dowlingm
Senior Member
11 LRCs gone to the scrapper
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- Thread starter ehlow
- Start date
Bordercollie
Senior Member
Nooo
Trackside_Treasure
Active Member
This is a very valuable report!! My cocktail-napkin count gives a rough(!) total of 42 LRC cars still in service. A running tally is maintained in this post:
VIA's LRC in Decline
It's a funny feeling to be trackside with VIA over the last 40 years , spanning not only the genesis of VIA but also the implementation of...
tracksidetreasure.blogspot.com
Bordercollie
Senior Member
So they didn't have issues two years ago when they checked them for cracks.
They have deteriorated since.
That's not good because those HEPII cars were supposed to be transferred to the LD fleet. So now what's going to fill the gap with the LD fleet at least ten years out?
And that means there may not be enough cars for Sudbury, and Northern quebec.
I wonder if the government will be forced to either cut services or procure additional possibly shorter venture sets for those routes? (Similar to the Northlander sets). But they would need to retrofit baggage doors.
They better figure out a solution soon...
They have deteriorated since.
That's not good because those HEPII cars were supposed to be transferred to the LD fleet. So now what's going to fill the gap with the LD fleet at least ten years out?
And that means there may not be enough cars for Sudbury, and Northern quebec.
I wonder if the government will be forced to either cut services or procure additional possibly shorter venture sets for those routes? (Similar to the Northlander sets). But they would need to retrofit baggage doors.
They better figure out a solution soon...
Milaisacat
Active Member
We're definitely in "early 2026", so any day now VIA ought to be announcing the selected partner for the long-range fleet replacement. Surely?
Bordercollie
Senior Member
There is a push for Canadian content or a Canadian vendor.We're definitely in "early 2026", so any day now VIA ought to be announcing the selected partner for the long-range fleet replacement. Surely?
Like the subway car deal with Alstom it will take time for them to adjust the tender to be Canadian. Or higher Canadian Content.
I don't know if they are going to do that but giving it to Siemens would be a political disaster unless they plan to open a manufacturing facility here.
But what do I know?
I think as long as they are not built in the US the public would feel better about it. Japan maybe?
micheal_can
Senior Member
Besides Alstom, who else does Canada have? Could we see a contingent on the contract that if the company does not have a shop in Canada that they must build one in Canada?
cplchanb
Senior Member
im just worried that the push for canadian content would drive the costs up far more than the benefits. i would rather spend $1B on the right trains over $1.5B and 2 more years just to set up a canadian shop.
its clear now that we no longer have much expertise outside of Alstom to manufacture rail vehicles at a competitive rate.
micheal_can
Senior Member
Is the lower cost worth the political cost? There are already some who ask why we are buying stuff for California. Just like having our ships and subs being built in Canada, even at a higher price and longer timelines, the political cost is too high not to.
cplchanb
Senior Member
all arguments will go away if it shows that they are going to save a significant chunk of money. if the cost difference is minimal fine... but if its anything more than $50M and/or 6months for delivery time, its definitely going to be a compelling argument
Not to mention we have ZERO expertise in new build intercity passenger rolling stock since the LRCs. sure bilevel personnel is transferrable but its still quite different from high floor long distance coaches.
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micheal_can
Senior Member
Has there been an official estimate or budget for it?
I would say if they said that it could be sourced in the USA for $2 billion, and in Canada for $3 biliion if Alstom does it and $3.5 billion for another company to set up shop, most voters would likely not want the cheapest option. However, double and maybe it becomes worth sourcing in the USA. All bets are off if a European company steps up with one that meets our crash standards, but built in Europe.
6 months to the public is not much time.For railfans and foamers, they know how bad that could be.
Bordercollie
Senior Member
The process should be similar. There is a spec and you assemble it together as required. It's like a kit.
You have a jig that builds the shell. The wirring harness has a diagram and it connects to modules and switches.
You would need a facility or build a new facility to manufacture them. I don't know if thunder Bay or Kingston currently has capacity if Alstom built them.
Does CAD have space or are they busy doing refurbs?
What happened to the IRSI building in Moncton? Is it still empty?
Building a new facility will take a year just to build the building and would delay the project by a year.
cplchanb
Senior Member
if it only was that simple. even with heavily prescripted specs there is still room for design interpretation that sets manufacturers apart from eachother.
thats why you have bids for tenders.
buildings have to go through the same process not to mention the govt approvals, design and permitting processes. then even after construction the commissioning and build up to start construction of the trains. all that takes time, far more than just a year.
is the TMC building for the ventures even complete and fulling up and running yet?
Urban Sky
Senior Member
From what I recall from discussing the Corridor procurement, the CETA trade agreement precludes any buy-Canadian and local requirements which would constrain European manufacturers in their ability to offer any trains from their domestic production lines. There are excemptions, but they only cover transit networks in Ontario and Quebec, not intercity railroads…
cplchanb
Senior Member
i like how we continually shoot ourselves in both feet and in our knees just to fulfil the virtue signally. no wonder govt contract costs skyrocket vs other countries.