Tag: transit

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 – November/December 2022

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Welcome to the November/December edition of Atlantic Transport News! With the holidays quickly approaching, this may well turn out to be our last newsletter for the year. All of us at TAA wish you a happy and healthy holiday season!

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

VIA 3RD QUARTER REPORT SHOWS RIDERSHIP RECOVERY, BUT HIGHLIGHTS DIRE EQUIPMENT SITUATION

VIA train 14 pauses at Campbellton NB in mid-October. The HEP equipment that forms part of the Ocean’s consist is rapidly nearing the end of its serviceable life, and a replacement is badly needed. The Renaissance equipment at the other end of the train isn’t in much better shape either! PHOTO – Tim Hayman

VIA Rail Canada recently released its 3rd quarter report for 2022. The overall ridership picture is positive. For the Ocean, ridership this quarter was up to 23,000, a whopping 505.3% increase over 2021, thanks, no doubt, to the increase from 1/week and then 2/week service back up to the full 3/week service in 2022. Revenues also increased by 514.3% over 2021. VIA’s figures put the increase in capacity in terms of seat miles at 429% for the quarter.

Comparing figures to pre-pandemic ridership, the Ocean carried 29,500 passengers in Q3 2019, and 29,000 in Q3 2018. By this comparison, Q3 2022’s figure of 23,000 is lower than pre-pandemic totals. It’s difficult to determine exactly what is behind this relative figure; a slow return to pre-pandemic travel patterns may be one factor, but limited capacity may be another. The new bidirectional Ocean consists offer less passenger capacity than the previous configurations, in part due to equipment constraints, but also due to staffing shortages that prevented running longer trains. Many trains through the summer months were sold out, and it’s hard to say how many more passengers VIA could have carried had they been able to run longer trains and offer more space for sale.

The Q3 report is otherwise light on details, but the Risk Analysis section is notable. “Asset Management” is highlighted as an increasing risk, and the report states “The Corporation’s HEP rolling stock equipment has essentially reached the end of its operating life. Its reliability has deteriorated in the past few years, resulting in delays and additional operating costs to maintain a state of good repair. Maintenance costs are projected to increase significantly in upcoming years until a replacement fleet of equipment is introduced, both in the Corridor where the Corporation counts on 31 HEP2 coaches representing more than 25 per cent of current Corridor capacity and non-Corridor services, as reliability of the aging fleet will continue to deteriorate, as well as all of the non-Corridor services who depend on HEP equipment to provide services to communities.” This follows on comments made in recent VIA annual reports and corporate plans, and comes on the heels of recent developments that have shone an even greater spotlight on the dire situation facing the bulk of VIA Rail’s equipment fleet.

Thanks to an Access to Information request, railway blogger Eric Gagnon was able to acquire and publish a copy of the summary report provided by Hatch Engineering, which prompted the most recent inspections and tests of HEP equipment, as well as the “buffer car” policy. Eric posted the report in full on his Trackside Treasure blog.

Here are a couple of notable excerpts:

“As fleetwide inspections continued during the Heritage Program, the findings suggested that all HEP cars likely have some degree of structural degradation of the strength of the car body.“

“The conditions identified on the HEP fleet do not affect the structural performance of the HEP cars under normal operating loads, meaning that they will not fail in regular service….Unfortunately, in most cases, the remaining car body strength of the HEP fleet cars is likely less than original design standards.“

“Considering the age of the current fleet and the planned operation until 2035, Hatch has provided VIA Rail with key recommendations around fleet replacement, a structural reinforcement program for the current fleet, temporary operational mitigations and updates to VIA’s risk assessment to support decisions around proposed mitigation measures.“

Perhaps most notable is this first of the key recommendations:

“Initiate a replacement program for the HEP fleet. By 2035, most of VIA’s HEP fleet will be greater than 80 years old. Considering the age of the fleet, continued deterioration due to corrosion is expected despite any further mitigations taken in the interim. The only long-term solution is the replacement of the fleet.”

