I'm a bit skeptical of this. It's not that it's false, but rather that it's a bit misleading to compare the single most expensive option. Yeah, it's €525 for the single cabin for one person with WC. But it looks like he could reserve the cabin for 2 for €160 and a sleeping pod for €70. It's...

I think there's an interesting aspect of night trains that is a bit less obvious; Beyond the demand between the terminal cities (eg, Montreal to Toronto), it enables connections on either end that are impractical with daytime services. Speaking only from my point of view, I'll tolerate about...

Guy, you're a font of great info and analysis. You don't need that chip on your shoulder, it's all good.

I think Montreal will be fine - the EXO trains are already double decker.

I know the area well - I actually used to live right by that intersection. Changes would have to be made, but it's nothing so dramatic or fundamental that it would render it impractical. Just for shits and giggles, here'd be my suggestions: The Wilderton/Jean-Talon crossing could be moved east...

How about VIA run Quebec to Montreal trains to Dorval along the CP tracks as a separate service from the TOM line? With a one-staircase transfer at Canora, passengers are only 3 minutes from downtown at frequencies not far from that of an elevator. With fare integration on a VIA ticket, it...

Yeah, I've had my pedal assist die on me. I've come to rely so much on it that I feared the 5k ish ride back would be a drag. But I just used my gears a bit more, took my time, and I was pleasantly surprised that it really wasn't that big of a deal. I still really appreciate not having to...

I have one. The motor will only provide a boost until the bike is moving at 32. Say I'm pedalling down a hill and doing 30, it'll only provide a 2 km/h boost. If I get to or exceed 32, the motor won't engage. So you can ride at however fast your legs will carry you, but you won't get any...

I'm not doubting your observations, but keep the observation bias in mind; You'll notice an illegally souped-up bike going 60, but you'll miss a dozen unremarkable ebikes going an unremarkable speed. It's increasingly hard to tell at a glance whether a bike has assist or not even when you're...

I ride an ebike with a throttle as my main daily driver. The throttle is actually very useful for starting from stop in traffic. I guess you could technically use the throttle for an entire trip, but it's not really worth it; It maxes out at 32km/h on flat terrain (and only after a while...

If this guy's average ride sees a top speed of 60 km/h, then it doesn't meet the legal definition of an E-Bike (max 32km/h) and really stretches the practical definition of a bicycle altogether. There's a pretty sharp threshold around 25-35 km/h where we're much less able as a species to be...

So, The Canadian and The Ocean have been delayed indefinitely it seems. I really hope they don't take advantage of this to axe it for good.

You're right, but this is a forum of interested amateurs, not the VIA boardroom. We love getting your perspective because it's so thoroughly grounded. But a little speculation about some lines on a map can be fun! What do you think the consequences could be? How would you change it?

I believe that it was caused by the merging of most QC-MTL runs with MTL-OTT runs. There aren't fewer of them, but they'd now be classified as intER-provincial instead of intRA.

One way to make train travel more affordable for groups and families is to do like Deutsche Bahn (on their non-HSR routes): offer group tickets where each additional person costs less than a full ticket. For example, Toronto-Ottawa might be $60 one-way, but to add other travellers, it's only an...

I don't know exactly how they arrived at the numbers, but it was the ones that the STO provided us with during the consultation. Keep in mind that these are 2031 projections, so they'll be well higher than today's demand. The point is that Ottawa is (probably rightfully) concerned about its...

From the on-going consultations. There's also a write-up about the various scenarios.

The problem is that the STO is forecasting over 6000 pphpd from western Gatineau towards Ottawa at peak by time the system opens. And eventually, the northern and eastern trunks are set to be converted, more than doubling that number. Ottawa's LRT line is expected to only be able to handle an...

I'd actually agree with the reduction of off-peak fares. Sort of like variable congestion pricing, it can help to spread out demand to alleviate overcrowding. If I could save 50% on transit by starting work 30-40 minutes later or earlier, then that's a real incentive. Not for everyone (including...

It came off poorly just because I know that you know more than I do about this. And your reply certainly doesn't disappoint. It's a shame about the business case. I just remember how, from a passenger perspective, I was just blown away at my first night train experience for a day trip between...