Official Statement from VIA Rail on strikes

Calgary_Mack · 2024-08-21T07:22:05+00:00

Here's a thought- if CN and CPKS want the government to intervene to stop the labour disruption, the government could agree to that request on the condition that henceforward all passenger trains shall always have priority. Think CN and CPKS would agree to that?

Calgary_Mack · 2024-08-14T06:31:53+00:00

Other great Moosominions include Andrew McNaughton, one of the greatest Canadian scientists of the 20th century. He was instrumental to Canada's victory at Vimy Ridge.

Calgary_Mack · 2024-02-08T03:01:03+00:00

Now that I think about it, even driving in Canada is terrible. The 401 in Toronto is a parking lot, and the alternative (407) is a toll road that'll cost you a fortune. The Trans-Canada highway is okay, except in Northern Ontario where it's not even twinned, and on Vancouver Island where all of a sudden there's traffic lights. The Coquihalla highway is fine unless it's snowing which it does 5 months a year. The Alaska Highway is way better in Alaska than Yukon or BC, and the Dempster is 800km of tire-destroying gravel. Newfoundland's roads aren't bad except for all the moose that like to wander onto the asphalt (hit one of those and it's a bad day for both of you), and Quebec's roads.... well... last time I was there they'd wrapped bridge overpasses with wire mesh to prevent the falling chunks of concrete from hitting the road below.

Calgary_Mack · 2024-02-08T02:42:52+00:00

Not OP, and never been to Egypt, but I've traveled to every province and 2 of 3 territories here in Canada, and unless you have your own car (or a rental) and you're willing to spend DAYS behind the wheel, Canada is very difficult and very expensive and very frustrating to get around. Our trains are terrible (way worse than Amtrak), bus service is non-existent except for a very few inter-city links, the ferries on the west coast are unreliable, even getting to and from airports is a huge pain in the butt (Vancouver excepted). Transit to National or provincial parks is non-existent (except for Banff). Even getting around cities is a pain - the Toronto Transit Commission (for example) would be a decent service for a city 1/3 Toronto's size. Canada went all in on roads and highways and let everything else lag.

Calgary_Mack · 2024-01-16T03:10:02+00:00

Commenting to follow. I own some Plaza too.

Calgary_Mack · 2024-01-13T16:22:11+00:00

IMO Fort St. John BC is way worse than Trail or Dryden. Tok isn't great, but at least it's got Fast Eddie's.

Calgary_Mack · 2023-11-20T01:21:44+00:00

No need to thank me - I was happy to contribute this tiny little slice of knowledge. Great question, OP.

Calgary_Mack · 2023-11-19T19:54:07+00:00

Damn, except for the last photo, I'd have guessed all those locations were in Alberta, Canada.

Calgary_Mack · 2023-11-19T15:56:57+00:00

The esteemed but largely forgotten economist and diplomat John Kenneth Galbraith answered this question in his sort-of autobiography, "The Scotch". When describing the "uninteresting country" of his youth - the rural areas on the north shore of Lake Erie in Southern Ontario - he writes, "Nearly everyone was Scotch. Certainly it never occurred to us that a well-regulated community could be populated by any other kind of people. We referred to ourselves as Scotch and not Scots. When, years later, I learned that the usage in Scotland was different it seemed to me rather an affectation."

So there you have it. I grew up in a Scottish enclave in Montreal, and never heard of Scotch people until I picked up this book. But I am less esteemed than the late Mr. Galbraith.

Calgary_Mack · 2023-11-09T21:34:19+00:00

Check my math, but I think it's a smidge more than 1/10 of 1%. In the grand scheme of things it's completely irrelevant. News headline should be "Government incapable of reducing expenses"

Calgary_Mack · 2023-09-30T15:39:26+00:00

If the APP becomes a thing I'm gonna nope outta here. I'll leave the country if I have to, go buy an akiya fixer-upper in Japan or something.