In the interim, Hatch also provided recommendations for inspection and repair work to ensure that the HEP fleet remains in safe operating condition. “Buffer cars” will remain in place while this work is being done, and can hopefully be removed once suitable repairs are complete. In any case, it is becoming increasingly clear that VIA is in urgent need of a replacement for its long distance fleet. The HEP fleet can simply no longer be rebuilt indefinitely, and the Renaissance fleet that makes up the balance of the Ocean’s equipment pool is also past its initial planned withdrawal date. Train services from coast to coast are in severe jeopardy if no replacement is sought in as timely a fashion as possible. VIA has reportedly already submitted a business case for the fleet replacement to Transport Canada. It’s well past time for the federal government to take note, and provide VIA with the go ahead to launch this desperately needed procurement.

Meanwhile, day to day on time performance of the Ocean has finally improved from the routine delays during the late summer and fall, as track work programs in Quebec are complete. With train 15 routinely back on schedule, VIA has restored the earlier connection to Ottawa on train 35. For Toronto or southwestern Ontario bound passengers, VIA is still only guaranteeing a connection with the later train 67, which requires a 3 hour layover in Montreal. The connection to the earlier train 65, which would require only a 57 minute connection and arrive in Toronto over 2 hours earlier, is shown as returning as of January 12, 2023. It’s not clear why the return of this connection has been delayed.

The Christmas holidays promise to be a busy travel time in the Maritimes, as usual. There are no extra trains for the holidays this year, and no schedule adjustments either, as even the trains scheduled for Dec. 25th will still run on their usual day and schedules. However, after having only 2 trains a week running by this time last year, the return of the full 3/week service still marks an increase over the past season. There is evidence that VIA has added additional passenger capacity to these trains, based on increased inventory in the reservations system, but even with added equipment several trains are fully sold out for end-to-end travel several weeks in advance. This was no doubt aided by a recent “Black Friday” sale, which included holiday-time travel (with no blackout dates) for the first time in several years. Bus shuttle service continues to be provided to connect passengers in the Gaspe via Campbellton. In any case, it is encouraging to see that passengers are coming back to the train, even after the hiatus of service – hopefully, VIA will take note!

-Tim Hayman

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! MARITIME BUS MARKS 10 YEARS IN OPERATION

December 1, 2022 marks 10 years since Maritime Bus picked up the remnants of Acadian Lines, and embarked on the path to building today’s intercity bus network in the Maritimes. PHOTO – Courtesy of Maritime Bus

In the summer of 2012, travellers in the Maritimes were shocked by the news that Acadian Lines, the sole intercity bus service in the region, would be shutting down operations entirely after November 30th. Coupled with news that VIA’s Ocean service would be cut in half (from 6 to 3 days a week operation) at nearly the same time, this marked a staggering blow to the intercity public transportation network in the region. Mike Cassidy, owner of Coach Atlantic, was similarly shocked by the news – but also saw an opportunity to step in to fill the void. Thus, Maritime Bus was born, and officially started operations on December 1, 2012.

This December 1st marked 10 years of operation for Maritime Bus. The road hasn’t always been smooth, especially through the recent years of the pandemic, but the carrier has continued to provide bus service through New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and PEI, and has worked to continue expanding their network as opportunities arise. Key to that success has been Cassidy’s commitment to providing scheduled bus service through the region. Speaking with CBC News, Cassidy said of his decision to launch Maritime Bus: “We just said … busing is needed in the region and we are the ones to do it, and that’s how Maritime Bus started.”

Here’s to the next 10 years!

MARINE ATLANTIC REPORTS SUCCESSFUL SUMMER

Marine Atlantic CEO Murray Hupman says the Crown corporation carried far more passengers this past July and August than it did in the pre-pandemic summer of 2019. PHOTO – Terry Roberts/CBC

Was it the relaxation of public health restrictions, the Come Home Year promotion launched by the provincial tourism department, or simply an explosion of pent-up demand by ex-pat Newfoundlanders? Whatever the reason, passenger traffic on Marine Atlantic ferry service showed a dramatic recovery in July and August. The Crown corporation accommodated nearly 160,000 customers during that two-month period this past summer. That’s almost 20,000 more riders than the service carried in the same period in 2019 – the last pre-pandemic tourist season.

