Amtrak starts direct service to B.C.

[officedweller]

From the Puget Sound Bisuness Journal:

Deal sealed on $145M for state high-speed rail

Puget Sound Business Journal
Date: Friday, April 8, 2011, 3:33pm PDT

Washington state is ready to receive $145 million in federal high-speed-rail funds after state and federal officials signed documents Friday guaranteeing the deal.

With the funds secured, work on Amtrak’s Cascades rail line to boost capacity and relieve congestion is expected to begin this summer and should allow more frequent and reliable service on the Portland-Vancouver, B.C., route.

The new amount brings the state’s total in American Reinvestment and Recovery Act high-speed-rail funding to approximately $735 million.

The money was given to the state after governors in Wisconsin and Ohio returned the funds. On Monday, WSDOT also applied for $120 million in funds returned by Florida.

"This grant funding will allow us to expand our vision for the future of the Amtrak Cascades service,” Washington Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond said in a statement. “Ridership is steadily increasing, and we know this trend will continue as we add more schedule options and increase travel speed.”

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/n...for-state.html

[crazyjoeda]

Good news, but high-speed rail will require a much larger investment from governments on both sides of the boarder. A European style system such as the TGV in France would cost several billion dollars, but it's a long-term infrastructure investment that would be very worth while.

On another note, as I understand it the Cascades service stops at the Peace Arch boarder for inspection when entering Canada but US bound passengers use pre-clearance facilities at Pacific Central Station. Why doesn't CBSA inspect people on arrival at Pacific Central Station as well because that would be more efficient.

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by crazyjoeda

Good news, but high-speed rail will require a much larger investment from governments on both sides of the boarder. A European style system such as the TGV in France would cost several billion dollars, but it's a long-term infrastructure investment that would be very worth while.

On another note, as I understand it the Cascades service stops at the Peace Arch boarder for inspection when entering Canada but US bound passengers use pre-clearance facilities at Pacific Central Station. Why doesn't CBSA inspect people on arrival at Pacific Central Station as well because that would be more efficient.

all passengers canadian and americans have to go through customs and immigration at the station in vancouver when going to seattle - and than all passengers are checked in a quick stop at the border - my friend has used the train numerous times and says its like 20-30 mins or so

same happens on the way back

[idunno]

"On Monday, WSDOT also applied for $120 million in funds returned by Florida."

Florida returned rail funding?! What a crazy country that is.

[Nutterbug]

Originally Posted by idunno

"On Monday, WSDOT also applied for $120 million in funds returned by Florida."

Florida returned rail funding?! What a crazy country that is.

That's because Florida didn't want to commit their own funds in addition to the feds' to their rail project.

[agrant]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

all passengers canadian and americans have to go through customs and immigration at the station in vancouver when going to seattle - and than all passengers are checked in a quick stop at the border - my friend has used the train numerous times and says its like 20-30 mins or so same happens on the way back

That just seems so archaic.
Something they're going to have to change one of these days to make things quicker in this day and age.

[crazyjoeda]

Originally Posted by agrant

That just seems so archaic.
Something they're going to have to change one of these days to make things quicker in this day and age.

The airports are a good model. When flying the US passengers clear American customs at the pre-clearance facilities prior to departure so flights from Canada arrive as domestic flights, and when retuning to Canada passengers clear Canadian customs on arrival. The Euro-Star from the UK to EU operates in a similar way, all customs checks are done prior to boarding the train. Simple.

[SpongeG]

it does seem strange - they do it at all the train crossings on the east coast too the same ay apparently

i wonder why

[twoNeurons]

Originally Posted by crazyjoeda

The airports are a good model. When flying the US passengers clear American customs at the pre-clearance facilities prior to departure so flights from Canada arrive as domestic flights, and when retuning to Canada passengers clear Canadian customs on arrival. The Euro-Star from the UK to EU operates in a similar way, all customs checks are done prior to boarding the train. Simple.

And this even works in France which has outgoing border control in addition to incoming.

[djh]

^It's probably done this way because planes are a sealed environment - nobody gets on or off mid-flight. On a train or coach, anything could happen - people could jump onto or off a slow-moving train going through urban crossings, coaches may have to make emergency stops and people could get on or off unnoticed, etc. So it's a lot easier to pass security checks on them, hence the extra security and customs checks.

