Tag: nova scotia

PEI shuttle ends, Maritime Bus adds more runs

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A bus with a maple leaf and Maritime Bus branding on the side
(Photo – Ted Bartlett)

After 20 years of carrying passengers to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, PEI’s Advance Shuttle has shut down. The company was purchased by Maritime Bus in 2012, who continued to operate it up until its final run on January 6, 2017. Maritime Bus had concluded that the cost of running the shuttle service in addition to their own bus services was no longer justifiable.

Despite losing the shuttle service, passengers travelling between Charlottetown and Halifax will be gaining additional bus options, as Maritime Bus has added additional late day departures in either direction. These extra buses will also benefit people along various parts of the route, by adding additional travel options later in the day.

While further bus options are a good thing, some passengers will no doubt be disappointed by the loss of the door-to-door service that the shuttle provided. For example, those going to Halifax for doctor’s appointments used to be able to get dropped off directly at the hospital, while they will now be dropped off at the bus station.

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A muted celebration of National Railway Day

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A railway track disappears to the horizon amidst a forest
On CN’s Newcastle Sub just north of Rogersville NB, a speed restriction slows VIA Rail’s Ocean to an agonizing 30 miles per hour over more than 60 miles of deteriorated track. It’s not something to celebrate on National Railway Day!

Transport Action Atlantic’s observance of National Railway Day is somewhat less than celebratory this year.  Our optimism that the Trudeau Government would act decisively to address some of Canada’s critical rail issues is beginning to fade, amid growing concern about the state of the network in the Maritimes and across Canada.

November 7 marks the anniversary of the last spike ceremony that marked completion of a continuous rail link from coast to coast in 1885. More than 130 years after that historic event, what’s often referred to as the National Dream remains an essential part of the Canadian economy.  But despite the vital importance of rail in moving goods and people from coast to coast, TAA insists there are some very serious issues that need to be addressed. So far they appear to be getting short shrift from a government that took office just over a year ago on a promise of “real change.”

The federal government appears to have a renewed focus on the subject of rail safety – and rightly so. But there’s also a critical infrastructure shortfall that is still not getting the attention it so badly needs. Last Thursday’s major policy speech in Montreal by Transport Minister Marc Garneau had very little to say about it. Continue reading “A muted celebration of National Railway Day” →