Transport 2000 Canada Hot Line

10 February 2009

This is the Transport 2000 Canada Hotline, issue number 1006, for 10 February 2009.

In this issue...

1 - Transport 2000 Calendar

2 - Transport 2000 Orange Prize

In Kitchener at the Jan. 30 High Speed Rail Symposium Transport 2000 Canada President David Jeanes awarded the association's Orange Prize to Dean Del Mastro, MP for Peterborough and the House of Commons Rail Caucus.

Caucus Chair Del Mastro has advocated successfully for major funding to upgrade the Peterborough-Toronto Canadian Pacific Railway line for freight and passengers. He has also succeeded in obtaining funding to improve the rail freight connection to a major cereal shipper in Peterborough.

http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1420501

3 - Transport 2000 Lemon Prize

On Feb. 2 Transport 2000 Canada awarded the Lemon Prize to Hon. Stockwell Day, MP former Minister of Public Safety and to Ms. Suzanne Hurtubise, Deputy Minister responsible for the Canadian Border Services Agency. The Lemon Prize is for the CBSA's delay of the new Seattle-Vancouver train.

John Bakker, president of Transport 2000 BC said: "This stubborn obstruction is already harming tourism in the Lower Mainland and will be a distinct handicap for the Olympics".

http://broughton.ca/

4 - Transport 2000 Québec: 2,7 milliards contre 200 millions

Louis-Gilles Francoeur écrivait dans le Devoir le 31 janvier : "Les conservateurs ont ciblé la crise économique, mais pas la crise écologique.

"Les transports illustrent mieux que tout l'absence de vision intégrée des conservateurs en matiière d'économie, d'environnement et de climat.

"Ainsi, le budget accorde 2,7 milliards pour la seule année 2009 aux constructeurs d'automobiles, mais seulement 200 millions par annéee sur cinq ans aux infrastructures vertes, soit aux transports en commun. C'est cinq fois moins que ce qui serait nécessaire pour rattraper l'avance des États-Unis dans ce domaine, a calculé Transport 2000 Québec," le Devoir a rapporté.

5 - Budget reaction: Atlantic and Western Canada left out

On Jan. 27 Transport 2000's Harold Nicholson wrote: "Once again it would appear that those of us outside the corridor are second-class citizens. I am pleased that VIA Rail is being given additional funding, but had hoped that significant funds would be available to re-build a rail passenger service in this nation including Atlantic Canada and Western Canada. !

David Jeanes noted: "The rebuilding of the F40s from the last allocation will benefit the whole country. Perhaps the new money will allow VIA to modernize more than one of the Budd sleeping cars for accessibility, which will benefit the west. Vancouver Station also benefits."

6 - U.S. roads to transit ratio up to 75-25

Rep. James Oberstar (D-Minn.) is the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. In December, he proposed $85 billion of immediate infrastructure spending, to be (among other categories) allocated $30 billion for roads and $12 billion for urban transit, or a 70-30 split. There was also $5 billion for railways.

The bill that the House passed last week reduced the total amount under the jurisdiction of Oberstar's committee, making cuts in all categories other than roads. The roads/transit ratio became approximately 75-25. Rail funding was cut substantially. Nevertheless, there are large sums of money allocated to "Transit Capital" and "Fixed Guideway Modernization".

7 - Smart Transportation Economic Stimulation

A new Victoria Transport Policy Institute report discusses factors to consider when evaluating transportation economic stimulation strategies. The Feb. 3 VTPI report says transportation investments can have large long-term economic, social and environmental impacts. Improving alternative modes tends to reduce total motor vehicle traffic and associated costs, providing long-term economic savings and benefits.

The report, written by Todd Litman, says public policies intended to support domestic automobile sales could be economically harmful in the long-term. Increasing transport system efficiency is particularly important for long-term economic development. Vehicle and fuel purchases generate fewer domestic jobs and less economic activity than most other consumer expenditures. Public transit operations create a particularly large number of jobs.

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

8 - New road to make Winnipeg a global transportation hub

The Winnipeg Free Press reported: "A new road and cloverleaf linking Winnipeg's airport to the west Perimeter Highway is the first stage of a massive plan to turn the city into a global transportation hub, officials said this week"

The Jan. 30 Free Press report noted: "Ottawa and the province have already announced:

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnewsnew_road_link_first_part_of_plan_for_global_hub38687467.html

9 - Ottawa Transit: "It is time to repair the damage," David Jeanes

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/opinion/Time+repair+damage/1236926/story.html

After more than seven weeks of suffering for Ottawa's most vulnerable citizens, for businesses (particularly downtown), and for commuters, the OC Transpo strike is finally coming to an end. For the public, the strike came at the worst possible time, during one of the coldest winters in many years and through many snowstorms. The inability of the city to keep sidewalks clear of snow and ice, even on the first day of the strike, even made walking an unsafe alternative to transit," David Jeanes wrote in the Ottawa Citizen on Jan. 30.

The challenge now for all of us, particularly transit users, bus and train drivers, and OC Transpo management, is to try to work together in a spirit of co-operation and tolerance. We must get people back on the buses and trains as soon as possible to allow us all to start rebuilding our lives and businesses. ...

10 - GTA airport train cannot be another 407

"An express rail link to Pearson airport is a fine idea, as long as the scheme doesn't make second-class travelers out of anyone whose trip starts somewhere other than Union Station. Until now, it looked as if residents in Brampton or northwest Toronto would not be able to access the airport via the busy Georgetown rail corridor that runs next to Pearson," Ed Drass wrote on Metro on Jan. 28.

"At last, plans are moving ahead to bring high-frequency service to this and adjoining GO rail lines, including a private-sector train between Union and the airport. The stalled project has been handed over to the provincial planning agency Metrolinx and there is now the opportunity for some responsible planning to happen, hopefully in a much more transparent fashion," Metro reported.

http://www.airrailnews.com

11 - Wakefield Steam train will return this summer

On Feb. 2 the Chelsea Municipal Council agreed unanimously to pay its share of the the rail line repairs needed to get the Wakefield Steam train running this tourist season. The Friends of the Steam Train thanked Mayor Perras for a year of hard work and a successful resolution.

The same evening, La Pêche Council voted to contribute to the railway rehab project. It is now full steam ahead reports Harry Gow Co-president, Friends of the Steam Train.

12 - High Speed Rail Symposium: Build it incrementally

"Imagine this: A bullet train speeds at more than 300 kilometres an hour between Toronto and Montreal. ... Would this keep you off the highway and out of the airport? Fans of fast trains are persuaded it would. On Saturday, about 160 of them gathered in Kitchener to talk about the dream they won't let die. They learned they have two options to bring high-speed rail to Canada," the Waterloo Region Record reported on Feb. 2.

"They can press to make today's passenger trains a little faster, building slowly toward high speeds. Or they can press to launch a new system, featuring super-fast trains on dedicated tracks. ...

The Record reported: "David Collenette, a former federal transport minister, contends it's feasible to make Via Rail slightly faster, as part of an incremental move to high-speed rail. But he was unable to achieve this while in government, due to concerns about cost. "Ministers of Finance tend not to be pro-rail," Collenette said.

The CTV News report on the Symposium is at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uj9SF_NHXM&feature=channel_page

http://news.therecord.com/News/Local/article/480835

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

www.transport2000.ca.