[Kisai]

Originally Posted by BCPhil

It is a bit presumptuous to assume people should upgrade their docks that worked perfectly fine before and survived the many coastal wind storms we would get every year.

It wasn't just peoples docks being damaged, but also boats tied to docks, and sensitive marine areas and beaches in parks along the route. The wake also affected other marine traffic. It wasn't really caused by the propellers, but by the haul displacement when fully loaded operating at high speed. They were then run a lower speeds and made more turns to try to mitigate the wakes, but basically then made the crossing in the same amount of time as the current ferries, and carried 100 fewer cars and 1000 fewer passengers to boot. So running them was a net loss of capacity between Nanaimo and Vancouver.



Nanaimo to Victoria is a long way by sea. To get to the Victoria inner harbor from Nanaimo or Vancouver, you have to travel all the way around the city. You basically have to do a 270 around the peninsula. Even an extremely fast Hovercaft travelling 100km/h would take longer than debarking in Swartz Bay and transferring to an express bus service.

A much better strategy would be to upgrade the Pat Bay highway to a full freeway. If there were no lights from Saanich road to the ferries, the drive would probably take 20 minutes, compared to the 35 minutes today (without traffic). With traffic, the lights really slow down travel, especially coming from the ferry. Already, the new airport interchange has improved my personal travel times to and from the ferry.

As for Nanaimo to Victoria, reopening the railway would be a better strategy than a boat. The tracks basically pass straight through the center of every community on the Island. A train service would not only serve the people just traveling from Nanaimo to Victoria, but serve everyone who wants to travel from Courtney to Victoria and everywhere in between. Buy some second hand trains, like the Bombardier Talent O-Trains in Ottawa, and run better than once a day service, and it will be popular.

If there was ever a reason to run light-rail-like that can actually go >80km/h it would be to have a train that can go from Victoria all the way up Island. The awful Malahat is a notorious deathtrap. Current plans for Light Rail on the island are to the Western Communities however. VIA rail used to run on the Island, but I guess the province's priorities weren't with fixing the rail line.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/britis...rail-1.2595095

No Vancouver Island railway deal yet, says VIA Rail
Railway company denies claim by Island Corridor Foundation a deal has been reached
CBC News Posted: Apr 02, 2014 6:54 AM PT

VIA Rail says there is no deal to restore passenger rail service on the Southern Railway of Vancouver Island, despite an announcement earlier today by the Island Corridor Foundation that it had reached a tentative agreement with VIA to bring trains back.

VIA spokesperson Jacques C. Gagnon said talks between the two parties are still underway, but no final agreement has been reached.

Earlier today the Island Corridor Foundation announced it had reached a tentative agreement with VIA Rail to restore the service.

View Royal Mayor Graham Hill said the deal was still subject to final approval from the ICF, which owns the track, Southern Railway which operates it, and VIA.

"They have made the business case and made the judgment that it is worth their while to do this business. Where they believe the business case is strong, that service will thrive," said Hill.

Once an agreement is in place, Ottawa and the province should release $20 million dollars in promised funding to fix the track, he said.