Via Rail says trips in Ontario, Quebec may take longer after CN rule change

Passengers riding connected Via Rail’s astir heavy travelled corridor whitethorn endure a slower travel aft Canadian National Railway Co. imposed restrictions connected Via’s caller trains.

CN past Friday said Via’s precocious arrived Siemens trainsets moving betwixt Montreal and Windsor, Ont., indispensable little their velocity astatine nationalist crossings.

The regularisation — antecedently successful effect lone astatine definite crossings betwixt Montreal and Quebec City — is causing delays of astir 30 minutes per bid connected average, Via said.

The request came “without anterior notice” connected the eve of the high-volume Thanksgiving agelong weekend, said spokesperson Karl Helou successful an emailed statement.

No incidents astatine level crossings person been reported since the 16 Venture trains present successful cognition archetypal deed the rails 2 years ago, helium said.

CN, which owns astir of the tracks utilized by Via successful Central Canada, says it made the determination erstwhile it learned the caller trains were traversing routes they had antecedently steered wide of.

However, an Aug. 26 CN bulletin obtained by The Canadian Press shows that the institution was alert Venture trainsets were already moving successful Ontario.

The caller trains person been shuttling betwixt Montreal and Ottawa since November 2022 and betwixt Montreal and Toronto since past October, each “with CN’s collaboration and approval” and nary caller requirements imposed, Helou said.

Nonetheless, if Via hopes to support higher speeds done crossings it volition request to adhd cars to the caller trainsets successful bid to rise their axle number for reasons tied to signalling and velocity detection, CN said.

Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. and Ontario’s Metrolinx proscription agency, which besides big Via trains, person nary specified requirements.

CN said it advised Via successful October 2021 that operating trainsets with an axle number of 24 alternatively than 32 “could make issues.” It said it imposed the regularisation requiring either a higher axle threshold oregon little speeds successful March connected routes wherever the caller fleet was running.

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“This is simply a information issue, some for the trains and their passengers, but besides for pedestrians and motorists astatine crossings. Safety is not thing we tin compromise on, ever,” said CN spokesperson Jonathan Abecassis successful an emailed statement.

Even earlier the slowdowns astatine crossings, delays were not uncommon astatine Via Rail. Only 59 per cent of Via trains reached their destination connected clip past year, and 57 per cent the twelvemonth before.

Last year, much than 96 per cent of Via’s riders and much than four-fifths of its gross stemmed from the agelong of way that runs betwixt Quebec City and Windsor, including the Ottawa loop.

All 32 Venture trainsets that Via ordered from German manufacturing elephantine Siemens are poised to participate work on that corridor by the extremity of adjacent summer, with older rolling banal to beryllium phased out.

That means much and much passengers volition acquisition delays — since the caller restrictions use lone to Venture trains — unless Via tin find a workaround.

“We can’t conscionable adhd much Venture cars,” Via said successful an Oct. 11 announcement sent to locomotive engineers and seen by The Canadian Press.

One solution whitethorn beryllium a alleged shunt enhancer, which strengthens the reliability of way circuits utilized adjacent crossings to observe an approaching bid and trigger informing devices — lights, bells and gates.

“Via is actively engaging with suppliers to measure and procure these devices,” the institution said successful the notice.