"The results include a comically undersized subway network in Toronto, rickety buses and Métro cars in Montreal, and inadequate light rail systems in Edmonton and Calgary, among others. With the honourable exception of Vancouver, the transit maps of most Canadian cities have barely changed since the 1980s.
"Paper projects are not much good under normal circumstances, except perhaps for the engineers and consultants who help prepare them. Yet these are not normal circumstances. As the federal government searches for "ready-to-go" infrastructure plans to deliver economic stimulus, Canada's surfeit of exquisitely detailed but mostly unfunded blueprints for transit expansion should be at the very top of the list," the Globe said.
As the "hub" airport for Atlantic Canada, the airport will handle 3.5 million passengers in 2009. Projects underway or planned for 2009 include: completing a parking garage and terminal roadways; finishing renovations to the front of the terminal building with links to the new garage; building a new multi-tenant cargo facility; combining the fire hall and maintenance facilities in one building and continuing the runway restoration program.
Transport 2000 sources predict many other local airport authorities will raise fees this year.
"Les clients aiment les wagons Renaissance, dit Malcolm Andrews, porte-parole de VIA Rail. Chaque fois qu'on les a introduits dans un marché, la réponse a été positive. Les wagons ont un look attrayant et les personnes qui voyagent seules aiment le fait qu'il y a une rangée de sièges individuels."
"Même s'ils sont prisés des voyageurs, les wagons Renaissance ne font pas l'unanimité. Conçus originalement pour le climat européen, ils ont éprouvé des ennuis avec l'hiver canadien à leur mise en service en 2001. "Les wagons Renaissance n'ont pas été à la hauteur des attentes des passagers de VIA Rail, tandis que les wagons LRC ont la couenne dure", dit Normand Parisien, directeur général de Transport 2000, une association de promotion des transports collectifs," La Press a rapporté.
"Almost never do we hear any reference to public transport alternatives. It may be worthwhile for your reporters to investigate VIA Rail's 6 day per week train service which will carry passengers in comfort with lounge, dining, and sleeping space available between Halifax and Montreal and southern Ontario in 21 to 28 hours. Even if trains are delayed 2 or 3 hours due to a storm, it is far superior to waiting several days in a crowded airport. Although bus service has fewer amenities, there are two runs each day between Halifax and Montreal with connections westward to Ottawa and Toronto. These again are subject to minimal delays due to road conditions and are significantly cheaper than rail sleeper and air fares," Pearce wrote on Dec. 21.
"The timing is pretty well right on the money in terms of passenger rail," Langan said. The group believes the federal and provincial governments could help kick-start the economy by spending millions of dollars on rail travel, while greening the environment by reducing reliance on vehicles.
Noting the potential shift in transportation attitudes south of the 48th parallel, Transport 2000's Langan told Railway Age, "The United States is the latest country to promote rail transportation, while Canada continues to lag behind."
The Honorary President of TRAQ is Mr. Joël Gauthier, Chief Executive Officer of the Agency of Metropolitan Transport (AMT). TRAQ is affiliated with Transport 2000. TRAQ is also searching for pictures of these railway stations: Saint-Joseph (Lauzon), West Junction (ICR & GTR), Saint-Jean-Chrysostome, Breaykeyville, Saint-Nicolas, Craig's Road and Saint-Romuald (GTR & ICR).
"But parents have been pushing for an inquest in hopes of finding ways to prevent similar accidents in the future. A coroner's inquest would not assign blame, but would make recommendations for new rules and regulations," CP reported.
"Although the Island Corridor Foundation, which owns the old E&N Railway, envisions a multi-layered rail service catering to commuters, tourists and other passengers, freight would remain the primary revenue generator. But before any clients commit to commercial agreements, the ICF must upgrade the railway so it can handle carrying heavier loads of freight at higher speeds, said Doug Backhouse, executive director of the foundation. The ICF is campaigning to have $103.8 million worth of rail work split three ways by the foundation and federal and provincial governments," the Daily News reported.
"Others, however, see things differently. This summer, the provincial government announced a $2-billion public transit fund focused on regional co-operation. The plan is to build public transit infrastructure, including regional bus and rail transit. The Calgary Regional Partnership, which represents 18 communities and one First Nation, says the provincial money could go a long way to improving transportation in the region. The group had just received a $500,000 grant to explore new transit options when the provincial government announced the $2 billion for regional transportation networks," the Herald reported.
"So what should Canada, or any other country about to air-drop buckets of cash on the landscape, aim for? One good idea is to avoid stimulus projects that generate ongoing public liabilities. Take roads. Construction companies everywhere are lobbying hard for road-building. They argue that the ribbons of new asphalt will generate instant employment, make a region and its industries more competitive and put smiles on drivers' faces. They're right, to a degree. But a road is a public cost; maintaining one consumes tax revenue forever. Roads also have a nasty habit of attracting traffic, not curing it. Cars and trucks generate carbon dioxide," Reguly wrote.
"If the same money were given, say, to help the rail industry upgrade and extend tracks and buy new locomotives, you would get a whole other picture. The continuing maintenance of a rail track is not a public cost. In Canada, it is the expense of Canadian National and Canadian Pacific. Rail companies also pay property tax on the rights of way. Roads are not part of the property-tax base," the Globe columnist wrote.
"The report proposes 560 kilometres of high-speed electric track that runs from Toronto north to Orillia, east to Peterborough and west to a corridor that includes Waterloo, Hamilton and Niagara Falls. It would take at least a decade to build and cost anywhere from $4 billion to $20 billion, depending on the route and technology chosen.
"The rail system would help create a high-density "mega-region" by improving transportation and attracting what the report calls well-paid "creative" jobs, such as those in aerospace, finance and telecommunications," the Star reported.
"What are airlines required to do to help delayed and stranded passengers? Since September, Canada's had flight rights, a list of passenger rights and airline obligations issued by the federal government. They include compensation for delayed or cancelled flights, a hotel if a delay lasts more than eight hours. The catch? Flight rights are not binding, and they only apply when the airline is at fault. They do not come into play if weather is to blame," The National reported.
Transport 2000's David Jeanes was quoted saying: "The public do not have the kind of protection that they need when you have these kinds of weather emergencies."
"Air Canada says it's simply following international industry standards. WestJet says those standards are not good enough," the CBC reported.