  Maybe they aren't travelling in Canada because VIA is shut down?

> Yesterday....Ontario with a population of 14.5
> million recorded 118 new Covid cases where Florida
> with 21.5 million had 10,000 new cases. Canadians
> want the US/Canada border to remain closed so
> don't expect Amtrak to resume service anytime
> soon.

Canadians will be clamoring to travel south in a few months despite their hostility to welcoming Americans during the summer.

> As the Premier (Governor) of my province said
> 'Stay the Blazes Home!' and it seems to have
> worked. The Canadian Charter or Rights
> (constitution) guarantees the right to travel
> between provinces and territories but an Emergency
> Health Order would trump (sorry!) that. Sure we
> have those here too that feel their rights are
> being infringed but just do the right thing and
> your personal responsibility to follow the
> guidelines of the health authorities.

Emergency Health Orders don't lawfully apply to healthy people. Eventually legal cases will prove that out while the current repression continues.

> All provinces are gradually relaxing requirements
> and here in the 4 Atlantic Provinces with such low
> Covid numbers.....the interprovincial borders here
> have now reopened without the the requirement to
> isolate for 14 days. But that is only for travel
> within the 4 provinces (NS, NB, PEI and Nfld).
> Cross the Quebec-New Brunswick border or fly in
> from elsewhere and you still have to isolate.

That's ridiculous. People have a right to travel within their country.  Is Canada not a country? 

> But there's lots of opportunity here for a
> staycation this summer. Just too bad VIA didn't
> offer any service here other than the
> Ocean....suspended until November.

VIA no longer wants to exist, LOL.  Proving themselves non-essential.

jst3751 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> joemvcnj Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Canada, Mexico and the EU have banned American
> > travel, and rightfully so, even though lack of
> our
> > tourist dollars hurts their economies. 
> >
> > There are vast differences from state to state,
> > NJ, NJ, and New England have their act
> together,
> > and their various curves look like the EU's.
> > Maryland is in good shape, yet Delaware is on
> the
> > list of 19 hotspot states for NJ/NJ/CT
> requiring
> > 14 day quarantine. 
>
> Too little too late maybe. International travel
> across the board should have been completely
> stopped except for only absolutely essential
> requires from the beginning. 

Just another reason why we should have complete control of our borders.  As a country, we should know just who is coming into the US and where they are coming from.  This is always important, but during a pandemic, it becomes crucial.

abyler Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Emergency Health Orders don't lawfully apply to
> healthy people. Eventually legal cases will prove
> that out while the current repression continues.
>
> That's ridiculous. People have a right to travel
> within their country.  Is Canada not a
> country? 
>
I have a right to travel under normal circumstances but this is not normal. I also have a social responsibility. Just glad I live where I do!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/09/20 09:44 by ghCBNS.

An interesting comparison was made after the Spanish flu epidemic in 1919. 

At that time, Seattle WA. and Vancouver BC were similar in population and in demographics.

When the final tally was made, Seattle had many more flu related deaths than Vancouver BC.

The difference was attributed to strong quarantine regulations enforced by the Vancouver police and the Ministry of Health.

The small railway town where I used to live suffered 33 Spanish flu fatalities, mostly children and elderly. The flu entered the town via a miner who had recently worked in Idaho.

Throughout the current pandemic, Alaska residents and residents of the "Lower 48" have been allowed to travel through Canada to access the State of Alaska, with reasonable stops the food, fuel and overnight accommodation.

However, purely tourist venues like Banff National Park were not to be visited . Several US citizens were ticketed by the RCMP for doing so in Banff, plus similar events have taken place in Ontario. Toronto and Ottawa have made the wearing of masks mandatory in public spaces, with Montreal contemplating similar measures.

The US/Canada Border remains closed for non-essential traffic until July 31st, subject to extension by mutual consent of the US and Canadian Governments

 

ghCBNS Wrote:
-
> I have a right to travel under normal
> circumstances but this is not normal. I also have
> a social responsibility. Just glad I live where I
> do!

"Social responsibility", like "safety", is being used in these "abnormal circumstances" as an arbitrary virtue signal.  In Canada, marijuana, tobacco, vaping and junk food were still legal throughout this abnormal time.

RRTom Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ghCBNS Wrote:
> -
> > I have a right to travel under normal
> > circumstances but this is not normal. I also Have
> > a social responsibility. Just glad I live where
> > I do!
>
> "Social responsibility", like "safety", is being
> used in these "abnormal circumstances" as an
> arbitrary virtue signal.  In Canada, marijuana,
> tobacco, vaping and junk food were still legal
> throughout this abnormal time.

Yup...and my Social Responsibility would be to have a mask on and stay 2 metres apart if I went into a shop for any of those.

RRTom Wrote:

> "Social responsibility", like "safety", is being
> used in these "abnormal circumstances" as an
> arbitrary virtue signal.  In Canada, marijuana,
> tobacco, vaping and junk food were still legal
> throughout this abnormal time.

And you are nor allowed to smoke in public places because you are not allowed to force everyone around you to smoke and were not for years prior to these  "abnormal circumstances"  either. 
 

Down here in little ole Chile,  we're into our fourth month of very a strictly-enforced quarantine.  You can get a 3-hour pass on-line to shop/bank, etc.  Other than me since I'm over 75.  As a result, new infections have been flat for a few weeks and the health care system has stayed fluid throughout the pandemic, which arrived in late February.  So for a relatively poor nation, we're doing quite well and the death rate is around 2%,  the majority of which are lifetime smokers over 70 years old.  Meanwhile in Brazil,  where they do little testing, reported infections and deaths are second only to the USA but most observers think it's probably infinitely higher.  There,  they continue to 'open-up' and now their president is infected.  So, for us, we're quite happy to stay home until this is truly under control.  I guess it comes down to whatever is  important to an indivudual,  and the inherent risks.

Me?  I'm gonna happily go through the slide pile and find stuff to post on Trainorders!   All the best to everyone and keep safe.

masterphots Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Me?  I'm gonna happily go through the slide pile
> and find stuff to post on Trainorders!   All the
> best to everyone and keep safe.

And for that we are all grateful!  I wish we would all take such a positive attitude during this time that is so disrupting all of our lives.  Great photos and best wishes,

Gordon

I often wonder if the democrats didn't take an attack Trump 24 7 approach if we would be doing better now. They chose to attack him immediately and then even when he helps they fight him and its caused a lot of mis trust in the nation.

Posted from Android