The figures were given at the company’s annual public meeting on October 20, at which the Annual Report for the fiscal year ending March 31 was released. CEO Murray Hupman was clearly pleased at the resurgence in traffic, but wasn’t entirely sure why the summer was so successful.

“Is it the new normal? We’re not certain. But it definitely was a rebound from the previous two years,” he told CBC News. Whether this summer’s impressive ridership will enable the corporation to meet the controversial 65% cost recovery target set by Transport Canada remains to be seen. They failed to meet the target in 2021-22, as expenses increased and traffic continued to be affected by the pandemic. The federal subsidy requirement for the year was $131 million.

Interestingly, ferry traffic to Newfoundland is rebounding at a much higher rate than air travel, according to Colin Tibbo, Marine Atlantic’s chief information officer, who also holds responsibility for the customer experience portfolio. The often-chaotic conditions experienced at some of the country’s busier airports this summer may help explain why. But there are other factors at play, including the severe shortage of rental vehicles this year – a factor that’s especially critical at a destination where having a car is considered a necessity to enjoy the full visitor experience.

Marine Atlantic’s customer satisfaction ratings are showing a slight decline this year compared with 2021 scores, but that was not unexpected, Mr. Tibbo said. The levels recorded during the pandemic were “unrealistically high” he noted, and maintaining ratings received under such unusual circumstances wasn’t a reasonable expectation. Nevertheless, the most recent scorecard from Narrative Research shows that 78.7% of customers are “highly satisfied” with their crossing, and 95.2% say they would recommend Marine Atlantic. Not surprisingly, the lowest rating went to “value for money” with only 64.1 % of respondents viewing it positively.

You can view Marine Atlantic’s 2021-22 Annual Report here:
https://www.marineatlantic.ca/sites/default/files/2022-10/Annual-Report-2021-2022.pdf

In a late development, Marine Atlantic announced a ground-breaking five-day Black Friday sale on passenger and passenger vehicle fares, with a 50% discount offered on every sailing between Port aux Basques and North Sydney from November 24 through January 8. This includes the entire Christmas-New Year travel period, with no blackout dates. Onboard accommodations, meals, fuel surcharges and security charges are excluded from the discount, but the sale is strong incentive to travel in what is largely a slow period for passenger travel on the ferries.

CHARLOTTETOWN’S T3 TRANSIT CONTINUES TO SET RECORDS

T3 Transit is reporting record-breaking performance in 2022, with ridership growth in Charlottetown running far in excess of national and regional averages. SUBMITTED PHOTO

While urban public transportation across Canada is at long last winning back significant slices of traffic lost because of COVID-19, Charlottetown’s T3 Transit is showing phenomenal growth in 2022. The city-funded but privately operated service just set another new monthly record for ridership with over 106,000 trips recorded in October. That’s an increase of nearly 38 percent from July – just three months previous. Canada’s smallest capital city is riding the crest of a nationwide trend, but appears to be leading the pack both nationally and regionally.

According to data released by Statistics Canada on November 21, transit services countrywide in September had recovered ridership to about 73.5 per cent of what it was in the corresponding month of 2019. The agency reported that the number of urban transit passenger trips in Canada hit a pandemic-era high, reaching 120.6 million for the first time since the COVID alarm sounded in March of 2020.
More employees returning to the workplace, along with schools reopening, were suggested as the reason behind the positive results.

The StatsCan data showed a total of 120.6 million riders on urban transit coast-to-coast in September 2022, an increase of 25.4% from May. Atlantic Canada overall showed a significantly stronger resurgence than the national average, with the region reporting 2.5 million passengers carried for the month, up 31.6% from May.

Meanwhile, the PEI Government will continue to subsidize both urban and rural transit on the Island until at least the end of the current fiscal year. Transportation Minister Cory Deagle announced the extension of the $20 monthly pass on October 27. The incentive to wean Islanders away from private automobile use has been in effect since June. The cost of a monthly pass for seniors and post-secondary students is just $10, while children and students from K-12 ride for free.