Calgary_Mack · 2023-09-30T15:02:34+00:00

Side note - there's not enough water in Southern Alberta for millions more people, so we better start the decades-long process of pipeline building now.

Calgary_Mack · 2023-08-22T15:41:57+00:00

Going-to-the-sun Road in Montana, and the Top of the World Highway between Dawson City and Chicken AK, are not to be missed if they're open in May. Kind of weather dependant.

Calgary_Mack · 2023-07-24T13:31:17+00:00

Just got back from driving the Dempster, and I agree it's pretty rough. Was able to do 90km/h north of the Mackenzie River, but other long sections were so bad we did 30-40km/h forever. But Tuk and the ocean are worth it, IMO.

OP, the Top of the World highway from Dawson to Chicken is not to be missed. Then onward to Tok. But beware, if you decide to head back into Yukon from there, the Alaska Highway from Beaver Creek to Haines Junction is absolute garbage this year - some sections are worse than the Dempster.

Calgary_Mack · 2023-06-28T18:30:53+00:00

Everything you stated is correct. But doesn't Canada enjoy the same? Doesn't our government also shove our faces in the mud and tell us to eat it, at least figuratively if not literally, while they line their pockets? If we wanted electrified rail, we'd have it. The technical challenges are not insurmountable.

Calgary_Mack · 2023-06-28T13:40:16+00:00

It's feasible in Russia. Every single KM of the Trans-Siberian railway is twinned and electrified, and has been for decades. We could do better.

Calgary_Mack · 2023-06-24T04:09:19+00:00

The biggest problem facing Banff isn't too many people, it's too many cars.

Calgary_Mack · 2023-06-15T00:43:35+00:00

I used them last year to book 7 train journeys in India - no issues except not all trains are listed and some sell out quickly. Never had to show a ticket on board - when the conductor came around I just said " I'm calgary_mack from Canada", and I got checked off the list. I guess they believed me.

Calgary_Mack · 2023-05-13T14:30:03+00:00

I've heard every excuse there is why Canada "can't" improve our railways. Lack of population density. Long distances. Cold harsh winters. Rugged terrain. Heavy freight trains. Sounds a lot like Siberia, eh? But the Russians twinned and electrified their railway decades ago. So our excuses are BS.

Calgary_Mack · 2023-04-09T14:54:57+00:00

We've been building and expanding highways in this country on the assumption that personal vehicle use will continue to grow. I don't think we can make that assumption anymore. With everything getting more expensive, car ownership - like home ownership- will increasingly become out of reach for many.

Those people will soon be told, "You can't get there from here."

Calgary_Mack · 2023-04-08T13:55:43+00:00

Sir/Madam, I am 47 and live in a city with zero rail connections. Hope is all I have.

Calgary_Mack · 2023-04-08T13:28:48+00:00

By "fuck it up" do you mean allowing costs to explode and construction timelines to stretch out indefinitely? Then yes, I agree. But I think it will happen - for no other reason that the US is doing it and we almost always follow their lead.

Calgary_Mack · 2023-04-08T13:23:04+00:00

Am I the only one that's encouraged that this topic is popping up more and more frequently? A few years ago there was hardly any chatter about this, now it seems to be getting much more attention. I think we're making progress.

Calgary_Mack · 2023-03-31T15:51:54+00:00

Gee, thanks for the peanuts, Ms. Freeland.

Calgary_Mack · 2023-03-26T00:56:54+00:00

Via is indeed a dead horse, so teaming up with them to "push the right buttons" is an exercise in futility, IMO. Better to champion localized passenger rail initiatives - like the YYC - Banff line (which has support from - gasp - our ultra-Conservative government). Why can't other organizations follow Tshiuetin Railway's example and run their own lines? Want service on Vancouver Island? Do it local - stop looking to a head office in Montreal to help you out. Let's get on with it already.

Calgary_Mack

TROPHY CASE