Category Archives for "Intercity Rail and Bus"

Critique of Ontario’s draft transportation plan for Northern Ontario

By Transport Action Ontario | Intercity Rail and Bus , Latest News , Northern Ontario

As readers know, Ontario released a draft transportation plan for Northern Ontario in December, 2020, and Transport Action Ontario prepared a response (see posting December 24, 2020). In view of likely federal interest in elements of jurisdiction and financing, we also sent comments on this draft plan to key federal ministers. Our letter can be viewed below:

Review of MTO draft transportation plan for Northern Ontario

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

In December, 2020, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation released a draft transportation plan for Northern Ontario. Transport Action Ontario has reviewed the draft plan in detail. We find it is too highway-centric and needs more emphasis on passenger and freight rail. Our detailed review is given below.

Improving Passenger Rail in Southwestern Ontario – Learnings from two Conferences

By Transport Action Ontario | Intercity Rail and Bus , Southwestern Ontario

Representatives of Transport Action Ontario recently attended conferences put on by the Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium (CUTRIC) and by the Toronto Region Board of Trade (TRBOT). Both had content relevant to improving passenger rail in Southwestern Ontario in the areas of technology, politics, projects and cost control.

Our summary can be viewed here.

Submission to Ontario Standing Committee re Budget 2021

By Transport Action Ontario | Intercity Rail and Bus , Latest News , Uncategorized

Transport Action Ontario has submitted a brief to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, in preparation for Ontario Budget 2021. The brief discusses two recommendations:

(a) Immediately improve passenger rail in Southwestern Ontario with municipal and business inputs

(b) Work in conjunction with the Federal Government to institute High Performance Rail across Ontario

The brief can be viewed below:

Ontario moves to deregulate intercity bus services

By Transport Action Ontario | Intercity Rail and Bus , Latest News

The Ontario government has introduced Bill 213, an omnibus bill that includes a proposal to dissolve the Ontario Highway Transport Board. This board was set up decades ago to regulate intercity motorcoach service. It provided exclusive franchises on profitable routes with the expectation that those profits would subsidize less profitable services to rural and remote areas. The system has not worked well in recent years, in that companies were allowed to drop low-performing routes while maintaining their monopolies on lucrative routes.

Transport Action Ontario has long advocated for modernizing the Ontario regulatory framework. However, we recognize that the most widely raised concern about motorcoach services is ensuring province-wide service, with safe places to wait for the bus, not facilitating cutthroat competition on the busiest routes. A further concern is the damaging impact of an out-and-out bus war between private operators on a corridor parallel to VIA Rail or GO Transit.  For rural and remote routes. it is likely to continue to be necessary for publicly-owned carriers such as Ontario Northland to operate the routes, or for the province to ensure service provision using community transportations grants.