PAL AIRLINES ENCOURAGED WITH NB-NL SERVICE

PAL Airlines is flying from Moncton to St. John’s with a stop in Deer Lake six days a week on its fall schedule. The regional carrier is encouraged by traffic growth between NB and NL. SUBMITTED PHOTO

PAL Airlines sees plenty of traffic potential on its routes between Newfoundland and New Brunswick – even though it has temporarily discontinued service to Fredericton. The regional airline’s fall schedule shows service six days a week between Moncton and St. John’s, with a stop at Deer Lake. This frequency remains in effect up to and including the Christmas travel period. The same aircraft provides service between Moncton and Ottawa three days a week, and runs to Mont-Joli and Wabush on alternate days.

Janine Browne, director of business development and sales, says there’s a strong demand for service between the two provinces with both YYT and YDF generating significant traffic. Not sufficient, evidently, to justify at this time of year the non-stop routing between YQM and YYT that was part of the summer schedule. But although the exact schedule for the new year hasn’t yet been announced, indications are that PAL will continue to offer service consistent with anticipated demand through the winter.

BARK AND FLY AT HALIFAX STANFIELD

While there may be a dark cloud of uncertainty hanging over Halifax Stanfield International Airport about the future of WestJet’s seasonal overseas services that may or may not be back in 2023, there’s a new business at YHZ that has tails wagging.

Air Buddies Pet Services is an overnight pet boarding facility located conveniently in the terminal building. It’s billed as a unique service for both travellers and those employed at the airport. Additional services are coming soon, including dog daycare, grooming, and retail.

NOVA SCOTIA TRANSIT OPERATORS RECEIVE COVID RELIEF FUNDING

Transit systems reeling from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are seeing some financial relief, as a joint federal-provincial funding program will provide one-time payments to transit operators to help compensate them for lost revenues. The $10.9 million grant will be distributed to a total of 28 transit operators across the province, with $8.6 million going to Halifax Transit, $359,809 to Cape Breton Transit, $332,392 to Kings Transit, and the remainder going to a variety of fixed route and community operators.


 

Atlantic Transport News – July/August 2022

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Welcome back to Atlantic Transport News! Summer is moving along quickly, and with lots of other things going on outdoors, we’ve decided to combine our July and August news into a single issue. Hopefully you’re able to peruse these stories while relaxing and enjoying the summer days, perhaps even back out and travelling around the country.

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

VIA WOES – SUMMER TRAVEL RETURNS, BUT DELAYS ABOUND

Running 7½ hours late following an altercation with a moose on the Bas-Saint-Laurent, VIA #14 catches the glow of the setting sun arriving at Moncton on July 4. On time performance has been a more severe issue than usual for the Ocean this summer, with missed connections at Montreal and very late arrivals in Halifax being a common occurrence. PHOTO – Ted Bartlett

The summer of 2022 has brought a full return of VIA Rail service in Atlantic Canada, even if only at the ever-inadequate tri-weekly schedule of the Ocean, and the travelling public seems to have returned to fill the trains. No doubt buoyed by the resurgence of travel across the board, coupled with delays at airports and shortages of rental cars, the majority of departures in both directions have been nearly or entirely sold out.

Despite the evident demand, VIA has been slow to add capacity. More Chateau sleepers have been added to the Ocean train, but on-board accounts suggest that often only one of these cars is actually in revenue service. This appears to be tied to staffing issues, and VIA’s inability to provide sufficient crew to staff any additional cars that could be added. No doubt the long layoffs and painfully slow return to service, which included an exhausting on-train staff schedule with extended time away from their home terminal, have made it increasingly difficult to retain and attract new on board crews.

