[kEiThZ]

. If the cons were eager to cancel HxR on the basis of it being a multi billion dollar boondoggle that's eating into the budget, they would be screaming about it from the rooftops - but they're not.

Nobody ever campaigns on things they are going to cut or cancel specifically. It's rather unpopular. They just make generic commitments like, "We're going to balance the budget." They don't tell you how they will do that. You find out, after they take power.

it seems like the goal of all political parties is to just shut up about the project, and to simply have it keep chugging along in the background, and have it be untouched by Partisan Politics.

I think most of us hope you're right. But I fear you might be wrong. This version of the CPC seems almost venegful and willing to burn something down just because Trudeau did it. I will also say that the risk is so much higher thanks to scope increases dramatically driving up the cost. I am hoping something will come of this.

 

[Mihairokov]

Nobody ever campaigns on things they are going to cut or cancel specifically. It's rather unpopular.

Unless it's the CBC, of course.

 

[nfitz]

Unless it's the CBC, of course.

Or pharmacare, dental care, cheaper daycare ...

 

[Jayson9999]

View attachment 625440

Meanwhile at union station this train is so dirty that it looks like another livery. Via really needs to do a better job with vehicle cleanliness. This is not a couple trips worth of dirt. Looks like they havnt washed this train in weeks

Crazy how dirty the early Siemens sets look, seems like 3 months later they all look extremely dirty, which is crazy cause all GO transit trains look brand new

 

[cplchanb]

Crazy how dirty the early Siemens sets look, seems like 3 months later they all look extremely dirty, which is crazy cause all GO transit trains look brand new

Its all down to maintenance or lack there of. As some suggested they should look to some sort of sharing agreement to use GOs wash racks so they can keep their equipment clean more frequently. Staying clean will help trains run better and cast a better public image towards the railroad

 

[smallspy]

Crazy how dirty the early Siemens sets look, seems like 3 months later they all look extremely dirty, which is crazy cause all GO transit trains look brand new

It seems that the wash rack at the TMC is still out of service due to construction going on there. Thus, there's only one wash rack - at MMC - that can be used, and that requires trains to cycle in such a way to get down there.

Dan

 

[dowlingm]

It seems that the wash rack at the TMC is still out of service due to construction going on there. Thus, there's only one wash rack - at MMC - that can be used, and that requires trains to cycle in such a way to get down there.

Dan

I don't think the problem is that there is construction, or that the only other wash is at MMC, so much as that VIA folks don't see it as important. If they did, then some sort of alternative would have been in place before the TMC wash went out of service. It wouldn't need to be as effective, just sufficient. I get that for example there would be concern about the drain water and what it contains and where it drains to, in a way that in "the old days" wouldn't have been so worrisome.

This is the sort of thing that makes me crazy about companies - they will spend who knows how much on stuff like custom liveries and paying people to photograph them and put them on corporate insta, when actual paying customers are climbing on grimy trains and wondering why they pay so much for the experience.

 

[Urban Sky]

Just to try to get some data to this discussion (rather than solely relying on anecdotal evidence), this is the most recent cycling sheet I've seen posted and I highlighted with yellow rectangles all overnight visits at MMC:

As you can see, Venture and LRC sets get regularly (i.e., at least once every 7 nights) to MMC, whereas I only found four five gaps of more than 6 nights without visiting MMC:

• Venture Sets 1/2: 9 nights without MMC visit (from Thu Week 1[V1] to Sun Week 2 [V2])
• Venture Sets 10/5/6: 8 nights without MMC visit (from Sun Week 1[V10] to Tue Week 3 [V6])
• Venture Sets 7/8/9: 9 nights without MMC visit (from Mon Week 1[V7] to Thu Week 3[V9])
• Venture Sets 12/4: 7 nights without MMC visit (from Wed Week 1[V12] to Thu Week 2[V4])
• LRC Sets 10/11: 9 nights without MMC visit (from Tue Week 1[L10] to Fri Week 2[L11])

Therefore, I'm slightly doubtful that Venture or LRC trains operate weeks without cleaning, though I have no idea how the HEP-II consists are ever getting cleaned, but maybe they have some hand-operated equipment...

 

[lenaitch]

View attachment 625440

Meanwhile at union station this train is so dirty that it looks like another livery. Via really needs to do a better job with vehicle cleanliness. This is not a couple trips worth of dirt. Looks like they havnt washed this train in weeks

It wouldn't surprise me that a piece of stock could look like that after a single run.

 

[roger1818]

Just to try to get some data to this discussion (rather than solely relying on anecdotal evidence), this is the most recent cycling sheet I've seen posted and I highlighted with yellow rectangles all overnight visits at MMC:

View attachment 625751

As you can see, Venture and LRC sets get regularly (i.e., at least once every 7 nights) to MMC, whereas I only found four gaps of more than 6 nights without visiting MMC:

• Venture Sets 1/2: 9 nights without MMC visit (from Thu Week 1[V1] to Sun Week 2 [V2])
• Venture Sets 7/8/9: 9 nights without MMC visit (from Mon Week 1[V7] to Thu Week 3[V9])
• Venture Sets 12/4: 7 nights without MMC visit (from Wed Week 1[V12] to Thu Week 2[V4])
• LRC Sets 10/11: 9 nights without MMC visit (from Tue Week 1[L10] to Fri Week 2[L11])

Therefore, I'm slightly doubtful that Venture or LRC trains operate weeks without cleaning, though I have no idea how the HEP-II consists are ever getting cleaned, but maybe they have some hand-operated equipment...

