Transport Action has launched a petition to the House of Commons calling on the federal government to fund badly needed improvements to the Newcastle Subdivision, which supports a key portion of the Ocean’s route between Halifax and Montreal.
Did you know?
The Newcastle Subdivision, which covers most of VIA Rail’s Ocean route between Moncton and Campbellton New Brunswick, has seen a steady decline in track quality and maximum speed over the last couple of decades. Track that once supported 60mph operation has been reduced to 30mph – or less! This means that today’s Ocean takes nearly five hours longer to travel from Halifax to Montreal than it did 30 years ago.
Deferred maintenance and a lack of interest from the track owner, CN, even nearly brought about the end of this route and the loss of VIA service to many communities in northern New Brunswick in 2014. Investment from the federal and provincial governments at the time saved the line, but promised track improvements have never materialized.
Instead, in June 2024, VIA was forced to extend the schedule of the Ocean yet again due to even more speed restrictions on this route. Even with this new schedule, trains regularly continue to be late, and intercity bus connections have largely been lost.
What can you do?
Transport Action has launched a petition to the House of Commons calling on the federal government to:
1. Provide immediate funding for the rehabilitation of the Newcastle Subdivision; and
2. Study the viability of purchasing the Newcastle Subdivision so that infrastructure can be used to the fullest extent of public benefit.
This petition has been sponsored by Fredericton MP Jenica Atwin, who will present the petition to the House after it closes.
UPDATE: We have also added posters that you can share, print, and distribute to encourage others to sign the petition. You can download find both English and French versions in the documents section of our website, here.
Our Goal
The petition is open for signatures until December 18, 2024. Let’s try to get as many signatures as possible, to help send a clear message and require the federal government to respond to this specific issue.
Please sign and share these petitions widely – any resident of Canada can sign.
The Ocean pauses at Campbellton NB in April 2024. It’s doubtful that passengers in the Maritimes “love the way” that VIA service has continued to deteriorate over the years. PHOTO – Tim Hayman
There’s been yet another blow to the last remnant of passenger rail service in the Maritimes. VIA Rail has announced a schedule change effective June 19 that officially adds 90 minutes to the travel time of the Ocean between Halifax and Montreal. The adjustment is being made to compensate for badly deteriorated track conditions on CN’s Newcastle Subdivision in northern New Brunswick.
“VIA is simply recognizing the reality that the speed restrictions imposed by CN make it impossible for the Ocean to maintain its currently published schedule,” says Transport Action Atlantic president Tim Hayman. “As a result, connections to Toronto, Ottawa, and other points west of Montreal have become less reliable. For passengers heading east, it is a frequent occurrence for the train to be running between two and three hours late, and this lack of reliability is clearly unacceptable.
“Unfortunately VIA apparently has no other choice but to pad and adjust its schedule. There is no indication of any plans by the infrastructure owner to restore the track to its previous standards. The result is a total journey time far longer than any in recent memory – more than 23 hours from Halifax to Montreal. This is most certainly not consistent with VIA’s recently-announced strategy of improving passenger rail for all Canadians.”
Effective June 19, the Ocean will be departing Halifax at 1130, instead of 1300 as has been the case in recent years. The extra 90 minutes in the schedule is expected to make connections at Montreal more reliable and allow the eastbound train to maintain its schedule by retiming the overnight meet between the two trains, but will not address the root cause of the problem.
A look at overgrown track on a section of the Newcastle Subdivision near Campbellton NB several years ago. Ongoing neglect of this line and ensuing slow orders have forced this latest lengthening of the Ocean’s schedule. PHOTO – Ted Bartlett
“This is yet another example of how transportation policy of successive federal governments is failing Canadians,” says TAA past president Ted Bartlett. “It will now take nearly five hours longer to travel from Halifax to Montreal than it did 30 years ago. And while we are encouraged to see that Ottawa’s recent budget is making provision to begin replacing the aging fleet of long-haul passenger cars and locomotives, this by itself is not sufficient. There are serious infrastructure issues that must also be addressed, because new equipment will still be subject to the same speed restrictions on this deteriorated track. Frankly, this situation is a national embarrassment.”
Under the revised timetable, the westbound Ocean will require 6 hours and 16 minutes to travel the 186 miles (300 km) of mostly sub-standard track from Moncton to Campbellton – an average speed of less than 30 miles per hour. (In keeping with standard North American railroad practice, track distance and speeds continue to be stated in miles.) Thirty years ago the route was covered in just over four hours, with permissible speeds of up to 75 mph over much of the trackage. A lack of maintenance over the years has resulted in steady deterioration and numerous speed restrictions to ensure safe operation.
“Transport Action Atlantic believes there are three key pillars to ensuring a healthy future for what remains of passenger rail in our region,” says Tim Hayman. “VIA Rail urgently needs new locomotives and cars to replace its old and outdated equipment; there must be investment to restore the track infrastructure to the reasonable standards it once maintained; and the service must operate daily with faster and reliable schedules that meet or exceed those that the Ocean was historically known for.”
