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Atlantic Transport News – February 2023

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Welcome to the (somewhat belated) February Atlantic Transport News.

Here’s a look at what you’ll find in this edition:

PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE PROBES VIA’S HOLIDAY FAILURES

TAA president Tim Hayman made a virtual presentation and answered questions before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, as it probed VIA Rail’s abysmal performance over the Christmas travel period. PHOTO – ParlVU

Last month, we reported on the meltdown of VIA Rail services right ahead of Christmas 2022, including issues that left passengers stranded on the Ocean in both directions. TAA President Tim Hayman was one of those affected passengers, and took the opportunity to make a submission on behalf of TAA to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. Tim was then invited to appear before the committee on January 26, and took the opportunity to press the committee to look further into the issues that affected VIA’s performance, and identify ways to ensure that passengers aren’t left stranded in similar circumstances in future storms. This followed VIA’s testimony to the committee in the morning, where committee members grilled the Crown corporation on its performance.

You can watch the relevant section of the committee hearing here:  https://parlvu.parl.gc.ca/Harmony/en/PowerBrowser/PowerBrowserV2/20230126/-1/38414

There was additional coverage of this issue on CBC’s Maritime Noon, and in interviews with Sackville’s CHFM, both of which you can find at the links below.

CBC Maritime Noon Interview: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-38-maritime-noon/clip/15962486-the-president-transport-action-atlantic-gives-testimony-house

CHFM Interview: https://www.chmafm.com/welcome/one-advocates-30-hour-ordeal-on-via-rail-and-his-call-for-a-fundamental-shift-in-passenger-rail/

CHFM web story: https://www.chmafm.com/welcome/30-hour-ordeal-on-vias-the-ocean-shines-a-light-on-need-for-fundamental-shift-in-passenger-rail/

VIA TAKES ANOTHER STEP IN LONG-HAUL RENEWAL PROCESS

With nearly 70 years of faithful service on their aging stainless steel carbodies, 1954-vintage Budd rolling stock like this still comprises the backbone of VIA’s long-haul fleet. Although the corporation has taken another step toward their long overdue replacement, there’s still no evidence of a funding commitment from the federal government, and VIA may have to coax another decade from them – or even more.
PHOTO – Ted Bartlett

In late January, VIA Rail took another incremental step towards procuring a replacement fleet for the ageing HEP1 and Renaissance equipment. The Crown corporation posted a Request for Information to MERX (the federal procurement platform) for renewal of the long distance, regional, and remote fleet (I.e. non-Corridor HEP/Ren fleet), titled “Notice of Market Consultation – Long Distance Regional and Remote”.

A few notable excerpts:

“VIA Rail intends to renew its existing long distance regional and remote fleet by selecting a supplier to design, manufacture, test, supply, deliver and commission cars and motive power and ancillary equipment (on-board and offboard) with a prescribed capacity of car types (seated coaches, sleeper, diners, multi-purpose, baggage) through an open competitive procurement process (the “Long Distance Regional and Remote Fleet Renewal Project”)”

”VIA Rail will proceed with pre-procurement activities regarding its Long Distance Regional and Remote Fleet Renewal Project. As part of these pre-procurement activities, VIA Rail intends to engage in consultations with motive power and rolling stock manufacturers to solicit feedback on VIA Rail’s proposed technical specifications, maintenance’s scope of work as well as commercial & contractual related terms (collectively the “Technical and Commercial Documents”).”

”Through this consultation, VIA Rail’s objective is to reduce the eventual in-market time ensure requirements clarity by continuing to work with motive power and rolling stock manufacturers through this consultative pre-procurement process to consider market input on both technical and commercial &contractual questions prior to the commencement of a formal procurement process.”

The submission deadline was February 17, 2023. To date, there has been no information about how many or which suppliers responded to the invitation, though VIA had previously held a market day for interested suppliers, which saw a number of interested parties take part. Amtrak is at a similar stage in their own long distance fleet procurement plans, taking the first steps towards a replacement for their Superliner equipment. According to Amtrak, as many as 10 suppliers have expressed interest. They plan to launch a formal procurement process later this year.

