Quote:
Originally Posted by Radster
I can confirm too, that it is still in use. That said, can anyone shed some light as to why VIA Rail insists on having ticketed areas at their big stations (ie. Ottawa & MTL)? What is the point? All it does is create lineups & bottlenecks in the station, like at airports before boarding a plane.
Why not use a system which is used around the world? Why not allow people to come and go freely to/from the train platforms, with or without tickets (as they check your tickets on the train later anyway)?
With such a system there would be:
-no more lineups and bottlenecks inside the station, as passengers (and even whoever is dropping them off or picking them up) can wait on the platform (people take the train to avoid the perils of airports, so why create such unnecessary perils at a train station!?!?);
-better use of the station platforms, which are covered from the elements and made for waiting, not just boarding/disembarking from trains;
-people can kiss and wave their significant others' goodbye from the platform as they board the train, or greet them on the platform as they arrive;
-people can help their families/friends with carrying luggage to/from the platform;
-faster train boarding;
-this would also transform this tunnel into a public passageway, available for public flow between the underused Train Transitway stop and the Trainywards shopping mall and offices.
-possibility to add retail inside the tunnel (ie. flower shops, newstands, shoe polish, etc (like they do in Europe)....
Again, why is VIA Rail acting like an airline? They are in the process, depriving people some of the advantages that train travel has over flying.
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Well said.
I think that if money is so damn tight, the feds should just sell VIA rail to a private, non-airline party.
A private company would see the value in building a rail service to directly compete with the airlines by first implementing simple changes such as the ones you mentioned above and work on other customer service/satisfaction initiatives.
They might then follow this by implementing a Eurostar type system that could beat airlines in speed, comfort and price.
If we only look at Ottawa, most flights are domestic; this is a huge market to tap in too and take away from the airlines. And of course, it's the "greener choice" to travel by electrified rail as opposed to jet fueled planes.
Start with the Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal triangle, and then stretch to Québec City and Windsor.
Down on the west coast, a Vancouver-Calgary-Edmonton line and then work to connect east and west.
It may sound expensive, but so was the original railway. And considering that most of the rights of way are already in place (but might need a straighter route at some points); it might not be too bad.
But of course, affordability would now be up to the private sector. I have no doubt that the Quebec City-Windsor corridor is absolutely warranted, but the west might be a little more questionable due to longer gaps between developed areas, lower population and density.