Tag: TAA

TAA hosts successful Nova Scotia members event

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A group of people wait on a station platform as a teal VIA passenger train arrives
Attendees of TAA’s Nova Scotia Members Rendez-vous excursion wait on the platform in Truro as VIA #14 arrives. (Photo – Tim Hayman)

On Saturday, March 18th, TAA hosted the first of what we hope will be many events for our members. This event was targeted primarily towards our members in Nova Scotia, as we set out on an excursion from Halifax to Truro and back. At noon, seventeen TAA members (including our Vice President and several members of the board) gathered at the VIA Rail/Maritime Bus station in downtown Halifax and boarded Maritime Bus Route 103 to head to Truro. As we boarded the bus driver commented that this was an unusually busy trip for that time on a Saturday…we doubled what he guessed would be a “normal” load!

Despite running slightly behind schedule the bus trip was smooth and uneventful, with only two short stops in Dartmouth and at the airport. The chatter on board throughout the trip was full of discussion about public transportation locally and farther afield!

Upon arrival in Truro we made our way to the Engineroom Pub, where we enjoyed lunch before migrating over to the adjacent VIA Rail station. The waiting room was surprisingly busy – it seems we weren’t the only ones making the trip in to Halifax! Our wait in the station gave us a chance to talk a bit more about what TAA was up to, and provide an opportunity for members to provide feedback on what they thought we were doing well (or not so well), and what they’d like to see us do in the future. There were some excellent ideas floated during this chat. Continue reading “TAA hosts successful Nova Scotia members event” →

TAA Spring Speaker/Panel: Integrating Regional and Local Transit

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The Transport Action Atlantic logo, a green maple leaf with a right facing arrow

Transport Action Atlantic is excited to be hosting a Spring speaker & panel event, with the topic of “Integrating Regional and Local Transportation”. Our primary speaker will be Susan Williams, General Manager, Eastern Canada for VIA Rail. After her discussion of VIA’s plans for the near future in the Maritimes, we will have a 3-member panel discussing the integration of regional transportation with local transportation both in our region and more generally.

Woman with dark hair, in a winter dress coat, standing next to a VIA Rail traincar.
Susan Williams will be the featured guest speaker for this event.

The event is a continuation of the Nova Scotia Members’ Rendezvous, the participants of which will be returning on the afternoon train from Truro at around 6pm.

You are invited to join us for this event regardless of whether you participate in our day’s excursion to Truro or not. The event is free.

 

 

Date: March 18, 2017

Time: 7:30pm

Location: Westin Nova Scotian, Harbour Suite B

For more information and to RSVP, see our Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1548356251859654/

For those unable to join us in person, we’re looking into the possibility of a live stream via our Facebook page, so keep an eye on that page for updates!

Thanks to everyone who has registered to join us for our exciting Members Rendez-vous bus/train excursion earlier in the day on Saturday. If you missed the deadline to register (or just heard about this now!) and still want to join us, there’s still a chance! Contact us right away (via the email address at the top of the page) and we’ll do our best to make it happen. For more info, check out the Facebook event page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/221182718348484/

Scotia Rail Development Society continues efforts to save Cape Breton rail line

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The Scotia Rail Development Society (SRDS) was set up last year in response to plans from the Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway to shut down and abandon its rail line from St. Peter’s Jct. to Sydney on Cape Breton. The SRDS has been actively campaigning to prevent the removal of the line, holding public meetings, gathering signatures on a petition, and looking for solutions to help keep the line in place.

Transport Action Atlantic continues to support the efforts of the SRDS to preserve the Cape Breton rail line, and supports many of the same principles regarding the role that rail should play in the transportation network of the province.

The SRDS, in association with the Sustainable Transportation Action Team (STAT) of the Ecology Action Centre in Halifax, has issued the following position statement regarding the railway and their ongoing efforts:

 

 

Scotia Rail Development Society logo

Cape Breton’s Contribution to Paris Agreement on Climate Change

The Scotia Rail Development Society (SRDS) is calling for Nova Scotians to encourage their MP to support the railway on Cape Breton Island. SRDS, aligned with the Sustainable Transportation Action Team (STAT) with the Ecology Action Centre, is advocating to keep the railway.

Railways are a driving force in the economy offering the cheapest and cleanest form of ground transportation. For almost twenty years railway companies have been allowed to regulate themselves and abandon lines with almost no government intervention or concern for the communities they serve. There is blame on the railway companies as well, being profit driven, forcing traffic to trucks because it is cheaper for them to truck it on tax-payer funded highways than to run a train on lower traffic lines that they, the owner, have to maintain. Is this really better for the communities, economy and the environment? How about protecting Nova Scotia taxpayers’ investments in our highways, by diverting more truck traffic to the railways? The rail could help trucking companies that face driver shortages and in the long run, unstable fuel prices. Trailers or containers on flatcars also enable trucking firms to offer their drivers shorter runs so that they can be at home with their families instead of sleeping in their overnight cabs.  Continue reading “Scotia Rail Development Society continues efforts to save Cape Breton rail line” →