[crazyjoeda]

A train is a sealed environment, people can't just open a door or window and jump of a moving train. The trains never move slow enough that a person could easily or safely jump off, it would be among the worst ways to illegally enter Canada, and if we had high-speed rail it would be suicidal.

[Nutterbug]

Where's Steven Segal when you need him?

[Conrad Yablonski]

Originally Posted by crazyjoeda

A train is a sealed environment, people can't just open a door or window and jump of a moving train. The trains never move slow enough that a person could easily or safely jump off, it would be among the worst ways to illegally enter Canada, and if we had high-speed rail it would be suicidal.

All stopping a train takes is a stolen truck or a dead cow on the tracks-easy/peasy.

[twoNeurons]

Originally Posted by Conrad Yablonski

All stopping a train takes is a stolen truck or a dead cow on the tracks-easy/peasy.

Stopping a train and boarding a train are two different things.

In any case, I believe the reason the train stops is so they can get on with sniffer dogs. There are obviously more facilities at the actual border than at Pacific Central.

If we had 5 or 6 high-speed trains daily, they would move more border services to Pacific Central.

[crazyjoeda]

Originally Posted by Conrad Yablonski

All stopping a train takes is a stolen truck or a dead cow on the tracks-easy/peasy.

lol, I doubt anyone attempting to illegally enter would get on the train and just hope for that?
And even the train did stop under those circumstances escaping from the train undetected would be nearly impossible. It's would be easier just to run across the border on foot.

Pre-clearance for trains already exists on other rail lines such as Euro-Star, and I don't think dead cow related smuggling has been much of an issue.

[BCPhil]

Originally Posted by crazyjoeda

lol, I doubt anyone attempting to illegally enter would get on the train and just hope for that?
And even the train did stop under those circumstances escaping from the train undetected would be nearly impossible. It's would be easier just to run across the border on foot.

Pre-clearance for trains already exists on other rail lines such as Euro-Star, and I don't think dead cow related smuggling has been much of an issue.

If you jump off the train, who is going to run after you? The train police? Even along the boarder in parts of South Surrey and Langley there are surveillance cameras and boarder security isn't too far away. If it was easy to run across the boarder wearing a backpack of heroin or guns people would do that instead of buzzing treetops in low flying helicopters in the middle of BC. The train does move fairly slowly at certain points in BC, like through White Rock beach and over various old trestles. But it's not really smuggling that is the concern, it is people trying to evade capture in the US getting on the train in Washington and going over the boarder. Someone trying to evade a life year jail term in the US can do some crazy things, and jumping off a train seems on the more sane side of things than other ideas.

But anyway, security/immigration checks need to happen somewhere. So either they happen at the boarder, where you spend 30-40 minutes being checked out, or you show up at least 30-40 minutes early for your train. You spend that time being checked out somewhere and it adds time to your travels regardless of where it takes place.

Once trains move faster through BC, and there are more of them (right now, building security stations, surveillance equipment, holding pens and staffing for 2 trains seems expensive) the most sensitive parts of boarder screening may as well take place at the boarder.

I agree that the checks should take place at Pacific Central for travel both ways, but until there are more trains, spending the money on a complete security solution seems frivolous.

[aberdeen5698]

Originally Posted by BCPhil

But it's not really smuggling that is the concern, it is people trying to evade capture in the US getting on the train in Washington and going over the boarder.

Border (note: not "boarder") security is there to control who gets into the country, not who leaves it. When you drive into BC from Washington State you don't get inspected by US border agents.

[SpikePhanta]

^^ No need to correct someone on a homonym.


The problem with Pacific Central is the lack of space for more stuff.

[wrenegade]

Look's like China's HSR network is having some issues....to say the least.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinio...WRE_story.html

[SpongeG]

Originally Posted by twoNeurons

Stopping a train and boarding a train are two different things.

In any case, I believe the reason the train stops is so they can get on with sniffer dogs. There are obviously more facilities at the actual border than at Pacific Central.

If we had 5 or 6 high-speed trains daily, they would move more border services to Pacific Central.

but they already clear and go through US customs at the train station in Vancouver - the same way one does when travelling by air from Canada to the USA you clear customs here and wait in limbo land till you board your flight