No news articles or anything, just a half-baked idea my dad and I were discussing. I think, while being very expensive to implement, a highspeed rail system between Canadian cities would do wonders for our unity as a country. We are very spread out especially here in the west. Do you guys think it would be feasible, to have a rail system going through the all the major cities? Am I completely out to lunch? I'd like to know what the CP brain trust comes up with.
if building one between Edmonton and Calgary ( a very busy corridor with lots of business travel) is not currently feasible, I doubt a high speed train from Toronto to Vancouver would be. plus it would be mega expensive, of course if some private company decided to build one it would be very very cool! hello CP or CNRL
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when i was about 12 the family took a summer train trip to halifax, it was most awesoe, and I'd love to do somehting like that again. i really like the idea of this; however, outside of the windsor-Montreal corridor I don't think this would ever make financial sense.
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The terrain through Northern Ontario just to finally get to a sparse market like the praires just doesnt make sense. Then when you are across the praires you face the rockies. The Chinese just don't make railroads as cheap as they used to.
I dont see somebody taking a high speed train from TO to Van that can take 2 days instead of the usual 5, I guess. Two days on a train, no thanks.
I also don't see how the praires can even come close to using it enough to cover the expense
Across Canada? Not gonna happen, the population density is too low and the distance too far. Air travel will always be king in crossing this country until some amazing new form of transport comes around.
I think having it between certain cities might be a better option. I know they have the "Go Train" in Southern Ontario, but a link between Toronto-Ottawa-Quebec City- Montreal might be useful.
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Captain James P. DeCOSTE, CD, 18 Sep 1993
I was just thinking it would be a great way for citzens to travel between cities. The reason I thought it might be good idea is BECAUSE of how spread out we are. And our current travel options are fly or drive. So lets take Calgary to Vancouver for example. You can hop on a flight for 1 1/2 hrs, but possibly too expensive. Drive? 12 hours and possibly around the same price once all is said and done. What if there was a (let's say) $100 option to get to Van in 4 hours by high speed rail? Seems like something that would be very useful for business as well as intercandadian tourism. I know it would cost a lot up front, but the mass construction would also create a lot of jobs. Like I said, it was a half-baked notion.
I was just thinking it would be a great way for citzens to travel between cities. The reason I thought it might be good idea is BECAUSE of how spread out we are. And our current travel options are fly or drive. So lets take Calgary to Vancouver for example. You can hop on a flight for 1 1/2 hrs, but possibly too expensive. Drive? 12 hours and possibly around the same price once all is said and done. What if there was a (let's say) $100 option to get to Van in 4 hours by high speed rail? Seems like something that would be very useful for business as well as intercandadian tourism. I know it would cost a lot up front, but the mass construction would also create a lot of jobs. Like I said, it was a half-baked notion.
Yeah, there's just no way. Go to VIA's site and check the prices, then imagine increased costs for high speed. No one would ever pick train as a result of economics. As cool as it would be to travel by train, it's just way too expensive.
I was just thinking it would be a great way for citzens to travel between cities. The reason I thought it might be good idea is BECAUSE of how spread out we are. And our current travel options are fly or drive. So lets take Calgary to Vancouver for example. You can hop on a flight for 1 1/2 hrs, but possibly too expensive. Drive? 12 hours and possibly around the same price once all is said and done. What if there was a (let's say) $100 option to get to Van in 4 hours by high speed rail? Seems like something that would be very useful for business as well as intercandadian tourism. I know it would cost a lot up front, but the mass construction would also create a lot of jobs. Like I said, it was a half-baked notion.
Yeah, except for the business that's offering tickets for $100 on a train that would cost billions
Yeah, except for the business that's offering tickets for $100 on a train that would cost billions
My thought was that the Fed and Prov governments would probably front a decent amount of the cost. And I think its a little off to compare prices to VIA rail. Although the initial cost of the train would obviously be massive, because of its nature the turnoverover of people using the train would far outnumber the people who use VIA rail, and thus the revunues would be higher due to more frequent use. I think this would drive down the cost of the train tickets to something reasonable. At a quick glance it looks like it costs $50-$100 to take the high-speed from London to Paris, and that goes under the freaking ocean. Obviously theres a huge amount of traffic between those two cities, but I would think the high-speed has a lot to do with that. (ie build it and people will use it).
I thought Via offered service across Canada? Don't they go into Edmonton?
Yeah looks like you can go "coast to coast", just not all cities
Spoiler!
I know but VIA is not really affordable in comparison to flying. It takes 1d 1h 30m to go one way from Edmonton to Vancouver and cost $472 for the round trip... you might as well fly at that price.
we recently took the train from Washington to Philadelphia
The regular train was $35 and took just under 2 hours. The Acela Express "high speed" train cost $140 and took 90 minutes. Who would pay an extra $100 to save 30 minutes?
My point being, they need either more time savings or better price point to make it a reasonable option over existing transportation choices. Given the cost of the equipment and infrastructure, I doubt they can do it economically
I know but VIA is not really affordable in comparison to flying. It takes 1d 1h 30m to go one way from Edmonton to Vancouver and cost $472 for the round trip... you might as well fly at that price.
Yeah I agree. Rail travel is as much about the experience/journey as it is the destination.
When I was young we took the train from Moncton to Toronto for Xmas. On the way home, we got delayed because the train for frozen to the tracks, then when it did move our car had no heat.
I suspect, that much of Via's customers are non/new Canadians.
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Captain James P. DeCOSTE, CD, 18 Sep 1993
Corporal Jean-Marc H. BECHARD, 6 Aug 1993
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My thought was that the Fed and Prov governments would probably front a decent amount of the cost. And I think its a little off to compare prices to VIA rail. Although the initial cost of the train would obviously be massive, because of its nature the turnoverover of people using the train would far outnumber the people who use VIA rail, and thus the revunues would be higher due to more frequent use. I think this would drive down the cost of the train tickets to something reasonable. At a quick glance it looks like it costs $50-$100 to take the high-speed from London to Paris, and that goes under the freaking ocean. Obviously theres a huge amount of traffic between those two cities, but I would think the high-speed has a lot to do with that. (ie build it and people will use it).
Totally disagree. The population base is far too small and too spread out to make such a system work based upon volume. Comparing London and Paris to Calgary and Vancouver is laughable. If you can find a way to get people from Calgary to Vancouver in 2 hours via train for $100/person you may be on to something, but I'm thinking that unless you've developed a form of teleportation that isn't happening.
High-speed rail in Canada?
