[Northern Light]

Jusqu’à 12 milliards pour un train « moderne » entre Québec et Toronto

Le gouvernement du Canada doit investir à terme entre 6 et 12 milliards de dollars pour relier Québec, Montréal et Toronto par un service de train « moderne », où les wagons de passagers n’auront plus à céder le passage à ceux de marchandises.

www.lapresse.ca

It also says there will be a bypass for Ottawa for MTL-TO trains. (I never understood why anglo media never use the International System of Units for money)

From the above article, the travel times:

Certainly, I don't see any way to hit 4hrs to Montreal using the route via Ottawa.

The previous best scheduled time, so far as I recall was 3hr59 for Toronto to Montreal, running express, due east out through Cornwall.

So I assume this is premised on that trip being restored, to its previous best; even so, that was only ever 1 departure a day, I think......

 

[Allandale25]

View attachment 332925

View attachment 332926
This map, from the Radio-Canada article, would be a radical departure from the previously published maps. I wonder how much of this is real.

Which aspect is a radical departure?

 

[Allandale25]

View attachment 332925

https://twitter.com/x/status/1412481424637186056

Some context on the map.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1412490753373360141

 

[roger1818]

wow.... what an unsurprisingly unambitious target to set. In 8 years we'll be old then and probably a 1/3 of the current liberals would be retired or dead of old age. Apart from the new stations the next item that will take the longest to procure would probably be the trains. Going with the corridor model itll probably take them 5 years to get the fleet. Looks like theyre adding a couple years of safety.

I suspect that would be to complete all three stages.

As for the fleet requirements, the new fleet order has the option to buy 12 additional trainsets, which should be enough to get HFR off the ground. Executing an option is usually much faster than an RFQ.

 

[p_xavier]

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Which aspect is a radical departure?

The southern bypass to Montreal.

As long as I don't lose my current roundtrip train for my job, anything else I'm happy with. I really need the train as I can't drive.

 

[kEiThZ]

View attachment 332926
This map, from the Radio-Canada article, would be a radical departure from the previously published maps. I wonder how much of this is real.

Literally different from VIA's own website. Where is the Franco press getting all this?

 

[ManyQuestions]

Literally different from VIA's own website. Where is the Franco press getting all this?

Almost certainly from this morning's press conference where it seemed that maybe not everyone was fully aware of the original plan; Lebeaume repeatedly called it 'TGV'. Unfortunently I missed most of it and there doesn't seem to be a recording.

Also interestingly, via seams to be leasing part the Ottawa station to Orleans Express now for regular busses to Montreal. I'll probably try the bus alternative next week as I prefer them to via for MTL-QC due to speed and cost

Orleans Express Will Offer a Service Route Between Quebec and Ontario

/CNW Telbec/ - As of July 8, Keolis Canada's intercity transportation service – Orléans Express – will be enhanced by a daily connection linking Montreal,...

www.newswire.ca

 

[crs1026]

^I will bet a box of donuts that the “bypass” is just the existing line, and the essence of the mistranslation was simply that somebody tried to say that there would still be service on that line.
Just speculating.

- Paul

 

[Bordercollie]

But if there is a fall election and the government falls, none of this will ever get built.

 

[kEiThZ]

^I will bet a box of donuts that the “bypass” is just the existing line, and the essence of the mistranslation was simply that somebody tried to say that there would still be service on that line.
Just speculating.

- Paul

But then there's the crazy travel times that La Presse posted in their article.

 

[p_xavier]

But then there's the crazy travel times that La Presse posted in their article.

La Presse is the media I trust the most. They are usually right with their facts.

 

[Allandale25]

A hint at a Peterborough announcement?

https://twitter.com/x/status/1412522731816599559

 

[kEiThZ]

La Presse is the media I trust the most. They are usually right with their facts.

They may be right. I'd just like some explanation of those numbers. Their travel times don't add up at all. And if VIA going to running express services on Lakeshore why bother with $6-12B in spending. Something doesn't add up.

 

[crs1026]

They may be right. I'd just like some explanation of those numbers. Their travel times don't add up at all. And if VIA going to running express services on Lakeshore why bother with $6-12B in spending. Something doesn't add up.

Yeah…. putting aside the thought of express trains on the Kingston line…. , I have a hard time seeing how they would get Ottawa-Toronto all the way down to 3 hours. That’s just too ambitious for me, and we have seen a lot of noodling on those numbers here in this thread. I hope they aren’t over selling this project (while not rushing to get it going, either). I would hope this isn’t Wynne-style Liberalism at work.

The optimist in me hopes that the sudden restatement in cost from the earlier $4.5B-$5.5B to the current $6B-$12B represents an upward shift in scope. Remember the earlier leaks (attributed to Sabia, iirc) that some Cabinet Ministers wanted a more high end system? Maybe they carried the day in part, and secured a more enhanced plan that has some actual 200 km/hr construction in it.

More likely, they will do the bare-bones Phase I construction but in promoting the project they will wax poetic about what the line will look like when some notional Phase II comes along. As if it’s already here.

One tries to look for a plausible explanation, but….

- Paul

 

[innsertnamehere]

Yeah…. putting aside the thought of express trains on the Kingston line…. , I have a hard time seeing how they would get Ottawa-Toronto all the way down to 3 hours. That’s just too ambitious for me, and we have seen a lot of noodling on those numbers here in this thread. I hope they aren’t over selling this project (while not rushing to get it going, either). I would hope this isn’t Wynne-style Liberalism at work.

The optimist in me hopes that the sudden restatement in cost from the earlier $4.5B-$5.5B to the current $6B-$12B represents an upward shift in scope. Remember the earlier leaks (attributed to Sabia, iirc) that some Cabinet Ministers wanted a more high end system? Maybe they carried the day in part, and secured a more enhanced plan that has some actual 200 km/hr construction in it.

More likely, they will do the bare-bones Phase I construction but in promoting the project they will wax poetic about what the line will look like when some notional Phase II comes along. As if it’s already here.

One tries to look for a plausible explanation, but….

- Paul

given the mention of 200km/h, I suspect we are looking at a primarily new alignment between Peterborough and Smith Falls. The area is too curvy as is to really be useable, and the isolated location means a grade separated 200km/h line wouldn't be too much additional in cost over a 177km/h line as minimal grade separations are required.

That would inch up construction costs closer to that $6-12 billion number and would allow trains to clear Toronto-Ottawa much quicker.

If you could get Fallowfield-Peterborough mostly into 200km/h territory, you could theoretically clear that stretch in 1:30 or so, giving 1:30 for Peterborough through Toronto and access into Ottawa.

3 hours for Toronto-Ottawa is an average speed of 130km/h or so - fast, but not crazy if you can get a good chunk of the line up to 200km/h.