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| Transport Action Hotline - 9 April 2010 | |||||||||||
In this issue...This is the Transport Action Hotline, issue number 1067, for 9 April 2010.
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1 - Calendar
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2 - David Gunn to address Transport Action Atlantic sessionTransport Action Atlantic will hold its Annual General Meeting on May 8 in Dartmouth. David Gunn, former TTC and Amtrak boss, will be the guest of honour. Among the questions Gunn will likely be asked are:
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3 - BC Rail Profitable Before Sell-off?On April 1 Transport Action BC reported an article in The Tyee argues that, contrary to provincial government claims, BC Rail was not bankrupt nor a drain on the province's finances. Will Martin states the company regularly generated positive "net income" and, in the latter years of the 20th century, actually paid dividends of $140,000,000 to the province. His argument is that the provincial Liberals deliberately mis-led taxpayers on BC Rail's financial situation to create support for the railroad's privatisation. Several on-line commentators disagree with Martin's analysis and conclusions.http://transportactionbc.wordpress.com/
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4 - Voici les activités du Groupe TRAQ pour les mois qui viennent ...Mardi 27 et mercredi 28 avril 2010, Colloque et exposition ferroviaires du Québec: Entrée gratuite pour l'exposition de 10 h 00 è 17 h 00 à l'Hôtel PLAZA Québec. Inscription obligatoire pour le colloque de deux jours.Samedi 1er mai 2010, 10 h 00 à 16 h 00 et samedi 5 juin 2010, 10 h 00 à 16 h 00, Portes Ouvertes du musée ferroviaire de Charny, situé au 5314, avenue des Belles-Amours. Bienvenue à tous!Portes Ouvertes du musée ferroviaire de Charny, situé au 5314, avenue des Belles-Amours. Bienvenue à tous! Le Groupe TRAQ ramasse photos, diapositives ou négatifs, livres, revues, documents et artéfacts ferroviaires, pour son musée et le patrimoine ferroviaire. C'est ce que nous laisserons en héritage aux plus jeunes! Ne jetez pas! Appelez-nous et nous irons chercher le matériel s'il le faut. Notre musée est situé au 5314, avenue des Belles-Amours à Charny. Utilisez le stationnement de l'Aquaréna sur la rue Maréchal-Joffre qui est à proximité de notre local. NOUVEAU: À compter du 10 mai, nous agrandirons notre musée de plus de 600 pieds carrés. Nous pouvons désormais offrir deux salles de rencontre (cours, formation et réunion) ... pour 12 et 20 personnes. http://www.groupe-traq.com/index.html
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5 - Transport Action calls for greater connectivity between Halifax and rural Nova ScotiaIn a March 26 submission to the Nova Scotia Utilities Review Board Transport Action's Clark Morris wrote: "(I)t is unrealistic to expect Acadian to run service at a loss especially given the competition from unregulated shuttle vans and some long term trends. However, if Acadian is allowed to reduce or eliminate service, the Board should clearly state that it is willing to allow alternative providers on the routes so abandoned or reduced."Independently it should urge the province to review the status of public transport both urban and inter-city within the province. Various models of how to provide and pay for service should be explored. There may be various options for greater connectivity between Halifax and our rural regional centres such as Kentville-New Minas-Wolfville and between major towns. Acadian should also be asked whether it is a passenger carrier that also carries packages and express or an package carrier that also carries passengers. Acadian should be working with the various government agencies such as the regional development agencies to determine if meeting mutual goals can improve both service and revenues," Clark Morris wrote.
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6 - Aviation Safety News: Transport Canada safety record under fireIn the last month more evidence has emerged about serious problems with Transport Canada's handling of safety issues. On March 31 a top TC official told Parliament: "We haven't done as much (safety) surveillance activities (on commercial aviation operations) as we wanted to do." He said inspections would be increased but documents released subsequently show the promise is provisional on funding. On March 16 Transport Minister John Baird, prompted in part by the cavalier attitude to safety of Jetport owner (and Tim Horton's founder) Ron Joyce, ended Transport Canada's self-regulation experiment for business-owned aircraft.On March 12 CBC Fifth Estate's Linden MacIntyre reported the problem with the studs used by the Sikorsky S92 helicopter was widely-known within the aviation community prior to Cougar Helicopter crash on March 12, 2009. The Fifth Estate reported an investigation into an earlier, near identical crash in Australia by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada found, on Aug. 29, 2008: "There appears to be several unresolved issues with the oil system, aside from the fractured studs, on this particular aircraft. It seems likely that these issues are related to stud failures," The April 7 edition of Aviation Safety News reports on these issues and more. Aviation Safety News is a project of Transport Action Canada (formerly Transport 2000) and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre. Transport Action Canada is represented on the Canadian Aviation Regulation Advisory Council. The Aviation Safety News readers' group includes top aviation safety authorities, industry and civil service professionals. | |||||||||||
7 - ACTU: 53 milliards de dollars pour la prochaine période quinquennale"Les besoins en infrastructures de transport en commun pour la période 2010-2014 sont estimés à 53,5 milliards de dollars," a dit le président et directeur-général de L'Association canadienne du transport urbain, Michael Roschlau le 31 mars."Les besoins de renouvellement liés au maintien en bon état des réseaux de transport se chiffrent à 13 milliards de dollars, tandis que les besoins d'expansion, pour satisfaire à la demande prévue et à l'augmentation de l'achalandage sont estimés à 40,4 milliards de dollars pour les cinq prochaines années." http://www.cutaactu.ca/sites/cutaactu.ca/files/Rapport_besoins_en_infrastructures_ACTU.pdf
