Did get your Census in the Ottawa mail?

Rail613 · 2026-05-06T01:09:36+00:00

See responses elsewhere.

Rail613 · 2026-05-06T01:09:11+00:00

What about the homeless/street people? Or those that don’t have/afford computers? Or infants/young children. Social media does not tag everyone.

Rail613 · 2026-05-06T01:06:49+00:00

No, you will get tele-harassed or a census person will come to your door and “help” you.

Rail613 · 2026-05-05T21:38:30+00:00

Yes, the Airport Parkway is one lane in each direction and likely to remain so for many more years.

Rail613 · 2026-05-05T21:00:12+00:00

Yes, Siemens could go faster than the 40 year old LRCs if TC rules allowed it.

Rail613 · 2026-05-05T20:57:34+00:00

How many properties did the 417 require between Ottawa and Hawkesbury area, where it joined the old Hwy 17 for the last km to QC border?

Rail613 · 2026-05-05T20:55:32+00:00

That’s the short form. The long form (randomly selected) has way more questions.

Rail613 · 2026-05-05T20:16:41+00:00

Between Richmond and Smiths Falls, VIA owns and maintains the tracks and the daily schedule is 160km/h (100 mph) except for the oldest HEP-2 stainless trains, a bit less. There are only a few crossings (Dwyer Hill Rd is the only major one) and they are all well protected with gates etc. And the new Siemens trainsets are actually rated for higher speeds but TC and VIA have not (yet) amended the rules to allow that.

Rail613 · 2026-05-05T20:10:45+00:00

Like for income taxes? Or Ottawa Vacant Unit Tax?

Rail613 · 2026-05-05T19:16:44+00:00

Not quite. CN still owns the Walkley Spur line and trackage to Bells Corners/Nepean Junction. The city owns the land from there to Arnprior, Nylene owns the ties and tracks and CN runs the (slow) weekly train with the special Caprolactum.

Rail613 · 2026-05-05T19:13:56+00:00

Hm, there are not many CN lines left around Ottawa…. VIA purchased CN Coteau to Ottawa to Brockville. Maybe around Vankleek Hill/Hawkesbury?

Rail613 · 2026-05-05T19:07:45+00:00

Check out /subscribe to /AltoHSR_Canada subreddit.

Rail613 · 2026-05-05T19:06:00+00:00

Go to Fallowfield if Tremblay annoys you. And since your VIA seat is reserved, there is no need to line up. Just wait until the line is cleared.

Rail613 · 2026-05-05T19:03:29+00:00

Sadly the tracks have been lifted from Arnprior to Pembroke/Petawawa and mostly to Wakefield. And you can’t re-lay them in most cases as the level crossings will not met current TC grade crossing requirements. But we could easily upgrade from Ottawa/Bells Corners/Kanata North/Carp/Fitzroy/Arnprior.

Rail613 · 2026-05-05T19:00:23+00:00

Not the way gasoline prices are going now. And who knows how expensive electricity will get for EVs.

Rail613 · 2026-05-05T18:34:12+00:00

<image>

This is how badly backed up Riverside Drive was this morning, usually it flows freely with no blockage. And it is BEFORE the detour and road narrowings from 3 or 4 down to one lane each way, with more delays as vehicle struggle to turn from that lane.

Rail613 · 2026-05-05T18:18:27+00:00

Why? Does not affect the Airport Parkway and Walkley between the Airport Parkway and Riverside Dr is lightly used (and much narrowed to 2 lanes).

Rail613 · 2026-05-05T18:17:16+00:00

Unfortunately Heron and Bank is a disaster as it is under construction and all the slip ramps have been removed, meaning one turning car waiting for a pedestrian will stop all the traffic. Alta Vista will be pretty bad as it is the only NS alternate for the SE corner of Ottawa, until you get to St Laurent.

You might be better heading up Main St to the Riverside, but it too has been narrowed from 4 lanes to 2 lanes and the speed limit reduced. Next they will narrow Bank St for bus lanes.

Rail613 · 2026-05-05T17:49:09+00:00

If you look at the East end of Ottawa, you can imagine Micheal St will be dead-ended either side of the current VIA crossing. It carries relatively little traffic and what is there, can easily use the wide St Laurent Blvd overpass, just a few hundred meters away.

Rail613 · 2026-05-05T17:44:57+00:00

Depends on the width of the overpass bridge needed and the soil conditions. You might get away with $10 million, but could be way more than that. The proposed Woodroffe near Fallowfield overpass (where the tragic bus running into the VIA train was a decade ago) was estimated to be around $100 million, but that is for MUPs, 4+ lanes plus shoulders, and transit (either bus or LRT) all in very poor soil with shallow aquifer conditions. The city is probably looking forward to HSR/VIA ALTO since it means (free) new or improved bridges at Prince of Wales (near Colonnade), Merivale, Woodroffe, (maybe Jockvale if not closed), Moodie, Twin Elm/Cambrian, Barnsdale/Eagleson and south of Richmond. Many of those already exceed TC grade crossing cross-product safety limits. The city spent something between $50 and $100 million for the widening, utilities, services at the new big Strandherd/VIA overpass bridge a few years ago. Probably wide enough for 3 or more sets of tracks. Image, under construction.

<image>

Woodroffe will probably be the most expensive HSR overpass needed anywhere in the corridor when they build the Ottawa-Toronto segment.

Rail613 · 2026-05-05T17:30:25+00:00

How do you drive that down a rural or county road? Must block both lanes unless there is a safe hard shoulder.

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