Tim Hayman (r.) and Ted Bartlett stand beside VIA’s Ocean on the Moncton station platform on April 29, 2024. The 78-year-old coach behind them is among the oldest in VIA’s fleet, having been built for the New York Central Railroad in 1946.
Here is the revised (and lengthened) schedule for trains 14 and 15, effective June 19, 2024:
For reference and nostalgia, here’s a look back at the VIA timetable from 30 years ago – effective 24 April 1994 – showing the Ocean departure from Halifax at 1400 and arrival in Montreal at 0815, for a total running time 19 hours, 15 minutes. We’re a far cry from that today, not to mention the absence of the other trains on this timetable!
VIA Rail’s services across Canada are nearing a critical point. The fleet that supports VIA’s long distance services, including the Ocean, VIA’s last remaining service in Atlantic Canada, is rapidly approaching the end of its serviceable life. If VIA is not able to launch procurement for new equipment as soon as possible, this could mean the end of all Canadian long distance passenger service in the early 2030s.
Transport Action Atlantic and our national and regional affiliates are working hard to tell the federal government that action is needed immediately.
There are two things that you can do today to help:
Sign the House of Commons petition, which calls for both long distance fleet funding and other critical VIA improvements
Fill out the Budget 2024 survey to voice your support for funding for VIA’s long distance fleet renewal.
Please read on below for more details on how to take action today, and please share this message with those you know who also support the future of passenger rail in this country.
As always, your support is critical to keep passenger rail on track in Atlantic Canada and beyond!
Sincerely,
Tim Hayman President, Transport Action Atlantic ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
House of Commons Petition
A campaign is underway to help VIA Rail maintain its services and increase on-time performance as well as make other improvements to ensure it can deliver sustainable rail transportation across Canada, through a petition to the House of Commons.
Created by Transport Action Canada (www.transportaction.ca), a national public transportation and passenger advocacy group (TAA’s national affiliate), the petition asks that the government ensure funding to renew VIA Rail’s long-distance fleet is provided in the 2024 federal budget, to avert service cuts in Atlantic and Western Canada.
VIA is entering a second federal budget cycle asking for funding to replace its aging long-distance fleet. Engineering reports show that the fleet is nearing the end of its serviceable life, with many cars at 70 years of age. Given the timeline for ordering and manufacturing, if funding is not provided this spring to order a new, fully accessible, modern fleet, VIA will no longer be able to provide train service beyond the Quebec-Windsor corridor by the early 2030s.
This would mean the demise of ‘The Ocean’ between Montreal and Halifax, the world-famous Toronto-Vancouver ‘The Canadian’, and all other routes that serve smaller cities, remote, and Indigenous communities across the country, as well as the tourism sector.
The public rail operator also often suffers greatly from delays beyond its control, as new CEO Mario Peloquin made clear in an op-ed in the Globe and Mail in October. VIA’s on-time performance has declined to only 60% on railways where freight trains have right of way, while it is 90% on tracks owned by VIA — unfortunately VIA only owns 3% of the tracks it runs on.
The petition therefore asks the government to restore right of way for passenger trains, as envisaged in NDP MP Taylor Bachrach’s private member’s bill C-371, to ensure passengers arrive on time and reduce the padding in train schedules, which would also result in substantial cost savings.
“It’s not just a few hours. Three whole days have been added to the time it takes to travel from Halifax to Vancouver.” says Terry Johnson, President of Transport Action Canada
Advocates are also asking that the government and transport minister Pablo Rodriguez implement several other measures to help VIA Rail provide reliable and environmentally friendly transportation from coast to coast. This would include providing VIA Rail with a legislative mandate to maintain and expand passenger rail service in Canada, which the Crown Corporation has lacked since its creation in 1978; providing for passenger and worker representation on its board of directors, which contributes to the success of other national carriers in Germany and France; and addressing outsourcing concerns by ensuring the public operator’s continued role in the High Frequency Rail project.
The federal government is currently accepting submissions from Canadians with their priorities ahead of Budget 2024. This is a key opportunity to provide your input and voice support for public transportation issues that matter to you.
TAA will be making a formal pre-budget submission covering both passenger rail and other key transportation issues in the region (intercity buses, ferries, and freight rail), but we also encourage you to fill out the survey to voice your support. You can access the “Let’s Talk Budget 2024” form here: https://www.letstalkbudget24.ca/let-s-talk-budget-2024
The deadline to make submissions is Feburary 9th (this Friday), so please take a few minutes to fill out the questionnaire in the coming days.
If you’re looking for guidance on your submission as it relates to VIA Rail’s long distance fleet renewal, please see the sample below from TAA’s draft budget submission. Please also add your own perspectives on why maintaining and improving passenger rail service is important to you!
The federal government needs to immediately provide the funding for VIA Rail Canada to proceed with a formal procurement process to replace the entire train fleet used on its long distance, regional and remote services.
Critically, this funding should support an order for enough trains to provide at least daily service on long distance routes. In the case of the Ocean, this would mean sufficient equipment for 3 full trainsets (with appropriate spares). It is critical that VIA be able to use this opportunity to ensure a return to former levels of passenger rail service nationwide.
It’s time for Canadians across the country to be provided with a rail service that is modern, reliable, sustainable, and fully accessible.
