High Speed Train Coming?-split from boosting Canada’s military spending"

[MacNav63]

It's not just price either. Alto is promising hourly service and higher during peak hours. Porter is down to 6 flights a day between YTZ and YOW. That convenience alone would drive a whole lot of business. The biggest hit to any schedule is waiting.

This is absolutely true. I had to fly to Toronto for some meetings a couple of months ago which I hadn't done in a couple of years and was surprised at how few options there were.

 

[ytz]

Hmmm, bit of a leap to assume my questions, or the outright opposition of a lot of my neighbours, reflects a "Small Canada" syndrome of some sort.

I don't think it's a reach at all. Indeed, this very thread is mostly filled with discussions about services in the past. I think nostalgia and an aversion to change drives way too many things in this country. I don't blame them for thinking that way. I think it's understandable. However, I don't think it's tenable for a country with our population to keep pretending we're a bunch of villages in the 21st century. A country of 40M can't keep operating like the country of say 25M that most 60+ yr olds grew up in.

 

[ytz]

This is absolutely true. I had to fly to Toronto for some meetings a couple of months ago which I hadn't done in a couple of years and was surprised at how few options there were.

Every time I plan a trip in Europe or Asia. For work or personal, I notice how much more flexibility there is. There's more flights. There's more trains. There's buses. And there's rentals if I want to drive.

And in our case, it's absolutely brutal that our airline sector is basically an oligopoly of three players operating in the Corridor mostly from three slot controlled airports. It really limits how much people can travel. And this is so normalized that a lot of people in this thread can't even imagine more people traveling. Hence why they think this train is for elites. Getting more Canadians interacting with each other can only be good for this country.

 

[Altair]

Every time I plan a trip in Europe or Asia. For work or personal, I notice how much more flexibility there is. There's more flights. There's more trains. There's buses. And there's rentals if I want to drive.

And in our case, it's absolutely brutal that our airline sector is basically an oligopoly of three players operating in the Corridor mostly from three slot controlled airports. It really limits how much people can travel. And this is so normalized that a lot of people in this thread can't even imagine more people traveling. Hence why they think this train is for elites. Getting more Canadians interacting with each other can only be good for this country.

Which is why PQ is against it.

More connections between Quebec and the RoC only harms their movement.

 

[MacNav63]

I don't think it's a reach at all. Indeed, this very thread is mostly filled with discussions about services in the past. I think nostalgia and an aversion to change drives way too many things in this country. I don't blame them for thinking that way. I think it's understandable. However, I don't think it's tenable for a country with our population to keep pretending we're a bunch of villages in the 21st century. A country of 40M can't keep operating like the country of say 25M that most 60+ yr olds grew up in.

Oh the attitude is definitely out there, just saying I don't agree with it and it isn't motivating my questions.

 

[ytz]

Which is why PQ is against it.

More connections between Quebec and the RoC only harms their movement.

Exactly. I know if the PQ shared my view on something, it would cause me to think twice about my position.

Nothing could kill separation more than Ontario and Quebec economies getting even more intertwined.

 

[YZT580]

Every time I plan a trip in Europe or Asia. For work or personal, I notice how much more flexibility there is. There's more flights. There's more trains. There's buses. And there's rentals if I want to drive.

And in our case, it's absolutely brutal that our airline sector is basically an oligopoly of three players operating in the Corridor mostly from three slot controlled airports. It really limits how much people can travel. And this is so normalized that a lot of people in this thread can't even imagine more people traveling. Hence why they think this train is for elites. Getting more Canadians interacting with each other can only be good for this country.

maybe because many of them can't imagine wanting to go to Ottawa If there was the need, Porter would have added more flights.

 

[MacNav63]

Every time I plan a trip in Europe or Asia. For work or personal, I notice how much more flexibility there is. There's more flights. There's more trains. There's buses. And there's rentals if I want to drive.

And in our case, it's absolutely brutal that our airline sector is basically an oligopoly of three players operating in the Corridor mostly from three slot controlled airports. It really limits how much people can travel. And this is so normalized that a lot of people in this thread can't even imagine more people traveling. Hence why they think this train is for elites. Getting more Canadians interacting with each other can only be good for this country.

I flew to Menorca last February with a stop over in London. Tube from Heathrow to South Kensington. Tube the next day to Victoria and then Gatwick Express to Gatwick for the flight to Menorca. Seamless.

 

[ytz]

maybe because many of them can't imagine wanting to go to Ottawa

I don't think most of these people leave their basements.....

 

[ytz]

I flew to Menorca last February with a stop over in London. Tube from Heathrow to South Kensington. Tube the next day to Victoria and then Gatwick Express to Gatwick for the flight to Menorca. Seamless.

Not you. But an observation in general.

When I travel, I come home saying I want this at home. I notice quite a few Canucks treat things they see in Europe and Asia as tourist novelties. The idea that people living in that country actually use this infrastructure or these services regularly seems like a (pardon the pun) foreign idea. The amount of people who land in Europe and talk as though it's some Disney themepark as opposed to cities where actual people live and work and where that built environment is the sum of a lot of past investment and decisions.

 

[PrairieFella]

Not you. But an observation in general.

When I travel, I come home saying I want this at home. I notice quite a few Canucks treat things they see in Europe and Asia as tourist novelties. The idea that people living in that country actually use this infrastructure or these services regularly seems like a (pardon the pun) foreign idea. The amount of people who land in Europe and talk as though it's some Disney themepark as opposed to cities where actual people live and work and where that built environment is the sum of a lot of past investment and decisions.

I wish we could have Euro infrastructure. I cant even get a BRT in Winnipeg because dummies thought property tax freezes for a decade was a good idea, nevermind a functional and integrated local-commuter-regional transit system. Its a question of priorities and the priority in North America is often suburbanites who are a net-drain on municipal finances.

Only silver lining is we might be getting a commuter train to the beach at Gimli though.

 

[MacNav63]

Not you. But an observation in general.

When I travel, I come home saying I want this at home. I notice quite a few Canucks treat things they see in Europe and Asia as tourist novelties. The idea that people living in that country actually use this infrastructure or these services regularly seems like a (pardon the pun) foreign idea. The amount of people who land in Europe and talk as though it's some Disney themepark as opposed to cities where actual people live and work and where that built environment is the sum of a lot of past investment and decisions.

Which is why I get frustrated when I see things like Ottawa's LRT. Here's a system where there was basically an opportunity to design it from scratch, within perhaps the confines of using pre-existing corridors and the fact that the existing short OTrain was already using one technology. So fine, adopt that same technology for the entire system, or switch out the old system and build a system with trains that can switch from one line to the other so the passengers themselves don't have to. Instead we have built a system where getting from the airport to the train station requires not one but two changes.

Perhaps my biggest hope for Alto is that they are working on a system that integrates the major airports like Pearson and Dorval and the rapid transit systems of all the cities along the route.

On that note though, for all the discussion about the island airport I also wonder about the impact on Ottawa's airport. Assuming Alto connects to Dorval, how many more passengers will choose to begin their journey on the train rather than fly out of Ottawa to connect to Montreal. Some already do, even with VIA service, and many more use the various bus services.

On another note, can anyone tell me why, from the beginning, the route for Alto has included a stop in Laval? Seems an odd requirement and one that makes me think maybe they're not planning on connecting to Dorval.