Delays have become a chronic issue through the course of the summer. Most recently, track work projects on the Mont Joli subdivision (Mont Joli to Campbellton) are causing routine delays in both directions, typically of at least 2 hours. A notice on Reservia reads “Due to operational issues experienced by the railway infrastructure owner, trains 14 and 15 are expected to incur a delay en route and upon arriving at final destination. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.” Connections in Montreal to trains 65 (for Toronto) and 35 (for Ottawa) have been removed from the reservations system for the time being, recognizing the high likelihood of missed connections. This work is anticipated to be complete by September, but it is certainly an inconvenience during some of the busiest travel time of the year.

Easily the worst example of delays and staffing issues took place on July 22, 2022. VIA 15, scheduled to depart Halifax that day at 13h00, had its departure time pushed back due to “operational issues”. Anecdotal reports from passengers suggest that there was no qualified Service Manager (SM) available to work, which put VIA in the position of either having to find another available SM (a challenge with schedules and few available qualified employees), or run the train without an SM – something the on board employees and union would oppose, and also something that would require authorization from Transport Canada. The result was a cascade of rolling delays that extended, hour by hour, through the entire afternoon and evening. Passengers were provided with extremely little information about what was taking place, and little indication of what their options might be in the long run.

Eventually, passengers in Halifax were allowed to board the train, but a call was made late at night that the train would be cancelled. Passengers were allowed to stay on board overnight, but by the morning they were left to fend for themselves. Refunds and travel credits were issued, but there was little to no assistance with any alternate travel arrangements. Passengers at some stations farther along the line may have been bussed, but this isn’t entirely clear. The train deadheaded back to Montreal the next day, with crew members on board and no passengers.

More details about this experience can be found in this report from a veteran VIA traveller. With the trip proving to be this disillusioning for even a seasoned traveller, one can only imagine how much this experience would do to deter those trying out the train for the first time. It seems that VIA managed to avoid any seriously negative press for this incident, but that is likely just indicative of how miniscule their presence is in the Atlantic Canada transportation scene.

VIA RAIL ANNUAL PUBLIC MEETING – NO IMMINENT IMPROVEMENTS FOR ATLANTIC CANADA, BUT OPTIMISM FOR FLEET RENEWAL

VIA’s Annual Public Meeting Q&A confirms that the Ocean will continue to operate without a dome car, not only on the end, but no mid-train Skyline either. PHOTO – Tim Hayman

VIA Rail’s Annual Public Meeting was held on August 9, 2022. You can watch the live stream of the public meeting at the YouTube link below.

As usual, VIA provided an opportunity for questions to be submitted in advance, and answered some of the most commonly asked questions in a separate Q&A Document.

There were a number of questions related to VIA’s Ocean service and the prospect of any improvements in Atlantic Canada. Unsurprisingly, there’s no indication of any plan to expand services – though there was at least some acknowledgement of the interest in increased frequencies within the region. Even less surprising, there was a further reiteration that any plan for the regional services pitched under the tenure of Yves Desjardins-Siciliano has been suspended, with infrastructure issues (i.e. the high demands from CN) cited as the reason for abandoning the project. On that infrastructure note, there are also no plans for work on the Newcastle Sub to improve trip times, though this would seem to be the most obvious way to speed up travel.

On a disappointing note for passengers, the Q&A confirmed that the Ocean will “continue to operate…without a dome car until further notice”, due to “various factors including operational and equipment considerations.” The equipment considerations may very well be related to the state of the electrical equipment and the ongoing need for refurbishment work. Skyline cars – the mid-train domes that would be most appropriate for the bidirectional Ocean train – have mostly not had any major refurbishment work in recent years, although they were included in VIA’s original plans for an update to the carriages on the service. It certainly seems possible that there may not be sufficient cars in decent condition to meet the demands of both the Canadian and Ocean. Regardless of the reason, this means that all passengers on the train will have to suse two Renaissance service cars instead, which are not as attractive.