The timing of the planned Amtrak and VIA orders could prove beneficial, as the larger potential order makes a very appealing case for a manufacturer to bid with a product that would suit the needs of both operators. For Amtrak, funding is already in place to begin this process; in contrast, VIA’s progression to a formal procurement process (RFQ/RFP and contract award) will of course be dependent on government funding. TAA has made a pre-budget submission to the federal government, with funding for a new VIA long distance fleet as our top priority. With the existing equipment continuing to deteriorate and long lead times for new equipment, VIA needs to be given the go ahead before it’s too late.

NO REASON FOR WORRY ABOUT ATLANTIC TRANSIT SECURITY

…but homelessness issues cause concern

Metrobus had recently threatened to remove transit shelters in locations where homeless people had set up camp, but the agency was overruled by St. John’s City Hall. Despite issues involving the homeless population, Atlantic Canada overall has seen very few of the kind of unfortunate incidents that have been widely reported on the TTC and some other big-city transit systems.
PHOTO VOCM News

Atlantic Canadians have no reason to be unduly concerned about their personal safety and security when riding the region’s public transit systems.  That’s the opinion widely shared by both operators and advocates around the region. There’s been a lot of negative publicity lately about ugly and violent incidents on the Toronto Transit Commission’s subways, streetcars and buses, but it would appear to be a trend that’s fortunately confined to the nation’s largest cities.

The biggest issue confronting transit agencies in this part of the country stems from the rising urban problem of homelessness.  The matter came to a head in St. John’s in early February, when Metrobus Transit gave notice that it planned to remove two transit shelters in proximity to The Gathering Place, a long-standing agency offering support to those in need, ostensibly because people had been using them for “sleeping rough”.

Two transit users interviewed on Military Road told the Telegram they’d witnessed a situation in which someone had moved into one of the bus shelters. They said the person had covered the exposed areas of the shelter near the ground to keep out the wind, had taped cardboard around the bottom of the shelter, and had laid cardboard on the ground inside, which acted as a barrier from the cold, damp sidewalk.

Reaction to the Metrobus notice was swift and negative, and City Hall promptly ordered a reversal, while launching an initiative to seek less drastic solutions. But it’s a problem that’s not unique to St. John’s. Both Moncton’s Codiac Transpo and Fredericton Transit have been challenged by homeless people taking over shelters while waiting passengers have to stand outside in the weather. Charlene Sharpe, transit manager for Fredericton, says the city police have been fully supportive in dealing with these issues, including removing individuals occupying the shelters. Halifax Transit is also apparently keeping a close eye on the matter, but executive director Dave Reage didn’t want to upstage a report he will be giving to HRM Council in early March, so he declined comment for the time being.  

David Brake, head of the Essential Transit Association in St. John’s (and also a TAA board member), expressed concern that negative publicity over safety on buses is over-stated, and could in fact be a key barrier to getting more people to consider using transit. “No Atlantic province has a transit system anything like the TTC, whose safety problems are likely a function both of its scale and of being in a large city,” he says.

Codiac Transpo operations manager Alex Grncarovski agrees wholeheartedly. He brought many years of TTC experience with him to Moncton, and he says the operating environments are really worlds apart. Fredericton’s Charlene Sharpe, who also previously worked for the TTC, holds a similar view.

“I can honestly say there’s no comparison to what’s going on in Toronto, versus the Maritimes.” Mr. Grncarovski says. “Assaults toward employees and customers have always been a problem at the TTC. Security cameras were brought in due to the union local requesting greater protection for employees. This is also the reason operator safety barriers were also installed. Once the cameras were started, the TTC was committed to charge people assaulting employees, to the full letter of the law. They hired people to attend court and encourage the Crown in obtaining fullest punishment towards perpetrators. This could be jail time and or lifetime ban from the system. Their pictures were posted at each location advising employees that if the person seen in the picture is observed attempting to board the system they were to immediately call and request police.”

