Transport 2000 Canada Hot Line

7 November 2008

This is the Transport 2000 Canada Hotline, issue number 993, for 7 November 2008.

In this issue...

1 - Calendar

Nov. 13: Ontario's Inaugural Road Pricing Forum: Toronto

Nov. 19: Road collision victims: National Day of Remembrance

Nov. 27: Public meeting in Sault Ste. Marie on rail passenger services

2 - Transport 2000: Growing transit in PEI

Jim Munves reports: The Island-wide Transit Feasibility Study, which included, the expansion of Charlottetown Transit, the introduction of services to Stratford and Cornwall, and a two-bus service Summerside-Charlottetown is now available on line at:

http://www.ecopei.ca/ptc.htm

The Report recommends a careful step-by-step approach beginning with Commuter Services between Tignish and Summerside, Summerside and Charlottetown, and Charlottetown and Montague, a second stage of Community Connectors feeding into the commuter lines, to be gradually augmented (Third Stage) by innovative local services.

Munves represents Transport 2000 in a broad coalition building better transit for PEI.

3 - Concerns mount as larger trucks set to hit GTA roads next spring

"Bigger trucks are coming to Toronto-area roads next spring, to test whether longer tractor-trailers can reduce shipping costs and cut greenhouse-gas emissions. But a pilot project allowing what's known as long combination vehicles (LCVs) on provincial highways is raising safety concerns," the Toronto Star reported on Nov. 6

The Ontario Trucking Association claims the longer trucks are safe. Ontario permits an overall vehicle length of 25 metres, allowing a ... 16-metre trailer and a shorter trailer in combination, but under the pilot project, slated to start in April, some carriers would be permitted to pull two 16-metre trailers.

Queen's Park wouldn't release any details of the LCV pilot, the Star reported.

4 - Big Trucks: Results on Hours of Service needed

"Truck collisions are not going down and we are concerned that these huge vehicles will keep them high. Furthermore, taxpayers will pay dearly for the damage even larger trucks will inflict on our roads," said Natalie Litwin, Transport 2000 Ontario President.

"Increasing truck lengths and weights is a big change. It needs a lot of study from the environmental, safety and infrastructure cost perspective. Before the government brings forward this change it should let us know the safety results of the new hours of service regime, the last big change in Ontario trucking," CRASH President Harry Gow said.

Ontario adopted a new trucking hours law on Jan. 1, 2007.

5 - Canadian National Railways buys regional lines: Transport 2000 Québec supports

"Canadian National Railway Co. said yesterday it had reacquired three former subsidiaries and the (COGEMA) rail-freight ferry operation from close partner Quebec Railway Corp. for $49.8 million. CN agreed to purchase the CFMG line, a primary artery for Quebec shippers of aluminium. paper and forestry products, as well as the New Brunswick East Coast Railway and Ottawa Central lines," the Financial Post reported on Nov. 4.

The CEO of Canadian National said the railway has a three-year investment plan to upgrade each line and replace the locomotive fleets. None of 214 jobs are to be lost, although CN may have been unaware of the closure of the Smurfit-Stone mill at Portage-du-Fort on the Ottawa Central Railway at the time of purchase. "... No immediate changes in freight, VIA Rail passenger rail service or employment levels", are planned, the company said. Regional commuter train advocates are concerned that the changes may delay or stymie the accomplishment of their plans.

Transport 2000 Québec welcomed the takeover, saying that it would lead to upgrades to the lines in Eastern Québec. To the west however, the Ottawa Central Railway has now ceased publishing its community information e-magazine, a disappointing turn of events for the OCR's large regional following.

6 - Transportation Performance Evaluation: VTPI

This week the Victoria Transport Policy Institute release its quarterly report which includes: "A Good Example of Bad Transportation Performance Evaluation: Critique of the Fraser Institute Report, 'Transportation Performance of the Canadian Provinces'".

The paper discusses transportation performance evaluation concepts and critiques a recent Fraser Institute report, 'Transportation Performance of the by David T. Hartgen, Claire G. Chadwick and M. Gregory Fields.

That report uses a unique set of 23 indicators to evaluate and compare transportation system performance of Canadian provinces. A few of these indicators are appropriate and widely used, but several are ambiguous and biased, and some are illogical. This paper examines these indicators in detail and grades their appropriateness for planning and management applications.

http://www.vtpi.org/per_ind.pdf

7 - Peter MacKay supports Halifax truckway

"Peter MacKay supports paving Halifax's south-end rail cut for truck traffic, even if it comes at a price for homeowners in the area. 'Well, you know, progress: It comes at a cost," the Central Nova MP told The Chronicle Herald ... . Mr. MacKay, in charge of the newly created Atlantic Gateway portfolio, said people who live along the cut have to look at the overall good of the project," the Halifax newspaper reported on Nov. 6.

"It's essential to improve infrastructure at key ports, on railway lines and on roads, and it's time to get moving on those projects, Mr. MacKay said.

8 - Back on Track: Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield steam train

CBC News reported on Nov. 3: "The Hull-Chelsea-Wakefield steam train, which was shut down by its municipal infrastructure board last May, will get funding from the province to help get it running again. According to the Outaouais Tourism Board, the train used to bring 50,000 to 60,000 tourists into Wakefield each year, generating close to $10 million in revenues".

The Quebec government will provide $200,000 for an assessment of railroad repairs needed to get the train back on track, announced Benoît Pelletier, the Quebec minister responsible for the Outaouais. The Quebec and federal governments would cover up to two-thirds of the cost of the next step, the repairs themselves, confirmed Pelletier and Pontiac MP Lawrence Cannon. Another third would come from within the region.

Private and municipal funding of $3 million had been committed earlier to help with the project and elected officials hope the train runs in 2009.

9 - Banff commuters wait for rail line waiting for approval

"A commuter rail line connecting Calgary to Banff has yet to receive provincial approval despite some earlier media reports to the contrary. A recent Cochrane Times article suggested that Premier Ed Stelmach had given approval for heavy rail commuter trains to travel from Calgary to outlying municipalities with weekend service to Banff and Canmore. But the Calgary Regional Partnership (CRP) said no government approval has been given. In a meeting with Cochrane Mayor Truper McBride and Airdrie Mayor Linda Bruce, Stelmach merely gave his support for transit investments and no specific plan," the Banff Crag & Canyon reported on Nov. 4.

The CRP holds that "passenger trains must run on schedule but freight trains hauling goods might be considered a priority on the tracks".

Thank you for calling the Transport 2000 Canada Hotline. For additional information, please contact our web site at:

www.transport2000.ca.