Though there’s relatively little to be excited about in this update, there is at least a hint of optimism related to plans for much needed long-distance fleet renewal. In response to a question on the topic, VIA provided this answer:


“Long-distance and regional services are closely linked to our mandate, our mission, our vision and the fleet that runs on these routes will need to be replaced since it is no longer reasonable to extend its operational life.
For these reasons, we have submitted a business case to the federal government, and we look forward to working with the appropriate stakeholders in the Government of Canada during the evaluation of this business case.
The replacement of this fleet will allow VIA Rail to provide a more comfortable, reliable, accessible and sustainable travel experience all the while continuing to contribute to the tourism industry and regional economic development.
We look forward to sharing more details on this process in due course.”

VALUE FOR MONEY IS AN ISSUE FOR MARINE ATLANTIC USERS

Vehicles boarding Marine Atlantic’s MV Atlantic Vision at Argentia NL. The company has seen a drop in its customer satisfaction scores in the first part of 2022, but gets its lowest rating by far on value for money. PHOTO – Ted Bartlett

Fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has apparently had a “statistically significant” impact on how the Marine Atlantic ferry service is perceived by its customers. The Crown corporation published the results of its most recent customer satisfaction survey in the July issue of its employee newsletter.

A random sample of between 100 and 200 customers each month is polled on the company’s behalf by Narrative Research, and the results have been encouraging – until recently. The three-month rolling scores from the May 2022 survey show a number of noteworthy declines that are unlikely to have occurred by chance, with a confidence level of 95%. Marine Atlantic is clearly concerned by the numbers, and management evidently hopes that sharing the data with employees will inspire them not to rest on their laurels in what is predicted to be the busiest tourist season in years.

The survey revealed that a respectable 77% of customers are highly satisfied with their ferry experience, but that’s down by nine percentage points from a year ago. Yet 95.6% of users would recommend Marine Atlantic to others – a statistic that changed very little year over year. In the area of reliability, 81.2% provided a positive rating, down 4.8% from 2021.

But the area where customers are most dissatisfied will come as little surprise. Only 60.1% of customers rate Marine Atlantic’s value for money positively. That’s down 11.4% from last year, and clearly reflects a growing public perception that the ferry rates are far higher than they should be.

Although there has not been an increase in passenger fares since 2019, over the past two decades ferry rates have risen at a rate far in excess of the cost-of-living index. It’s not a matter over which the Crown corporation has direct control, as the cost recovery target for the constitutionally-mandated service is dictated by the Government of Canada. It currently stands at 66% – far higher it was in years gone by. It’s an issue that Transport Action Atlantic has been passionate about for quite some time, and continued political pressure will be necessary to prevent further burdensome rate hikes in future years.

-Ted Bartlett

PEI FERRY BURNS, SUBSTITUTE VESSEL FROM QUEBEC ARRIVES

Smoke billows from the MV Holiday Island, as passenger and crew evacuations were completed just outside of Wood Islands PEI. PHOTO – CBC News, Shane Hennessey

The MV Holiday Island, one of the two ferries plying the Northumberland Strait between NS and PEI, ran into serious trouble on July 22, as a fire broke out in the engine room shortly before arrival in PEI. All 225 passengers on board had to be evacuated, with the aid of the vessel’s lifeboats and some local fishermen. Fortunately, there were no injuries to passengers or crew. With the fire still burning, the vessel remained just outside of the harbour at Wood Islands for two days before the fire could be extinguished, and vehicles could finally be offloaded and returned to their owners. The vessel is now sidelined indefinitely, with the extent of the damage and potential for repairs in need of further evaluation.

With one vessel immediately out of service, Northumberland Ferries Ltd. (NFL) adjusted the sailing schedule to allow the MV Confederation to make more trips during the day and pick up some of the slack. A process was also launched to seek out a potential replacement vessel. In impressively short order, NFL was able to track down a suitable substitute vessel from Quebec. The MV Sareema I, a vessel built in Norway in 2010 and used by Société des traversiers du Québec (STQ) on the Traverse Matane – Baie-Comeau – Godbout crossing, travelled to Caribou NS for testing in the first week of August. If the tests go well and the vessel is able to function with the dock infrastructure, the vessel will enter service on the Northumberland crossing as early as mid to late August.