One of seven security cameras in a typical installation on a Codiac Transpo bus. Transit agencies around the region are saying this visual monitoring is not a response to any significant increase in violent incidents, but is primarily a tool to promote safety and security and to aid in accident investigation. The presence of the cameras, however, will clearly also act as a deterrent to any potential misbehaviour.
PHOTO Codiac Transpo

Nevertheless, Codiac Transpo is in the process of installing security cameras on board its vehicles, and Fredericton Transit recently completed a similar installation on its entire fleet. “However it was not due to an escalation in violence,” says Charlene Sharpe. “We installed cameras for accidents and incidents in general, as well as part of the new community camera program for the City. It does provide an added assurance to our operators and customers, and is seen more as a preventative measure as there have been very few incidents over the years.”

“CCTV cameras are an increasingly common tool used by public transit to assure the security of customers and employees and we are pleased to see this project go forward,” says Moncton deputy mayor Bryan Butler, who is also a retired police officer. “We appreciate the support we received through the Small Communities Fund. It would be difficult to implement larger-scale improvements in a transit system of our size without that type of assistance.” Installation on the entire Codiac Transpo fleet is expected to be complete by year-end.

-Ted Bartlett

NEW SAINT JOHN TRANSIT SERVICE HAS ENCOURAGING START

This is one of the 20-foot electric buses leased by Saint John Transit for an on-demand trial on lightly used routes. Nearly 1500 riders gave the new service a try in its first month of operation. PHOTO Emma McPhee/Brunswick News

A new concept aimed at bringing improved and expanded service to lightly-used routes was launched by Saint John Transit on January 9 – and from all appearances it’s off to a great start. FLEX is an on-demand service that goes to stops where it’s requested within a zone, instead of following a fixed route. For example, the new West FLEX zone includes all areas previously covered by fixed routes 13 and 14, covers a wider area than the former full-sized bus service, and operates for longer hours.

Riders can schedule a bus pickup at their nearest transit stop either by using a smartphone app or simply calling Saint John Transit. Nearly 1500 people gave the new concept a try during its first month up to February 9, transit director Ian MacKinnon told the Telegraph Journal. That works out to an average of about 55 people a day. He said 455 customers had already downloaded the app.

Transit planners believe that FLEX will deliver better service for riders by allowing them to travel when they want. This service is currently available all day Monday to Friday from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm, as well as from 10:00 am until 6:00 pm on Saturdays. The intent is to provide service within half an hour of a rider’s request.  

Saint John Transit conducted a successful pilot of an electric Karzan Jest bus last summer on various routes. Six of these late model, 20-passenger buses have been leased for the FLEX service, and the city has an option to purchase the vehicles if the initiative proves successful.

MARINE ATLANTIC OFFERS TRAVELLERS OFF-SEASON DEAL

No general rate increase has yet been announced for 2023

There’s still no sign of any general rate increase for Marine Atlantic ferry users this year, but off-season travellers will have the opportunity to save 25% on trips taken up to June 30. IMAGE – Marine Atlantic Twitter

There’s nothing official, but it appears as if users of the Marine Atlantic ferry between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia may not be facing a rate increase in 2023 – and there’s some good news for off-season travellers this spring. The Crown corporation has been under standing orders from Transport Canada to achieve 65% cost recovery, but it appears that the growing pushback against this demand may be having some effect on the political masters in Ottawa. In past years there was typically an announcement about rates in January or February, just prior to the start of the federal government’s new fiscal year. So far in 2023 there’s been nothing.

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra made much ado about providing federal funding to eliminate the expected toll increase on the Confederation Bridge this year, but there’s been no similar mention of the ferry crossing to Newfoundland – even though the minister met recently with his provincial counterpart in St. John’s. Both the bridge and the ferry are constitutional obligations of the Government of Canada. This may mean that the cost recovery requirement for Marine Atlantic has been quietly placed in abeyance for another year; it almost certainly does not mean that it has been shelved permanently.

Transport Action Atlantic has been at the forefront of a campaign to have ferry rates reduced to be consistent with what is widely believed to be the intent of the 1949 Terms of Union under which Newfoundland became the 10th Canadian province – namely that the cost of moving people and goods across the Cabot Strait should be equal to that of land transportation over the same distance. While in opposition, Justin Trudeau castigated the Harper Conservatives for imposing the 65% cost recovery demand on the ferry service, but since gaining office in 2015 the Liberals have done nothing to change the policy.

