Transit plan progresses in SW New Brunswick

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St. Andrew’s Mayor Stan Choptiany finally sees light at the end of the tunnel, and is confident that there will be public transportation linking communities in Charlotte County with Saint John by late this fall.

“It’s happening,” he commented, following the July 22 inaugural meeting of the newly constituted not-for profit Southwest New Brunswick Transportation Authority Inc.  It’s the result of two years of deliberations by the members of the Charlotte-York Transportation Committee, which initially met to find solutions to the lack of adequate public transit in this region of rural New Brunswick – especially to the regional centre, Saint John. The authority’s first act was to hire a project development co-ordinator on full-time contract. The successful applicant was Sue Farquharson of Due South Strategies.

The co-ordinator’s first task is to establish the by-laws, policies, and financial procedures of the newly incorporated authority in order to facilitate the establishment of a board of directors. Initially the proposed board will include the membership of seven municipal representatives, (mayors or their appointees), within the service area of the authority, as well as representatives of unincorporated areas, non-governmental organizations, and representatives of the existing dial-a-ride services in the region. Continue reading “Transit plan progresses in SW New Brunswick” →

Struggle to save Cape Breton line continues

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A vivid sunset over a rail yard, with orange locomotives visible next to a shed, and industrial buildings in the distance.
The sun sets on the CBNS yard in Sydney, a few months before rail service on the line came to a halt. Let’s hope the sun hasn’t set on the rail line for good. Photo: Tim Hayman

The celebrated Orangedale whistle has been silent for nearly eight months, and the rails across Cape Breton from St. Peter’s Junction to Sydney lie rusty and unused.  But optimism remains high that the 100 miles of track may yet be saved for future use.

The Minister’s Rail Advisory Committee – a group representing rail users, municipalities and the business community in general – was scheduled to meet on July 30 to hear the outcome of three reports commissioned by provincial Transportation Minister Geoff MacLellan.  Consultants were to examine the long-term implications of rail service in Cape Breton, and the economics of rail versus highway transportation.  An engineering study on the state of the long-neglected infrastructure was also included.

David Rae – dean of the Shannon School of Business at Cape Breton University and chair of the Scotia Rail Development Society – has been one of the prime movers behind the rail retention campaign.  He’s leaving CBU at the end of the summer to return to the UK, but promises that he’s still going to be very much involved.  Finding a successor to maintain the momentum behind the effort was one of the agenda items for a July 28th meeting in Sydney.

Dr. Rae remains optimistic that a solution will be found, and insists that rail is very important to Cape Breton’s future.  He points to the potential intermodal traffic that could and should be moving by rail – relieving pressure on the already overburdened highway network and enhancing road safety for all users.  He notes that the reopening of the Donkin coal mine will create a renewed need for trains, and adds that the port of Sydney really hasn’t much of a future without a rail link. Continue reading “Struggle to save Cape Breton line continues” →

Air Canada Flight 624: TSB delivers preliminary investigation report

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Airbus A320-200 C-FTJP sitting in daylight on a snow covered runway. Its nose cone and landing gear are missing, and there is significant damage to the wings and underbody of the aircraft. Several TSB investigative vehicles are seen to the left of the aircraft.
The A320-200 aircraft of Air Canada Flight 624 sits on the runway at YHZ, as the TSB investigation gets underway (Photo credit: Transportation Safety Board)

On March 29, 2015, what should have been a routine flight from Toronto to Halifax became a harrowing ordeal for the 133 passengers and five crew members on board, as the plane made a “hard landing” at the Stanfield International Airport (YHZ) in the midst of a severe winter storm. Despite significant damage to the aircraft, all passengers and crew survived the crash, though 25 people were treated for injuries and no doubt many of the passengers suffered psychological trauma from the event. Now four months after the incident, many questions remain about just what exactly happened on that evening.

The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) is investigating the incident, and on June 16, 2015, released a report on the preliminary findings of their investigation. This preliminary report does not yet identify what exactly caused the incident, nor does it assign blame to the crew, the plane, or any other specific combination of factors. It does, however, offer the first details about the final moments of that flight.

As it prepared to land, the aircraft (C-FTJP, an Airbus A320-200) was using a localizer approach to land on runway 5 at YHZ. A localizer approach only provides a pilot with lateral guidance to align their aircraft with the runway; this is less sophisticated than an Instrument Landing System (ILS), which provides precision lateral and vertical guidance to an approaching aircraft. Two of the runways at the Halifax airport have these more advanced systems, but runway 5 does not. As such, the pilots of AC624 were reliant on on-board systems for their vertical position as they prepared for landing. A number of people have called for upgrades to the landing systems at YHZ in the wake of this incident, including former pilots and other aviation experts, who have emphasized that ILS should be standard on all runways at an airport with the type of fog and snow conditions that YHZ receives. Continue reading “Air Canada Flight 624: TSB delivers preliminary investigation report” →