The MV Sareema I is seen docked at Caribou NS next to the MV Confederation. The vessel could be in service as early as late August if tests go well, and will provide a unique experience for travellers on the route while it substitutes for the MV Holiday Island. PHOTO – CBC News, Patrick Morrell

The MV Holiday Island was already slated for replacement in the 2019 federal budget, but delivery of a new vessel was not expected until 2027. At this stage, it isn’t clear if the Holiday Island will be repaired and returned to service, or if some sort of substitute arrangement will be made until its successor is delivered.

DETAILS REMAIN SCANTY ABOUT WESTJET REFOCUS

Following a “strategic review”, WestJet’s new CEO has announced an operational refocus on Western Canada for the airline – but the implications for Atlantic Canada remain vague. PHOTO – Halifax International Airport Authority

WestJet services to, from and within Atlantic Canada appear to be in for some significant changes, but the full extent of the airline’s planned refocusing of its operations remains unclear. Canada’s second-largest airline announced on June 16 that it plans to concentrate its routes and fleet on its home turf in Western Canada.

Chief executive officer Alexis von Hoensbroech, who joined the company in February, made the announcement following a strategic review. “We think the West has more room for growth for us that the East,” he told the Globe and Mail, announcing that the number of flights within eastern Canada will be reduced while schedules and capacity would be boosted in the airline’s western stronghold. The airline claims it will continue to be a national carrier with a significant presence in Eastern Canada, but primarily through direct connections to western cities.

Exactly what this all means for Atlantic Canada is still unclear, more than a month after the announcement. The original media release (which is no longer available on WestJet’s website) did say its regional fleet of Q400 turboprop aircraft would be “shifted and right-sized” to focus on Western Canada. As of this writing, the indefinite cancellation of the carrier’s services linking Fredericton, Charlottetown and Sydney with Toronto effective in October are the only announced changes for the region. But other routes such as Halifax-St. John’s and Moncton-Toronto also use the WestJet Encore turboprops and could potentially be affected as well. And there’s also the question of the trans-Atlantic flights to and from Halifax. This summer has seen the return of direct services from YHZ to London Gatwick, Dublin, Glasgow and Paris. It remains uncertain whether these will survive the refocusing exercise. It’s already known that two of those routes will be ending earlier than their originally-planned October dates, attributed to operational and crewing challenges that are widespread throughout the commercial aviation industry.

Halifax Airport spokesperson Tiffany Chase confirms that no detailed longer-term plans have yet been forthcoming from WestJet. “We remain in discussions with them to identify the opportunities and benefits Halifax Stanfield provides as a strong partner and market going forward, in alignment with their new strategy, as we have successfully done in the past,” she wrote in an e-mail to TAA. “We can’t say what routes may be affected by their new strategy in future or what new opportunities will emerge – it’s early days on those discussions. I wouldn’t want to speculate at this point about the impact on routes that have been traditionally served by WestJet in our market or who else may fill any gaps.”

One player that may be looking for opportunities arising from WestJet’s new strategy is St. John’s-based PAL Airlines. The growing regional carrier now boats a fleet of seven Q400 planes, as well as six smaller aircraft. PAL’s acting director of business development Stephen Short says their concentration is on what he calls “underserved markets” – one of which is connecting New Brunswick and Newfoundland.
Their plans were disrupted by the pandemic, but the airline is now flying direct between Moncton and St. John’s six days a week, with the same aircraft also providing non-stop Moncton-Ottawa service. In addition there are three round trips per week between YQM and YYT with a stop at Deer Lake, and tri-weekly service between Fredericton and St. John’s, also stopping at YDF.

He’s not disclosing any other opportunities PAL might be eyeing, but points out that they have interline agreements with both major national carriers, enjoy good relationships with airports throughout the region, and are nimble enough to adapt quickly to changing market conditions. He adds that they are committed to further growth in New Brunswick, and capacity and schedules will be dictated by demand. Current schedules are in effect until mid-October.

Meanwhile, the region’s largest airport, Halifax Stanfield, has been spared most of the chaos that has plagued major hubs in Canada and around the world. Mountains of lost or unclaimed luggage and hordes of angry passengers have not been a common sight anywhere in Atlantic Canada, but travellers in this part of the country have not been entirely immune from domino effects resulting from crew shortages and terminal overload at Toronto Pearson and Montreal Trudeau.