But for now the good news is that passengers travelling between Port aux Basques and North Sydney – along with their vehicles – will be eligible for a 25% fare reduction for travel until June 30. Apart from being applicable to new bookings only, there are relatively few restrictions on this off-peak incentive. It even applies to the first seven sailings on the seasonal service between North Sydney and Argentia. Customers have until midnight on April 5 to make reservations under this promotion.

It would appear that Marine Atlantic is offering the discount deal to maximize revenue during a period when it typically has excess capacity. It’s the second such discount incentive offered in recent months, the last one being the “Black Friday” sale which covered travel during the late fall and early winter, including the Christmas-New Year holiday period. This time, however, it extends over a longer time period, and the booking window is much wider.

PORTER LAUNCHES JET SERVICE FROM HALIFAX TO PEARSON

New Charlottetown-Ottawa service also announced

Porter Airlines is now offering two choices for travel between Halifax and Toronto with the February 23 inauguration of non-stop jet service to Pearson using its new 132-seat Embraer E195-E2 aircraft. Porter’s Q-400 turboprop flights from YHZ to the downtown Billy Bishop Airport will continue. SUBMITTED PHOTO

Another domestic travel option is now being offered from Halifax Stanfield International Airport. Porter Airlines introduced a new direct service to and from Toronto Pearson, using its new 132-seat Embraer E195-E2 aircraft on February 23.  The airline officially took delivery of the first two of a planned 50 medium-range jets from the Brazilian manufacturer in December, becoming the first North American carrier to fly this model. Porter has chosen to configure the cabin with 132 seats – 14 fewer than the maximum the plane is designed for. In addition to more personal space, the airline claims this aircraft will offer every passenger an elevated economy experience that includes no middle seats, complimentary beer and wine served in real glassware, a selection of premium snacks, and free, fast wifi.

Meanwhile, Porter has just announced the addition of another Atlantic Canada city to its expanding service map. It will be launching direct service between Ottawa and Charlottetown as of May 17. 

The new daily, non-stop route is to be served by the tried-and-true 78-seat Q-400 turboprop aircraft.

“Porter is continuing to invest in regional flying across Eastern Canada,” said Kevin Jackson, executive vice president and chief commercial officer. “Charlottetown is an entirely new destination for us and the addition of Prince Edward Island means that Porter is serving every Atlantic Canada province for the first time.” Porter is already flies to Moncton, Fredericton, Halifax and St. John’s

“We are thrilled to welcome Porter Airlines to YYG and Prince Edward Island,” said Charlottetown Airport CEO Doug Newson, “Islanders and visitors alike have been requesting Porter for many years, so it is extremely rewarding for us to be able to announce this today. This new non-stop service to Ottawa will not only provide convenient access to the nation’s capital, but will also allow travellers the opportunity to connect to Porter’s expanding network at Ottawa International Airport.”

Atlantic Transport News – January 2023

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Welcome to the first edition of Atlantic Transport News for 2023!

Here’s a look at what you’ll find in this edition:

HUNDREDS OF HOLIDAY TRAVELLERS STRANDED ON VIA’s OCEAN

VIA’s eastbound Ocean sits parked in Montreal’s Central station on Dec. 23, as a snow storm rages outside. VIA Rail’s abysmal performance over the Christmas travel period has become the subject of a probe by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. PHOTO – Tim Hayman

The 2022 holiday travel season descended into chaos just before Christmas, as a massive winter storm on December 23 shut down already overcrowded airports, closed highways, and brought much of VIA Rail’s network to a grinding halt. Though much media attention was focused on the Corridor, where several trains were stuck for many hours and all trains were cancelled for several days over Christmas, passengers travelling to and from the Maritimes for the holidays on board VIA’s Ocean found themselves stranded after many hours of uncertainty and little forward progress. After an initial delay due to a late arriving connection, passengers on board VIA #14 (scheduled to depart Montreal at 19h00 on December 23) were surprised to find their train returning to the station shortly after departure. Passengers were informed that a section of the line ahead, near Mont-Joli QC, was impassible due to the impacts of the storm.

