This is welcome news! Every rural community in Canada should have accessible transit for everyone who needs it.
www.kincardinenews.com/news/local-n...
09.03.2026 23:50
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This is welcome news! Every rural community in Canada should have accessible transit for everyone who needs it.
www.kincardinenews.com/news/local-n...
This project has crept back onto the radar, but without any improvement in the proposal. It would still require a significant runway extension into the lake and add a lot of noise to the waterfront. Better intercity rail is needed instead.
www.thestar.com/politics/pro...
The only reason HFR didn’t include London was the failed Ontario HSR proposal in 2014. We understand it was in scope until that announcement but that there weren’t any easy answers for a dedicated corridor.
Alto being descended from HFR means the London/Windsor is still a “phase two” if at all.
That’s roughly how current ridership in the corridor breaks down between all of west of Toronto and all of east of Toronto.
The current number of train services is an indication of availability of paths on CN’s tracks, not of travel demand. An hourly service from London is easily necessary to meet demand.
Amtrak wants to start operating through the tunnel to Windsor, but this requires a few million dollars investment on our side of the river, including a customs post at Walkerville.
Could HSR be built down the median of 401? No.
Could HSR be built alongside CN? Not reasonably.
Those ideas are not novel. They've been considered and ruled out by professional engineers over the past decade and more.
Do we need to keep costs down? Absolutely.
www.thewhig.com/news/changes...
That is correct. Once Alto has narrowed the corridor down to 1km they should make sure everyone with land in that corridor and ~250m on either side of it gets a couriered letter explaining the situation and their options in considerable detail, and doesn't have to find out through social media.
This cut is harmful. Our cities have funding gaps and rural communities that are less able to raise revenues even more so.
Investment in transit creates mobility. Mobility unlocks people's potential, creating economic activity that feeds a virtuous cycle.
www.nationalobserver.com/2026/02/27/n...
The region's business community is calling for a HSR station at the Mirabel airport site:
Le milieu des affaires de la région exige une station TGV sur le site de l'aéroport de Mirabel :
rimq.qc.ca/article/muni...
This is essentially correct about the rural perspective, especially because there’s zero transit across most of the region, which is a big deal especially for youth and elders. However, Alto is consulting before settling on an alignment, not after, so final design can significantly mitigate impact.
Platform height is as required by freight clearances, so trains have automatic steps and motorized accessibility lifts. However, this is another reason to get on with building a dedicated line between major cities, plus station upgrades where freight does not need to pass platforms.
We agree with Minister MacKinnon that there's room for improvement, however many things that we have recommended over the years remain to be addressed or funded. Reform of regulation, station improvements, and addressing network bottlenecks would all help.
www.bnnbloomberg.ca/business/com...
We should not accept illegal drug use on transit, but throwing people in crisis in jail or fining them is not going to provide access to the tools and support to get clean. Every community needs well-funded MHA first aid and treatment, which is vastly cheaper than jail and emergency room visits.
Équiterre and several 🇨🇦 organizations denounce the federal government's $5 billion cut to public transit:
"By cutting solutions that help people save on their travel, the government isn't helping households reduce their transportation costs"
Press release: www.equiterre.org/en/articles/...
Restoring rail service can be done for a lot less than adding a pair of lanes to QE2, and with the advantage of serving the smaller cities along the line that QE2 bypasses.
They’re at least discussing it relatively seriously. The federal government should be proactively partnering with Alberta to get this done and demonstrate commitment to investment in western Canada that benefits the whole economy.
The Newcastle Subdivision should be restored and maintained to at least Class 3 condition, Class 4 wouldn’t be unreasonable. This also requires federal investment, a new Train Service Agreement and improved regulation, the current state of railway regulation in Canada is no longer fit for purpose.
This is correct, we have long been campaigning for what amounts to a “state of good repair” that Canadians should be able to take for granted: Daily services across the country, restoring service between Calgary and Edmonton, frequent and reliable corridor service that complements HSR in future.
The ex-CP stainless steel equipment is 70 years old with an original design life of 30, it was built well and maintained well but is finally reaching end of life. Meanwhile the Rens (ex-Nightstar) are 30 years old with a design life of 30 and built for planned obsolescence, so they’re nearly done.
The government waited too long to allow VIA Rail to order new long distance equipment. Now we must speed up delivery while ensuring its design is both a suitable successor to the heritage fleet and dome cars, plus resilient in Canadian conditions, including blizzards on the Churchill route.
Great work by Terri Sleeva and the Regina Citizens' Public Transit Coalition. We support keeping transit fares affordable and ensuring everyone can access their local transit system.
www.ckom.com/2026/02/13/r...
If you are working class, time is money and being late means getting fired. Having the time and money to shrug off delays and missed connections is a luxury.
- remplacement au flotte longue distance et régionaux de VIA Rail
- renforcement des services VIA Rail ainsi qu'Alto
- gares d’Alto aux centre-villes et en banlieue
- correspondences simples entre Alto et autres services
- installations douanières à Montréal et à Windsor pour l'Amtrak.
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Harry Gow, Terence Johnson, Xavier Barsalou-Duval - député du Bloc Québécois dans Pierre-Boucher--Les Patriotes--Verchères, et David Jeanes
Ce matin, nous reunissions avec le député Xavier Barsalou-Duval pour discuter les transports ferrovaires, notamment:
- l'amélioration de la sécurité des passages à niveau
- retour des trains VIA Rail en Gaspésie
- manque de fiabilité des nouvelles rames Siemens;
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“That non-compliance and how it was allowed to persist, given the very numerous inspections that happened of the rail corridor, is something that we’re talking with TTR about right now” ~ Michael Lindsay, Metrolinx CEO.
The tracks have all been repaired.
toronto.citynews.ca/2026/02/12/g...
Our directors from Ontario and Quebec are travelling to Ottawa to meet with MPs, and both trains are running late due to freight problems.
VIA Rail needs investment and regulatory support to operate its existing service effectively, and ensure the long term future of these routes alongside Alto.
This is the strategy Canada should also follow, directing our capacity for investment to public transport and rail infrastructure: open.substack.com/pub/trainexp...
It makes sense for VIA to try to reduce last-minute cancellations and prepare to have enough equipment available for Family Day / start of university reading week. Meanwhile we have asked Siemens to be more forthcoming about their efforts to resolve the various problems this equipment is having.
Toronto is likely to need a shoulder station to serve passengers who live north and east of downtown, and adding one could also speed up turnaround at Toronto Union Station.
www.yorkregion.com/news/high-sp...