Just a few points worth noting. First, in terms of getting trains through urban corridors (such as the Lakeshore corridor) as fast as possible what matters most is making sure the line has capacity. Quad tracking, removing freight from those lines, upgraded signals and switches, and suitable...

I have sent off emails to both GO and AMT asking pretty much that question. I have also a few other things, such as whether there is any coordination between the two agencies in terms of setting interoperability standards and a few other agency specific questions tossed in as well. It will be...

Every model I can think of that has evaluated HSR in Canada has looked at a very limited network (Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and sometimes Kingston and Quebec City with only 2 suburban stations in both Montreal and Toronto). It was assumed that a private company would pay for the rolling stock...

Is it really worth while in the long run to worry about 30 minute services when electrifying the line would in theory allow for 15 minute or maybe even 10 minute intervals? If you look at investing in projects that provide a long term benefit and how to spend money most efficiently, I would say...

Just a point of clarification, this will not be a new line, but an upgrade to the existing line. Also, Montreal has encountered the exact same thing as Toronto over the past 5 years. There are just as many "broken promises" in Montreal as Toronto. In both cases, this isn't because they are...

Hadn't clued into that fact somehow. I tend to forget that those two airlines merged. Since they were both operating and/or exploring HSR service as part of their business before they merged I am curious to go back and see if that happened to be one of the reasons why they did. On another note...

KLM has a 10% ownership in NS HiSpeed, the new HSR service within the Netherlands. KLM also has code-sharing with Thalys and NS HiSpeed.

That could be one possibility. Whether you could have multiple HSR operators is another question, and I don't think it would make sense, though I don't rule the idea out either. But that doesn't mean Porter couldn't have a small ownership and offer its service model (which is really second to...

Just look at Europe and see what HSR has done to travel. Short haul flights find their passenger load cut in half when new HSR routes open up. The reason is that for those distances HSR is the most efficient, comfortable, and usually fastest choice. Its because people genuinely find HSR a better...

Nothing like the fear of Quebec going out on it's own to spark a little fear in the Fed's. It is always hard to tell what will be the tipping point in terms of getting HSR underway, but, perhaps if they went as far as to secure a loan, maybe that could be it? Though I am sure that point is going...

Is there any choice for Mississauga but to start figuring out to better connect themselves with the rest of the GTA? It would be crazy for them not to start figuring out how to create, and start pushing for a, GO/regional rail connection with Toronto.

If you put it into perspective, that is the same as the Federal Government announcing it is spending $5 or 6 billion in passenger rail across the country. Not that it wouldn't be helpful, but, in terms of making drastic changes, its not going to radically modernize it. Consider VIA which has...

My guess is that starting late this year or in 2012 you will see a lot more investment in the Lakeshore line on projects such as bridge rebuilding, track expansion, etc, that will be required to get the line ready for electrification. And I've said this in other threads but it is worth...

It's too bad a lot of those who advocate better transit often seem hostile to the more affluent segments of society since they are very often the trend setters (it was the affluent who could first afford suburban living and sparked a multi-generation in how people viewed thinking). It will also...

It isn't that the inner suburbs don't have great potential, or that they do not play an important role in the city. In fact the inner suburbs are essentially playing the role the inner city did decades ago, being a place where immigrants can settle, form communities, and establish themselves...

I think there are a lot parallels between transit planning and urban development. That is to say that despite the lack of attention towards transit up until recently there are still people who are finding ways to make larger projects happen. If you look at GO, for all the criticism they take...

Your point reminds me how we very often look at the past in a nostalgic way, forgetting many of the realities that existed at time, something which people who write about cities do all the time. Subways too the suburbs are almost already an antiquated way of thinking...though do very little to...

Canadian cities have pretty much done nothing for the past 20 years and it has not hurt urban growth in the slightest. It is somewhat remarkable just how much cities like Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal (though especially Toronto) have changed since 1990 with minimal investment in public transit...

I've always been partial to a station right across from Parliament Hill. Highly unlikely...I don't even think there is a place for a even a small entrance outside of the contested Portrait Gallery site. I think it would be hard to pick a site if you were given carte blanche given site...

^Fair enough. And I haven't looked through the technical document on the project in a while so I am not sure what the exact numbers are but most documents do discuss load factors, ridership projections, etc. For someone who wants those details on the project, they are really not hard to find...