After discussions between VIA operations and Canadian National (CN), a decision was made to delay departure until 06h00 the following morning, with assurances from CN that this would provide sufficient time for the line to be cleared and re-opened for the train to pass. The train coming from Halifax was held at Campbellton for the night, expecting to be ready to depart by later the next morning as well.

The next morning, VIA 14 departed and proceeded as far as Rivière-du-Loup, now running more than 13 hours behind schedule. After a further wait, passengers were informed that contrary to their initial assurances, CN would not now have the line cleared in time. Repair crews had reportedly ended their shift and wouldn’t return until sometime on the following day. With no other option, short of an overnight layover in Rivière-du-Loup, train #14 was then sent back to Montreal, arriving in the early hours of the morning on Christmas Day, exactly where it had started some 30 hours after its initial departure.

Passengers on the westbound train #15 from Halifax fared little better. Their train was left stranded for just as many hours at Campbellton, before being sent back to Halifax.

With little confidence in CN being able to open the line within their next promised window, Transport Action Atlantic President Tim Hayman, who was a passenger on train #14, was fortunate enough to find a flight home late on Christmas Day, but many passengers simply saw their plans to visit family for the holidays forfeited entirely, and were in some cases also stuck in Montreal over Christmas due to the train cancellations in the Corridor. Passengers were refunded in full for the affected trip, and also provided with travel credits; and those arriving back in Montreal in the wee hours of Christmas morning were put up in a hotel for the remainder of the night.

Weather delays and issues are entirely understandable, particularly in severe winter storms, but the entire ordeal raises serious questions about the resiliency of VIA’s operations, and highlights the ever-present issue of VIA being reliant on the “infrastructure owner” or “host railway” – i.e. CN – to move its trains in a safe and timely manner.

There are several key questions raised by this situation:

  • What was the exact nature of the issue making the line impassible, and why were CN crews unable to clear the line as expected?
  • What efforts did CN make to prioritize opening the line and avoiding stranding these trains and their passengers?
  • What contingency planning does CN have in place for these scenarios, and how did their efforts here compare to the efforts that would be made to clear a high priority freight line?
  • Was there any consideration of alternative routings for the trains (i.e. over the Napadogan Subdivision through New Brunswick)?
  • Does VIA have recourse within their track access agreements with CN to seek compensation for a failure to move its trains in a timely fashion, or to their destinations at all?
  • What considerations did VIA management give to alternative transportation for passengers?

Transport Action believes the abysmal performance of Canada’s tattered passenger rail system this holiday season should be grounds for a full independent enquiry, to determine where government, VIA Rail management, and the host railways (CN) have failed, and to recommend immediate action to address this national embarrassment.

TAA has been invited to appear before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities on January 26, and will take the opportunity to press the committee to look further into these issues, and identify ways to ensure that passengers aren’t left stranded in similar circumstances in future storms.

-Tim Hayman

WESTJET DITCHES HALIFAX TRANSATLANTIC HUB

WestJet launched its new overseas service from Halifax Stanfield to Glasgow amid great fanfare in the spring of 2015 – including decorating the aircraft tail with a custom-designed corporate tartan. That flight, along with all the airline’s other transatlantic offerings from eastern Canada, is now history. SUBMITTED PHOTO

The management at Halifax Stanfield International Airport had held out some slim hope until the last, but in the end it was not to be. WestJet’s new corporate strategy of returning to its roots in the western provinces has brought down the curtain on the transatlantic hub at YHZ. The final confirmation came not by way of any formal announcement from the Calgary-based carrier, but in a story published by an international online trade journal. Simple Flying reported on December 20 that the new western focus would eliminate not only all WestJet overseas flights from Halifax, but from Toronto as well.

https://simpleflying.com/westjet-cuts-non-calgary-europe-routes/

The airline made its first step into the transatlantic market in 2013, when it introduced a non-stop flight from St. John’s to Dublin, using an extended-range Boeing 737. The initiative was widely hailed as the most successful new route in the airline’s history – but the honeymoon was soon over. Just five years later the Dublin flight was relocated to Halifax, with the airline announcing that it made better operational sense to adopt Stanfield as its hub for all its European destinations, which also included Glasgow, London Gatwick, and Paris. That strategy evidently wasn’t a success either. Some industry analysts have suggested that Air Canada is so firmly entrenched in eastern Canada that no other carrier can effectively compete. In any event, WestJet’s newly-minted CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech lost no time in beating a westward retreat shortly after his appointment.

