All Posts by Transport Action Ontario

Rail Safety in Canada

By Transport Action Ontario | Intercity Rail and Bus

Transport Action Ontario representatives participated as expert panelists in a Community Forum on Rail Safety on November 28, 2014, organized by three Toronto MPs  – Carolyn Bennett, Chrystia Freeland and Adam Vaughan – whose ridings border the CP main line in central Toronto.    The Forum was very stimulating, with many good questions and comments.

Following the Forum, we felt it would be helpful to summarize the position of Transport Action Ontario, as expressed at the meeting.

The summary  letter can be viewed here:  TAO-railsafety-BennettFreelandVaughan

Improving Rail Mobility and Transportation between Ontario and Quebec – Joint Letter

By Transport Action Ontario | Intercity Rail and Bus

A joint letter from Transport Action Ontario and Transport 2000 Quebec, our sister organization, was sent to the Premiers of Ontario and Quebec on November 12, 2014.  It noted the new spirit of cooperation between Ontario and Quebec,  discussed the benefits of rail between our two provinces, and urged both provinces to initiate cooperative work to improve inter-city and inter-provincial railways in the Windsor-Quebec corridor, in conjunction with the federal government.

The letter can be viewed here:  TAO-T2Q Joint Letter

Media Release: VIA Rail is dying, but can be revived

By Transport Action Ontario | Intercity Rail and Bus , Press Releases and Open Letters

Transport Action Ontario is pleased to release a major new report by our colleague, Greg Gormick, entitled “Out of Steam: The Urgent Need to Modernize VIA Rail Canada”.

The report analyzes recent quarterly, annual and plan reports of VIA Rail Canada.  It concludes that, in every key performance indicator, VIA is either stagnant or declining.  But it also concludes that VIA can be easily revived and improved to deliver major benefits to Canadians if government invests strategically in its full, long-overdue modernization.

The media release can be viewed here:   TAO-Out of Steam Media Release2014-10-09

New Report: “Out of Steam: The Urgent Need to Modernize VIA Rail Canada”

By Transport Action Ontario | Intercity Rail and Bus , Major Reports

Transport Action Ontario is pleased to release a major new report by our colleague, Greg Gormick, entitled “Out of Steam: The Urgent Need to Modernize VIA Rail Canada”.

The report analyzes recent quarterly, annual and plan reports of VIA Rail Canada.  It concludes that, in every key performance indicator, VIA is either stagnant or declining.  But it also concludes that VIA can be easily revived and improved to deliver major benefits to Canadians if government invests strategically in its full, long-overdue modernization.

The report can be viewed here:   TAO-OutofSteam2014-10-09

Stouffville Corridor GO Rail Service Expansion

By Transport Action Ontario | Urban Transit

GO Transit has completed the Environmental Study Report for this project in July, which involves studying the infrastructure needed to twin the tracks from Scarborough Junction to Unionville GO station to allow all-day two-way service.

Transport Action Ontario has been following this two-year study closely.  We commented in January, expressing concerns about the narrow scope of the study, which should have also  included components related to Regional Rapid Rail, such as electrification and infill stations.

Our most recent comments reiterated these earlier concerns.  We noted that this corridor is part of the Province’s Regional Express Rail plan and a key component of Toronto mayoral candidate John Tory’s Smart Track plan.  All signs therefore point to this line being a high priority candidate for electrification and frequent service.  We urged prompt amendment of the Environmental Study to incorporate these points.

We also made  comments on the need for  bridge clearances to be compatible with electrification, and the need to consider infrastructure so that train whistle cessation can be achieved.

The full submission to GO can be viewed here:    TAO-GOStouffvilleEA-2014-09