Tiffany Chase says YHZ views the rebound in traffic as encouraging, despite the uncertainty about WestJet’s future plans. While both major airlines have cut frequencies on some routes as they grapple with crewing and other challenges, seat capacity reduction has been to some extent offset by the use of larger planes.

“We are excited to see more people travelling through the airport again, for leisure, reconnecting with family and friends, and for business purposes, and we will continue to do everything we can to attract and retain air service connections to key markets and destinations around the world for the benefit of our communities,” she said. Passenger traffic through YHZ in June totalled 333,731, about 15% fewer than the same month in pre-pandemic 2019, but up astronomically from the 21,645 passengers handled in June of 2021.

-Ted Bartlett

PUBLIC TRANSIT: STAFFING ISSUES CAUSE HEADACHES, BUT RIDERSHIP CONTINUES TO RETURN

Halifax Transit has been plagued by staffing issues this summer, leading to cancelled trips. PHOTO – CBC News/Robert Short

The summer of 2022 has seen a resurgence of travel and increasing numbers of passengers on public transit systems, but this positive trend has run up against serious staffing issues across the transportation sector. Labour shortages are an issue in virtually every industry at the moment, but transit systems seem particularly hard hit, owing in part to the turbulent years of 2020-2021 and challenging working conditions that persist today. The union representing Halifax Transit drivers has cited poor pay and a demanding work environment, including frequent mandatory overtime, as factors that have left the agency critically short of front line staff.

Halifax Transit has been forced to continue cutting departures, with cancelled trips now in place on more than 50 routes in the system. Though these service cuts have been planned to try to minimize disruptions by focusing on lesser used departures, they are still having a disruptive impact on the travelling public. Halifax Transit has also postponed all but one of the route changes planned for later this year under the Moving Forward Together Plan.

Codiac Transit’s Route 51, also known as the Green Line, now provides high-frequency service from Plaza Boulevard in Moncton’s North End to Champlain Place in Dieppe from 0600 to 2200 on weekdays, running on headways as close as every 13 minutes in peak periods. Most connecting buses operate every 30 minutes, making transit a more attractive option in New Brunswick’s largest urban centre. PHOTO – Ted Bartlett

Despite these challenges, with high gas prices and a continuing return to more aspects of pre-pandemic life, transit agencies throughout the region have been seeing ridership return. Metrobus in St. John’s, NL reported record rider numbers in June, and Greater Moncton’s Codiac Transpo is seeing the same trend as well. Operations manager Alex Grncarovski attributes the upswing to several factors, including the return of many people to their normal workplace, and the high price of gasoline being an incentive to leave cars at home. More frequent service on most routes is also no doubt a contributing factor.

Codiac is also exploring the possibilities for bus electrification, with a study expected to be completed by early 2023. The consultants will determine what’s needed in the way of infrastructure, and identify next steps to get to that point. In the meantime the agency is also having suppliers bring their buses to Moncton for evaluation, including a vehicle that St. John’s is considering for purchase. “Exciting times,” Mr. Grncarovski says.

Back in Halifax, a long-anticipated electronic fare payment system is finally on the way, with a tender out for a mobile fare payment system that could be in place in a few months time. The first phase will involve a mobile app that passengers can use to pay fares and display proof of payment to the driver on boarding. Later phases will move to a more comprehensive electronic fare system, allowing tap card payments on the bus.

TRANSPORT ACTION CANADA LAUNCHES CANADA-WIDE MOTORCOACH SURVEY

Transport Action Canada is inviting Canadians to participate in a research project regarding the public transport needs of Canadians and the state of motorcoach services in Canada following the demise of Greyhound and the impact of the pandemic on Canadian motorcoach operators.

Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey with the information you feel comfortable sharing about your use of motorcoach services, and share this with others across your networks who may also be interested in sharing their views.

TAC Motorcoach Survey