“We think the West has more room for growth for us that the East,” he told the Globe and Mail following a quick strategic review. Management at Stanfield International kept trying to persuade the carrier to retain at least some of its overseas services, but to no avail. Airport spokesperson Tiffany Chase confirmed following publication of the Simple Flying story that the only regularly scheduled transatlantic service from YHZ next summer will be a daily Air Canada flight to London Heathrow. Air Canada plans to continue operating that route year-round with a reduced off-season frequency. There will also be seasonal summer flights to and from Frankfurt several times weekly in 2023 by leisure carriers Condor and Eurowings Discover.

“Our Air Service Development team continues to connect with other carriers to promote the Halifax Stanfield advantage and business case,” Ms. Chase said, “but it’s unlikely we’ll have another new non-stop European service announced and operating for summer 2023.”

IN OTHER AIRLINE NEWS…

Mayor Mike Savage (l.) was on hand with airport officials and other dignitaries to celebrate the return of direct flights from Halifax Stanfield to Liberty International Airport in Newark on December 16. SUBMITTED PHOTO

The news isn’t all bad for Halifax Stanfield. Air Canada has resumed direct flights from YHZ to New York (Newark), which had been missing from the departures board since the pandemic began. The service began with four departures a week effective December 16, and ramped up to daily as of January 8. The U.S. preclearance facility at YHZ provides an advantage for departing passengers who can pre-clear customs in Halifax. They then arrive in Newark as domestic travellers, where they can conveniently connect to other American destinations with minimum delay.

And one more domestic travel option will be available from Halifax in February, when Porter Airlines introduces a new direct service to and from Toronto Pearson, using its new 132-seat Embraer E195-E2 aircraft. This rapidly growing airline officially took delivery of the first two of a planned 50 medium-range jets from the Brazilian manufacturer on December 21. Porter is the first North American carrier to introduce this model, and has chosen to configure the cabin with 132 seats – 14 fewer than the maximum the plane is designed for. In addition to more personal space, the airline says the E195-E2 will offer every passenger an elevated economy experience that includes no middle seats, complimentary beer and wine served in real glassware, a selection of premium snacks, and free, fast wifi.

In sharp contrast to WestJet, Porter appears intent on expanding service in Atlantic Canada. While WestJet has suspended flights between Halifax and St. John’s for nearly four months between January and late April, Porter will continue to ply the route offering at least one departure on most days during the slow season of the year. By May, there will be three round trips daily Sunday through Friday between YHZ and YYT. And Porter is also continuing to provide winter service between Moncton and Ottawa/Toronto. We’ll provide further details on Porter’s plans in a future issue of this newsletter.

Meanwhile, PAL Airlines is continuing its service between Newfoundland and New Brunswick through the winter. Although Fredericton has been dropped from the route map until spring, PAL still is flying St. John’s-Deer Lake-Moncton and return five days a week on the schedule that began in January.

-Ted Bartlett

T3 TRANSIT BREAKS THE ONE MILLION MARK

Charlottetown’s T3 Transit carried its one millionth rider for 2022 on New Year’s Eve, crowning a record-breaking year. PHOTO Saltwire Network

Just before 2022 passed into history, Charlottetown’s T3 Transit proudly reached a milestone – breaking yet another record after months of successive, phenomenal growth. On the afternoon of New Year’s Eve, the system boarded its one millionth passenger for the year – a truly impressive total for a small urban community.

“We woke up Saturday morning needing 1,100 more rides,” said Mike Cassidy, whose company operates the system on behalf of the City. By mid-afternoon, we hit the one million mark, coming right down to the wire as 2022 was coming to an end,” he told the Guardian.