Looking at your chart V5 doesn't overnight at MMC. It changes to V6, which only ovrnights at MMC once. V5 was V10 the previous week, so the combination is:

• Venture Sets 10/5/6: 8 nights without MMC vist (from Sunday Week 1[V10] to Tues Week 3[V6]

 

[Urban Sky]

Looking at your chart V5 doesn't overnight at MMC. It changes to V6, which only ovrnights at MMC once. V5 was V10 the previous week, so the combination is:

• Venture Sets 10/5/6: 8 nights without MMC vist (from Sunday Week 1[V10] to Tues Week 3[V6]

Thank you, I somehow missed this!

 

[smallspy]

I don't think the problem is that there is construction, or that the only other wash is at MMC, so much as that VIA folks don't see it as important. If they did, then some sort of alternative would have been in place before the TMC wash went out of service. It wouldn't need to be as effective, just sufficient. I get that for example there would be concern about the drain water and what it contains and where it drains to, in a way that in "the old days" wouldn't have been so worrisome.

This is the sort of thing that makes me crazy about companies - they will spend who knows how much on stuff like custom liveries and paying people to photograph them and put them on corporate insta, when actual paying customers are climbing on grimy trains and wondering why they pay so much for the experience.

Considering the requirements for a wash rack - a substantial amount of water in, chemicals, lots of electricity, and outgoing grey water that needs to be treated, all located in an enclosed structure and on a track that is not located on a main thoroughfare through the yard - what are you expecting of them here?

Dan

 

[micheal_can]

Just to try to get some data to this discussion (rather than solely relying on anecdotal evidence), this is the most recent cycling sheet I've seen posted and I highlighted with yellow rectangles all overnight visits at MMC:

View attachment 625751

As you can see, Venture and LRC sets get regularly (i.e., at least once every 7 nights) to MMC, whereas I only found four five gaps of more than 6 nights without visiting MMC:

• Venture Sets 1/2: 9 nights without MMC visit (from Thu Week 1[V1] to Sun Week 2 [V2])
• Venture Sets 10/5/6: 8 nights without MMC visit (from Sun Week 1[V10] to Tue Week 3 [V6])
• Venture Sets 7/8/9: 9 nights without MMC visit (from Mon Week 1[V7] to Thu Week 3[V9])
• Venture Sets 12/4: 7 nights without MMC visit (from Wed Week 1[V12] to Thu Week 2[V4])
• LRC Sets 10/11: 9 nights without MMC visit (from Tue Week 1[L10] to Fri Week 2[L11])

Therefore, I'm slightly doubtful that Venture or LRC trains operate weeks without cleaning, though I have no idea how the HEP-II consists are ever getting cleaned, but maybe they have some hand-operated equipment...

If they look that dirty, then someone needs to check the engines that they are running properly. That most likely is diesel particulate and is most prominent on engines running rich (burning more fuel than they should.) 'Rolling coal' may be cool if you are a 20 something kid,but not if you are a passenger train.

 

[ARG1]

Nobody ever campaigns on things they are going to cut or cancel specifically. It's rather unpopular. They just make generic commitments like, "We're going to balance the budget." They don't tell you how they will do that. You find out, after they take power.

I think most of us hope you're right. But I fear you might be wrong. This version of the CPC seems almost venegful and willing to burn something down just because Trudeau did it. I will also say that the risk is so much higher thanks to scope increases dramatically driving up the cost. I am hoping something will come of this.

You're right in theory...

... The problem is this:

Les conservateurs insistent : « On ne financera pas le tramway de Québec! »

Le lieutenant conservateur pour le Québec, Pierre Paul-Hus, s'engage à financer un troisième lien autoroutier.

ici.radio-canada.ca

Duclos crie au «vol» conservateur pour le tramway

Québec pourrait bientôt être victime d'un «vol», craint le ministre fédéral Jean-Yves Duclos, devant des conservateurs qui persistent et signent à vouloir retirer le financement promis au tramway s'ils sont portés au pouvoir.

www.lesoleil.com

The CPC at this very moment is running a strong campaign against the Quebec City Tramway, talking about how it's expensive and that under their government, the project won't receive a dime. The point of this being that "shutting up and not talking about what "boondoggle" they will cut funding to" very much isn't their MO, and never really has been. If they're willing to scream from the rooftops about the tramway, but they're not saying a word about HxR despite how much more expensive the latter will be, it does at the very least hint at them wanting to keep it around in some form. It might not be French Style TGV but rather some 200km/h higher speed train, but it's unlikely to be outright cancelled.

 

[Urban Sky]

The fiscal tradition in this country is that urban/suburban/regional transit is a provincial responsibility, whereas intercity passenger rail transport (especially of the interprovincial kind) is a federal reponsibility. I so far don’t see the Conservatives questioning this…