We've discussed this so many times, but I'll try to provide a handy table so that I can throw it at someone's head every time these questions get repeated:
| Infrastructure limitation | Difference to customer-centric infrastructure in Europe | Implication for passenger handling at stations |
|---|
| Vertical access | Modern European stations have wide staircases which allow multiple passengers to safely move in both directions. Conversely, VIA's stations in MTRL, OTTW (except platform 1) and TRTO rely on narrow staircases and single escalators, which prevent bidirectional passenger flows. | Passengers can only access the platform once all detraining passengers have left the platform, as they would otherwise be stuck on the platform. |
| Platform width | Modern European stations have platform widths of 10-20 meters, which allows for the safe and free bidirectional circulation of passengers. Conversely, VIA's stations especially at TRTO and OTTW (except platform 1), but also at MTRL (around the staircase), are extremely narrow. | Trains cannot move safely while passengers are present on the platform. Passengers can only access the platform once all detraining passengers have left the platform, to prevent gridlocked between detraining passengers and those wishing to board a train. |
| Platform height | Modern European stations have high-level platforms, which allow passengers to board the train with 3 or less steps up. Conversely, VIA's platforms at all stations except MTRL, QBEC and Platform 1 at OTTW are extremely low, which requires the passenger to climb 5 or more steps. | Trains cannot move safely while passengers are present on the platform, as the low gap between platform height and the top of rail is insufficient to make passengers unconsciously keep a safe distance to the platform edge.
Staff needs to be available at every door and boarding takes much longer per passenger, as they need to make more steps, but crucially, the risk of injuries while handling of heavy luggage rises significantly, as luggage has to be lifted vertically and horizontally over a much larger distance (109 cm at TRTO vs. 20 cm at a regular ICE station in Germany). I've read that VIA's disability insurance provider and workplace safety regulators forced the strict luggage rules and their widespread enforcement due to the high volume of passengers who are unable to lift their luggage themselves over such extreme obstacles. |
| Lack of train indicators on platforms | Virtually any major railway station in Europe has big screens which clearly indicate which train is expected or stationary at which platform, thus allowing passengers to identify the correct train. Conversely, no such screens are present at any VIA station or (in the case of Union Station) so tiny that they don't provide sufficient information to be read by most VIA passengers. | There cannot be multiple trains receiving passengers at the same time, due to the high risk of passengers boarding the wrong train. Also, staff has to be available at every door. |
I guess it's time again to illustrate the above with my periodic repost of the contrast between Vienna Hauptbahnhof and Toronto Union:
What has changed? To name the two most obvious changes: checked baggage is no longer offered and work injuries are no longer accepted as workplace risks inherent to being responsible for assisting passengers while boarding...
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Anyways, thankfully, nothing of the above should constrain ALTO, as they fortunately can build their own passenger-centric facilities, just like VIA would have done decades ago, if they had been provided with the necessary funding and mandate...