“This is a significant milestone for T3 Transit and public transit in our province,” Premier Dennis King told the newspaper. He attributed the growth in transit ridership to such government initiatives as discounted fares for adults and free transit for children and students.

T3 Transit commenced operation in September 2005 with just four vehicles, but now employs a team of 43 people and operates 35 vehicles. As part of its ongoing expansion, the system plans to introduce new electric buses in the coming year. The vehicles are expected to be tendered in March.

Meanwhile, an extra round trip per day has been added on rural public transit routes between Tignish and Summerside and between Charlottetown and Summerside, effective December 29.
“Going from two round trips per day to three will improve options for Prince County residents using public transit to get to and from work, school and essential services,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Cory Deagle. “We are aligning our schedule and routes based on demand and rider feedback. We will continue to make changes to our service over time to ensure that using our rural public transit service is easy and convenient for Islanders.”

Since launching in October 2021, Transit PEI has provided 57,733 one-way trips across Prince Edward Island. For November 2022, Transit PEI averaged 340 passenger fares per day. The fare for a one-way trip is $2. Monthly transit passes for all transit routes on Prince Edward Island are available for $20 for adults and $10 for seniors and post-secondary students. This offer was recently extended to the end of the current fiscal year which ends on March 31, but many observers are anticipating that it will be renewed.

TRANSIT IN NEWFOUNDLAND’S CAPITAL IS LOOKING UP, BUT SOME SOUR NOTES IN THE FANFARE

Metrobus carried an all-time record number of people in October 2022. However, critics say the St. John’s transit system abandoned its growing customer base by shutting down for nearly 60 hours over Christmas, and ending service early on New Year’s Eve. PHOTO Jeremy Eaton/CBC

The city of St John’s has been taking important steps in recent years to address decades of decline in the bus service it provides. Ridership figures in October 2022 were the highest since records began – 16.9% up from 2019 before COVID hit, and in response the city’s latest budget included a nearly 10% increase in the city’s subsidy – some of which will go towards adding three buses to the most used routes during the summer months to offset some of the cuts normally made to service over that period.

Some of the rise in numbers could be attributable to the extension of a provincially co-funded pilot program that gave free bus passes to people on income support and was broadened this year to include low income seniors and youths receiving services from the Youth Services Program. But there were some stumbles along the way.

In 2020, free transit for young children was extended to the under-12s but in reaction to bus driver complaints about fare dodging and abuse, the service announced in August that children would need to come to Metrobus’s offices in person with photo ID to be issued passes that would cover them until they turned 12. Ironically those offices are located a 45 minute bus ride from downtown. When I checked in mid-October, fewer than 100 such passes had been issued but Metrobus’ manager said at the time the program “has gone smoothly” and that no targets for numbers to distribute had been set.

Also in the Grinch column, once again Metrobus Transit stopped service at 18:00 Christmas eve and over Christmas Eve and Boxing Day. It also stopped service New Years Eve at 18:00 and on New Year’s Day. Halifax does better, as do most large cities in Canada, although this is also a problem in PEI which made a well-publicized push to improve transit in 2022 and in Moncton and Saint John, New Brunswick. Considering the weather, taxi shortages, the need for those without easy car access to reach friends and family and the dangers of seasonal drunk driving, we hope St John’s and other Atlantic cities will reconsider this next year.

-David Brake

IN OTHER TRANSIT NEWS…

Halifax Transit is showing a steady recovery, but its ridership isn’t yet up to pre-pandemic levels. The system recorded a total of 23,267,150 boardings in calendar 2022, compared with 17,011,739 a year earlier. The corresponding figure for 2019 was 30,732,930 boardings.

Moncton’s Codiac Transpo didn’t have complete final numbers available, but operations manager Alex Grncarovski said 2022 was a very good year with boardings exceeding 1.7 million. “It’s a positive trend that we hope to continue in 2023.”

