Transport 2000 Canada Hot Line

13 February 2009

This is the Transport 2000 Canada Hotline, issue number 1007, for 13 February 2009.

In this issue...

1 - Transport 2000 Calendar

2 - David Jeanes: Ottawa's transit growth plan

"A Transit ridership growth plan -- according to David Jeanes, that's what we need. But right now, he says "our ridership growth plan is in tatters," the Ottawa Sun reported.

"Jeanes, president of Transport 2000, a public transit advocacy group, says there's a lot riding on transit ridership not only returning to pre-strike levels, but increasing. When the city goes looking for money from the province and the feds for its billion-dollar light-rail plan, or regular annual investments in transit and infrastructure "one of the ways they justify it is by pointing to their ridership."

"Jeanes says it's hard to know how many people will come back, immediately and in the long term. But he's impressed with the return of people to the O-Train," the Sun reported on Feb. 7

3 - Normand Parisien: Les usagers veulent être remboursés

"Transport 2000, une organisation de défense des droits des usagers du transport en commun, ajoute sa voix à de nombreux usagers des trains de banlieue qui réclament des compensations financières suites aux problèmes du dernier mois," 24 heures a rapporté le 8, fevrier.

«Il n'y a aucun doute que l'Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT) devra verser des compensations aux usagers, qui devraient selon nous bénéficier d'une réduction tarifaire de moitié. Il en va de la confiance des utilisateurs envers l'actuelle relance du transport en commun», revendique Normand Parisien, président de l'association," en entrevue à 24 heures.

http://www2.canoe.com/infos/quebeccanada/archives/2009/02/20090208-181703.html

4 - AMT gives back: Discounts announced

"Facing growing passenger anger over long delays, train cancellations, crowded cars and scheduling snafus, Montreal's suburban train service is offering discounted fares, shuttle buses and a change to the schedule on one line," the Montreal Gazette reported on Feb. 11.

"And if the region is to ever have a train service that befits a major city, governments must pour $152 million into the transit authority so it can modernize equipment, build extra tracks and improve other infrastructure, said AMT president Joël Gauthier.

"Normand Parisien, director of the transit lobby group Transport 2000, said the AMT made the right moves "but it won't solve the problem - public transit has been underfunded for too many years," the Gazette reported.

http://www.montrealgazette.com/gives+back+Discounts+announced/1273989/story.html

5 - Do the Atlantic Gateway the Smart Way

"THERE'S no question the Halifax peninsula rail cut - running from Fairview to the Halterm container terminal - is an underused transportation corridor in a city that could certainly use some faster, cleaner and greener transportation links to the downtown and the port," Halifax Herald editorialized on Feb. 13.

"But it's hard to fathom why the provincial government is stuck on only one way of using the rail corridor - to put a truck and bus expressway alongside the existing rail line - to improve Halifax's position as an Atlantic Gateway for trade and business.

" ...The province, too, should be looking at the rail-shuttle and inland-terminal version of the Atlantic Gateway. Unlike the truckway, the inland terminal actually provides for future growth of the port by increasing its container-handling capacity, the Herald editorialized.

6 - Montreal Senator Mike De Souza hopes to fast track rail link

"The Harper government's new point man for Montreal has got a high-speed train in his sights. In a wide-ranging interview, newly appointed Senator Leo Housakos said he would be pushing the high-speed rail option between Quebec City and Windsor onto the government's agenda," Canwest News Service reported on Feb. 7.

"I think this is an opportunity with high-speed rail to take Canada into the 21st century with an infrastructure program that's environmentally green, that can create tons of jobs, and can really connect this country quickly, especially starting off with the Quebec City-Windsor corridor," said Housakos, 41, who was among 18 Conservative senators appointed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper in December.

http://www2.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=1265303

7 - Saskatchewan effort continues to establish train link

On Feb. 6 the Leader-Post reported "A three-year campaign to establish a short-line railway between Bengough and Weyburn is continuing, despite a series of setbacks. Maurice Koszman, the secretary of the fledgling Wey-West Rail company that hopes to establish the 110-kilometre short-line railway, said that line can hopefully be in operation in less than two years. "We're hoping by August 1, 2010,'' Koszman said."

http://www.leaderpost.com/story_print.html?id=1262823&sponsor

8 - U.S. stimulates roads

"As the Stimulus Bill stands now (before the Senate, at $827 billion $819 billion House), it is tens of billions of dollars shy of what is needed to rebuild America's transportation competitiveness," James P. RePass wrote in National Corridors post.

"The transportation infrastructure portion of the bill virtually mirrors the typical highway bill of years past, with a vast amount of money going to new road projects (instead of demanding that bridges and roads be fixed first) a fraction of that for transit, and next to nothing ($2 billion) for intercity rail.

"How can $2 billion be "next to nothing?" When you are competing against China (which is putting $100 billion into intercity rail between now and 2010); Europe (a similar amount, totaling all countries) and the rest of Asia (likewise), that's when," James P. RePass wrote.

http://www.nationalcorridors.org/df2/df02092009.shtml

9 - Air Canada: Liquidity concerns

This morning Air Canada reported a fourth-quarter loss of $727 million. On Feb. 9 The Canadian Press reported: "Five unions representing Air Canada workers asked the federal pension regulator on Monday to force ACE Aviation Holdings Inc. (TSX:ACE.B) to fund Air Canada's (TSX:AC.B) pension plan, before being allowed to wind up the holding company later this year.

10 - Overbuilt airports coming home to roost

On Feb. 13 Pearson Airport announced "The Airport Improvement Fee (AIF) will increase by $5 per departing passenger, effective June 1, 2009, from $20 to $25. The AIF is used to fund capital expenses and to service debt associated with capital expenses."

Halifax Airport raised its fee in January. Transport 2000 expects Local Airport Authorities across the country will follow suit.

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