Transport Action Canada

Building a high speed rail stop in Kingston should be welcomed, but only if integrated with existing VIA Rail service, otherwise it risks both Alto and VIA. Read more about our letter to Minister MacKinnon here: buff.ly/FZO5bxJ 📸 Nelso Silva (altered) | cc BY-SA

A stop in the current alignment proposed by Alto, a 25-30 minute drive from Kingston, would likely not have enough ridership to justify the cost and time penalty of stopping as well as just enough to hamper ridership on existing VIA services, putting its future in jeopardy.

The federal government has announced that they are seriously considering adding a stop in Kingston to the Alto HSR project. We are very pleased that the government seems to be listening to public and professional feedback. buff.ly/8FztNEy

Hurrah! 🎉 The Washington DOT has announced the opening of a pre-clearance facility for passengers at Vancouver's Pacific Central Station— a first ever in North America. Read more to learn just how long this journey has been ⤵️ buff.ly/tKv00a0 📸 David Wilson, CC By-SA

The International Union of Railways has released a report confirming what we have been saying for years: transferring revenue risk to the private sector simply doesn't work, and the public is left to eat the cost anyway. 🧵 1/4 (Paywall) buff.ly/JBDCl4l

Nevertheless, the private sector will always be happy to take public money (with a very high risk-premium attached), but ultimately it ends up being the public that has to both eat the premium and the cost of maintaining service when the model fails. 4/4

The International Union of Railways has released a report confirming what we have been saying for years: transferring revenue risk to the private sector simply doesn't work, and the public is left to eat the cost anyway. 🧵 1/4 (Paywall) buff.ly/JBDCl4l

The assignment of revenue risk to the private sector is one of the primary concerns that we have raised with the Alto high-speed rail project. Any private operator has zero influence over how many people will be living in say, Laval by 2050— something that directly corresponds to ridership. 2/4

Alberta has released its passenger rail masterplan. While promising, the prospect of tangible progress seems to be waning as the province has announced what amounts to 3 more years of "engagement with industry" and planning. Find it here: www.alberta.ca/passenger-rail

Last week Transport Action Ontario President and Transport Action Canada director Peter Miasek was invited to be a part of a panel on Alto HSR at the Canadian Institute's Urban Transit Infrastructure Symposium in Toronto. 1/5

- The risk of erosion of existing local services versus today's levels 4/5

Last week Transport Action Ontario President and Transport Action Canada director Peter Miasek was invited to be a part of a panel on Alto HSR at the Canadian Institute's Urban Transit Infrastructure Symposium in Toronto. 1/5

Peter shared an in-depth chronology of the project as well as our comments and ongoing concerns including: - Alto needing to move faster to ease legitimate rural concerns. Global experience shows that impacts can be accommodated. 2/5

While this is great to see, we must wonder why the public has had to wait until a project was completed to develop something that might have been planned from the get-go with a transit-builder that actually worked closely with the public sector. montrealgazette.com/news/montrea...

Social policy affects transportation just as much as any other policy area, from transit to freight. While it is good to see some social responsibility, this move to curb homelessness across its network is an admission that just like public transit, it affects the bottom line.

🎉 🚲️ Bikes are back on VIA Rail!! 🚲️ 🎉 We love to see such a popular option brought back for travellers, though we're a bit disappointed that it took so long. Read more from VIA: media.viarail.ca/en/press-rel... 📸 Jeangagnon Wikimedia

@TransLink, @TTChelps, and the @STM have banded together to request the federal government: -Reverses the $5bn cut to the public transit development fund announced last year -Streamlines project approvals for the fund -Commits to maintain the fund in the long-term

Scott Reid should be holding the government to account for the promises made to protect and improve local services alongside Alto, rather the pretending those promises don't exist. www.standard-freeholder.com/news/eastern...