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8 - $53-billion needed for next five years: Canadian Urban Transit AssociationCUTA surveyed transit systems across the country on two dimensions: expenditures currently planned versus additional needs that cannot be met through existing funding; and expenditures for replacement or renewal, versus expenditures to respond to population growth or attract newridership."Two-thirds of the $53.5 billion are now fundable within existing government programs, up from half in the previous period," states CUTA Chair Charles Stolte. "This represents $36 billion of the total, an absolute number that has risen from $5.1 billion in the five-year period 1999-2004 ten years ago," CUTA reported on March 31. http://www.cutaactu.ca/sites/cutaactu.ca/files/CUTA_Infrastructure_Needs_Report.pdf
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9 - Two bidders for CP line from Smiths Falls to Petawawa"A spokesman for Canadian Pacific has stated it is currently in talks with two parties who have submitted expressions of interest in the rail line, which runs between Smiths Falls to Camspur (Petawawa), the deadline for which passed Monday," the Stephen Uhler reported for the Pembroke Daily Observer on April 7.http://www.thedailyobserver.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2523329
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10 - North Bay asks for rail aid from province, Ottawa"(North Bay) council unanimously adopted a motion tabled Tuesday ... seeking immediate action from the two senior levels of government to prevent rail lines, including those between Smith Falls and Sudbury, between Petawawa and Mattawa and between Temiscaming and Sudbury from being (abandoned) by Canadian Pacific," the North Bay Nugget reported on April 7."The motion also calls on the province to develop and implement a comprehensive transportation plan, including rail service, as part of its Northern Growth Plan," the Nugget's Gord Young reported. http://www.nugget.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2523162
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11 - Ottawa seeking light-rail experts"Consultants are being put on notice that the city will be looking for experts to help design the proposed $2.1-billion light-rail line through downtown Ottawa," the Sun reported on April 6."The province has already promised $600 million for the transit project and the feds are also expected to come through with financial support, although they haven't made any official funding announcements,. As it sits on the books today, the light-rail system would be a 12.5-km line between Tunney's Pasture and Blair station, including a 3.2-km tunnel under the downtown business district. There would be 13 stations on the line with four of them connected to the tunnel. A maintenance and storage facility is also in the draft," Jon Willing reported for the Ottawa Sun. http://www.ottawasun.com/news/ottawa/2010/04/06/13490006.html
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12 - High-speed rail picks up speed in IllinoisIllinois Secretary of Transportation Gary Hannig will meet April 1 with Union Pacific officials in Omaha, Neb., to talk about using the freight company's rail line for high-speed trains heading from Joliet to St. Louis, the Joliet, Ill., Herald reports.The high-speed rail will stretch from Chicago to St. Louis with several stops along the way. The first stop out of Chicago will be in Joliet. High-speed trains will use Canadian National freight lines from Chicago to Joliet, but Union Pacific lines from Joliet to St. Louis, said Joliet City Manager Tom Thanas," Railway Track & Structures reported on April 1.
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13 - Vehicle fuel efficiency must be improved 40 per cent by 2016"New standards from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency mean that, beginning with 2012 model vehicles, fuel efficiency must by 2016 be improved 40 per cent compared to today's requirements. Canada has agreed to harmonize with these standards to create a meaningful North America target," the Toronto Star reported on April 5"The David Suzuki Foundation estimates the standards will reduce heat-trapping emissions from the cars and trucks sold in Canada over the next six years by 25 per cent," the Star's Tyler Hamilton reported.
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14 - Transport Canada has an out on its promise step-up aviation safety checks"Despite assurances from the top brass at Transport Canada that the government will step up safety checks at airlines, newly released instructions to inspectors says this will only happen if there are extra resources available in any given year," Canwest News Service reported on April 2."Richard Balnis on Thursday cast doubt on such assurances during his testimony. The aviation specialist with the Canadian Union of Public Employees, which represents 8,500 flight attendants at six major airlines, highlighted the discretionary language in Transport Canada's new procedures manual for inspectors, in place since February," Canwest's Sarah Schmidt wrote. "Transport Canada's staff instructions on "surveillance procedures," tabled Thursday at parliamentary hearings into aviation safety in Canada, reveal that traditional forms of oversight, such as inflight inspections, ramp inspections during day-to-day operations and aircraft inspections, are to be considered discretionary and contingent on resources," the news service reported. http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Beefed+safety+checks+conditional/2756477/story.html?id=2756477
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15 - UK Election: Liberal Democrats vow to re-open rail lines"Unveiling the policy, (Liberal Democrat) party transport spokesman Norman Baker said yesterday "High speed rail is hugely important, but it is only part of the 21st-century rail network Britain needs. Our plans will reopen thousands of miles of track across the country and make our railway great again," the Cumbrian News & Star reported on April 6."Last year, Government ministers announced that they would set aside money to allow local authorities to run new rail services by reinstating mothballed lines, building new stations or converting freight lines to passenger travel. ... However, the size of the fund was not revealed and the scheme was not scheduled to begin until 2014. In 2007, the Conservatives joined forces with environmental group Transport 2000 to call for several disused rail lines in the north west, including the Penrith to Keswick and Waverley route, to be reopened.," Sarah Newstead wrote for the News & Star. http://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/we-ll-reopen-county-rail-lines-lib-dems-1.692098?referrerPath=home
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