[Trackside_Treasure]

Then things got weird. March 2025 emails. CN suggested some weird things that VIA should do to resolve the Venture crossing speed reductions that CN imposed.
-adding an additional crew member in the cab;
-adding two cars to its consist; or
-reducing the speed to a point where it no longer needs to observe crossing activation.
-VIA has required that its next order of Venture Train Set be equipped with Shunt Enhancers.

CN says that VIA claims adding a crew member would be a cause of distraction. That statement ignores the fact that that freight and passenger operations routinely add a third member in the cab of a locomotive, including for training purposes, without increasing the risk.

 

[Bordercollie]

Then things got weird. March 2025 emails. CN suggested some weird things that VIA should do to resolve the Venture crossing speed reductions that CN imposed.
-adding an additional crew member in the cab;
-adding two cars to its consist; or
-reducing the speed to a point where it no longer needs to observe crossing activation.
-VIA has required that its next order of Venture Train Set be equipped with Shunt Enhancers.

CN says that VIA claims adding a crew member would be a cause of distraction. That statement ignores the fact that that freight and passenger operations routinely add a third member in the cab of a locomotive, including for training purposes, without increasing the risk.

But the permanent slow orders have reduced delays for the most part.

 

[Trackside_Treasure]

But the permanent slow orders have reduced delays for the most part.

If all is well, why is VIA's implementation of Ventures still not complete? Crews are trained, Sets are available, but just over half of the weekly Corridor spots are filled by Ventures.

Re: delays. The numbers state otherwise, that delays have been 'reduced for the most part' but not eliminated. Check out sample Mondays' OTP (most recent at bottom) in this post:

VIA's Venture Mondays On-Time Performance, November 2024 to Present

Way back in October, 2024 when CN issued its first Crossing Supplement, imposing crossing speed reductions on VIA's Venture fleet, not only ...

tracksidetreasure.blogspot.com

 

[Bordercollie]

If all is well, why is VIA's implementation of Ventures still not complete? Crews are trained, Sets are available, but just over half of the weekly Corridor spots are filled by Ventures.

Re: delays. The numbers state otherwise, that delays have been 'reduced for the most part' but not eliminated. Check out sample Mondays' OTP (most recent at bottom) in this post:

VIA's Venture Mondays On-Time Performance, November 2024 to Present

Way back in October, 2024 when CN issued its first Crossing Supplement, imposing crossing speed reductions on VIA's Venture fleet, not only ...

tracksidetreasure.blogspot.com

Are they not in service because they are not reliable? Or because of on time performance?

 

[cplchanb]

But the permanent slow orders have reduced delays for the most part.

Reduction is not enough! Delays due to this stupid arbitrary shafting by CN needs to be completely eliminated one way or another

 

[Bordercollie]

Reduction is not enough! Delays due to this stupid arbitrary shafting by CN needs to be completely eliminated one way or another

Order shunters or change the schedule to reflect actual run times.

 

[cplchanb]

Order shunters or change the schedule to reflect actual run times.

Shunters it is then. No way should via artificially change the schedule based on bogus speed orders.

 

[Bordercollie]

Shunters it is then. No way should via artificially change the schedule based on bogus speed orders.

My most recent venture trip from Ottawa to Toronto we were only 15min late. The HEP set from London to Toronto was 30min late so it's not always due to the type of train

 

[lenaitch]

Order shunters

I don't know, but I'm not sure it is that simple. They would have to be certified; I'm not sure they are even certified in the US yet.

 

[cplchanb]

I don't know, but I'm not sure it is that simple. They would have to be certified; I'm not sure they are even certified in the US yet.

true but lets eliminate any of the shunting variables and then deal with the other ones.

 

[dowlingm]

CN says that VIA claims adding a crew member would be a cause of distraction. That statement ignores the fact that that freight and passenger operations routinely add a third member in the cab of a locomotive, including for training purposes, without increasing the risk.

VIA 92 had three in the cab. Clearly they perceive a risk even if CN doesn’t. It’s also a significant financial and operational imposition when VIA are hardly overrun with spare qualified personnel.

 

[Bordercollie]

VIA 92 had three in the cab. Clearly they perceive a risk even if CN doesn’t. It’s also a significant financial and operational imposition when VIA are hardly overrun with spare qualified personnel.

They could be training a new crew member..

 

[Trackside_Treasure]

My most recent venture trip from Ottawa to Toronto we were only 15min late. The HEP set from London to Toronto was 30min late so it's not always due to the type of train

Nobody wants to be Sammy Sunshine more than me! The PSOs have caused some improvement, yes, but delays are still considerable. Based on the war over the TSA, there is no way CN and VIA are going to adjust schedules. VIA has a Red Zone in the cab wherein even if three crew are present, approaching crossings, talking to RTC etc. tasks requiring conversation are to exclude the third crew member. There is also no way VIA is going to hire extra crew to call crossing signals where required, which is what CN and VIA's expert witness on cognitive workload risk suggested. The Onboard Shunt Enhancers will come, and probably rightly so. We are well behind the US, and have to go through the same regulatory hurdles Amtrak has with the FRA. This will not be bolting things on and let's go to town type of process. VIA and CN heading to Quebec Superior Court in...January? VIA is still arguing it's CN's technology, CN is still arguing only VIA trains have shunting problems with their technology.

 

[Bordercollie]

Hardik Patel 🔎 (@elegant___soul) on Threads

Avoid Highway 401 if you can — roads are blocked and we’re currently stuck near colborne. ❄️ As far as we know, 401 is closed for a few hours due to the multiple accidents ,weather and road conditions. Stay safe 👍 drive slow

www.threads.com

This is the reason why slow trains are still better than driving on the 401.

 

[ManyQuestions]

Seems like via has added an HEP2 set back to the QC-MTL-OTW during the venture reconfiguration changes. I’m currently on train 33 and it is made up of 5 HEP2 cars and double ended engines. They even reversed the train direction in Montreal like with the ventures instead of backing out to the bridge as they used to do with double ended LRCs so this seems to be a new official practice.

Looking at https://www.traincar.info/ it seems like this is a planned change and that train 31 now uses 4 car ventures, with only one business car removed.

Also, there was a land acknowledgement in the departure announcements. Not sure if I just didn’t notice it before or if it’s a new practice.

Edit:

Train 31 is likely a regular 5 car venture that was just missing a car on train car.info because of one car being unstaffed.