MARITIME BUS SEES STRONG RECOVERY WHILE CELEBRATING 10th ANNIVERSARY

The 1:00 pm departure leaves the Charlottetown terminal as Maritime Bus marked its 10th anniversary on December 1. The company reports that ridership is recovering close to pre-pandemic levels. SUBMITTED PHOTO

December 1 was a red-letter day for Maritime Bus. It marked the tenth anniversary of the pivotal moment when the fledgling Charlottetown-based carrier stepped in to fill the void created by the foreign-owned Acadian Lines/Orleans Express. It hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park for founder Mike Cassidy, but he proudly looks back at a decade of reliable service.

COVID-19 was a massive challenge – one that cost his company millions. But Maritime Bus kept going through the darkest days, albeit on a reduced schedule, carrying small numbers of people and lots of packages throughout the three provinces. Although the schedule still isn’t quite back to pre-pandemic levels, traffic is now showing strong recovery, and service has been running seven days a week since September.

Ridership has now returned to 85% of what it was before COVID struck, Mr. Cassidy reported in early January. In December 2022 the buses handled some 14,000 passengers, as compared to 17,000 in the same month of 2019. And in the first ten days of January they did ever better: 5000 fares – just 300 short of the ridership for the same period pre-pandemic.

“Very pleased!” he said. But there’s still a way to go. There’s still no interlining with motorcoach services to the rest of Canada. Maritime Bus stops at Edmundston, so it’s not yet possible to ride or ship a package into Quebec or beyond as in pre-COVID times, with no indication as to when that might change.

PATIENCE WEARING THIN ON CHIGNECTO ISTHMUS MITIGATION

These CN tracks and the Trans Canada Highway over the Chignecto Isthmus between Amherst NS and Sackville NB form a vital but tenuous link that is under increasing threat by rising sea levels resulting from climate change. PHOTO – Robert Short/CBC

Potential disastrous consequences for a vital transportation corridor connecting Nova Scotia with the rest of Canada have been recognized for years. The massive tides of the Bay of Fundy are being increasingly influenced by climate change, with ever higher water levels being recorded during major weather events. A study released last year, jointly funded by the federal, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick governments, confirmed the risk that both the CN rail line and the Trans Canada Highway across the low-lying Chignecto Isthmus are in danger of being eventually overwhelmed by rising waters. That would sever a critically important link that carries millions of dollars worth of commerce each and every day.

The report identified three possible strategies to address the issue, with the most elaborate one having an estimated price tag in excess of $300 million. The recommended timeline for completing the project as ten years, something that appeared reasonable at the time. In fact, back then Amherst Mayor David Kogon told CBC News he viewed the plan as reasonable and realistic.

But the mayor has apparently changed his tune, and so have many others. September’s devastation caused by hurricane Fiona caused them to think again.

“Hurricane Fiona scared the bejeebers out of the people in our area,” Mayor Kogon said in an early January interview. Fiona mostly brought high winds and downed trees to the Chignecto Isthmus, but had it struck at a slightly different angle at high tide, he added, Amherst and vital trade routes in the area certainly could have been seriously affected.

“That storm surge is a potential problem here, depending on the state of the tide. Quite honestly, we were lucky and I don’t want to rely on good luck to protect us going forward,” he told the CBC. “We dodged a bullet.”

There’s been no indication, however, that either level of government is revisiting the timeline. There is no agreement yet in place as to how the cost of the project would be shared. Both provinces, not surprisingly, are adamant that Ottawa needs to take a leading role.

Spring-Summer Bulletin now available

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“VIA Rail at 40: The good, the bad, and the ugly” – our feature coverage on VIA’s 40th anniversary is just one of many topics featured in this issue of The Bulletin

The Spring-Summer 2018 issue of The Bulletin, Transport Action Atlantic’s twice annual publication, is now available online. This issue’s feature coverage is VIA Rail’s 40th anniversary, a look at where the national passenger railway has ended up after four decades of service, and what the future might have in store. This issue also features additional rail news and commentary, updates on TAA’s advocacy work, marine and air news, transit and intercity bus updates, and much more!

Read on, here: Spring-Summer 2018 Bulletin

Remember, TAA members receive a hard copy of each Bulletin by mail and have the chance to read each issue before anyone else. You can read more about the benefits of membership, and even join today, here: Membership