Canadian rail: setting a good example for Amtrak
Here’s a Canadian story you probably won’t find anywhere in the near future in the US: That country is investing almost US$1 billion to strengthen passenger rail service that will provide:
-Safer and faster intercity travel, with more trains and connections every day
-Equipment and facilities that give travelers a more relaxing ride and let them travel in comfort and style
-More reliable services across the board
Of course, that’s all according to the government, which started what they call a “transformation” in 2007.
“We're laying down new track, revamping our locomotives and passenger cars, and renovating train stations. We're even building a few new stations as well,” says VIA Rail Canada.
Where passenger demand is highest, such as the Quebec corridor, VIA plans to add faster trains and more tracks to serve an additional 650,000 passengers per year.
The rail line also plans to reduce the average trip time between Montreal and Toronto, and add more weekday trains — including new express and semi-express services, among many other improvements.
“Passenger rail is the most environmentally friendly public transportation available, and we are making it better,” says VIA. “Many of our passenger cars are going to be more environmentally-friendly as well – new designs will be more efficient in terms of heating, cooling and ventilation systems and will be equipped with other upgrades that reduce power consumption.”
A portion of this funding is also upgrading systems behind the scenes, like new, more efficient technology supporting ticketing and customer services.
By David Wilkening
David
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