VICTORIA, British Columbia — A group of 13 area mayors have appealed to British Columbia’s premier, seeking funding to restore rail service on the former Esquimalt & Nanaimo line on Vancouver Island.
“The E&N — along with the addition of rapid bus lanes on Highway 1 — will provide significant environmental benefits including a reduction in [greenhouse gases] and will relieve regional gridlock,” the 13 mayors say in letters to Premier John Horgan and Transportation Minister Claire Trevena, the Times-Colonist newspaper reports.
“We call on you to commit to both in this February’s budget,” the letters say. “This region needs your leadership and we are here as mayors to support you and stand with you as you make these important investments in our region.”
David Screech, mayor of View Royal, B.C., told the newspaper it was the first time he could recall all 13 mayors signing onto such a letter, “and I hope the province interprets that as how seriously we mean this.”
Passenger service ended in 2011 — officially, it is suspended — because of concerns over conditions of the right-of-way, and because the once-a-day RDC service was unprofitable. The route is now owned by the Island Corridor Foundation, a partnership between First Nations and local governments along the route.
http://chng.it/GVQ8ht2KkG
I used the service some years ago from Victoria to Nanaimo as a tourist and would do so again as I found it enjoyable and interesting. However it appears to have been built as a freight line without easement or super elevation on the curves for passenger trains. As a result the railcar rounded each curve with a bit of a jerk which was not that pleasant. Still the scenery made up for it as well as the muffin and coffee in Nanaimo.
With so much cheap hydro power available on the island, I would think an electrification from Courtenay to Victoria would be viable.
Most people don’t realize that Victoria is the only Canadian city not to see snow year round and is also a cruise ship stop for many lines.
I can easily see daily cruise based excursions from the downtown. There are tourist shuttles running between the port and downtown regularly.
The one big demerit in Victoria is that the downtown shuts down way too early.
On one cruise stop we were shocked to find almost all the stores were closing at 6pm. We kept asking the store owners, “do you realize there are 2 cruise ships in port, and they are still bringing people into the city?” “No”, they said. They continued “Victoria is a BC government town and government workers go home immediately and don’t hang around, so we don’t stay open”.
So that might be part of the problem right there. Just to inwardly focused.
This line would rank very far down my list of priorities for restoring Canadian passenger train services. Victoria is a small city, on an island. A very large percentage of its people are retired so have no need for commuter service. Since it is on an island the train, if restored, could not connect with any other train. Lord Dufferin, who was governor general of Canada in the 1870s when the E&N was first proposed, said it was a waste of money. Lord Dufferin was right.
The Malahat, which was operated by Via Rail, used Budd RDCs and ran until 2011. It was discontinued due to an allegation of unsafe track conditions and is officially “suspended”. However the history of Via Rail is that once a service is “suspended” it is unlikely that service will ever be reinstated.
Having said that, in the Victoria area during rush hour there is congestion and gridlock to rival anything I have seen in Los Angeles, Mexico City, or Manila. Anything that will help would be welcome.
Can the trackage in question be rehabilitated for a reasonable cost? I don’t know. Will Via Rail, who technically still operates the service, get in the way? I don’t know although I suspect it is a good bet.
And then there is the rest of the island to consider. The line runs through Duncan, Chemainus, Ladysmith, Nanaimo, Parksville (where it connects with the Alberni Pacific), Qualicum Beach, and Courtenay. I don’t know what the potential for freight traffic is (and what the options for a car float to the mainland are) but as for passenger traffic, pretty much the only alternative right now is automobile, a very poor bus service, or a charter from Harbour Air (formerly Baxter Aviation out of Nanaimo).
Even with that, there are various vested interests to consider including but not limited to some fairly militant First Nations bands. Not to mention hot and cold running NIMBYs.
Will the Malahat ever run again? I would like to think so. Would it relieve the congestion in the greater Victoria area? It won’t eliminate it but this proposal might help.
The above comments are general in nature and do not form the basis for an attorney/client relationship. They do not constitute legal advice. I am not your attorney. Find your own damn lawyer.
this could happen sooner if the Mayors are willing to pay for service in their community from community funds.
I traveled on the island last summer. It appeared that the bridge connection to downtown Victoria has been replaced by a new highway bridge and rail tracks are no longer visible in the vicinity. Elsewhere on the island it appears that they do some weed spraying on the line to keep down the underbrush.
Too little, way too late
JOHN – AOC has also said that she can fund medical care for all out of “Pentagon waste”. Never mind it would cost more than the military has spent (waste or not) since it was commanded by George Washington.
What are these 13 mayors worried about. According to Socialist AOC, 99% of the cars will be gone in ten years. Plane travel will be obsolete. And high speed rail will connect every small town. Problem solved. 🙂
She also said the use of oil, gas & nuclear energy will all be replaced by wind-solar. Interesting she didn’t mention coal. Maybe we’ll see the return to coal fired steam engines. That would be pretty cool.
Who would have guessed that a bar tender from NY would have the world’s problems solved.
Why waste your time with this GASSES thing GLOBAL WARMING thing
when MAN ( always a failure) tries to play GOD –
the GRAND ARCHITECK OF THE UNIVERSE will prevail !
“A reduction in greenhouse gases.” Yeah, right. Has anyone done a study to that effect, considering rebuilding of the line, bring in equipment, operating diesel trains which may be half full or less, crew positioning from home by private automobile, line maintenance by highway vehicles, non-revenue movement of the equipment, three-seat travel (two by automobile, the middle one by train) compared to direct travel on a likely shorter route by car.
I’m sorry, this won’t pass the smell test for greenhouse gas reduction. If any change at all, it would increase greenhouse gas use. Trains have their utility on all routes including low-volume routes, and that’s well and good. The environmental benefits show up only on high volume corridors.
I can’t resist commenting on some of the other comments.
Mr. Symonds: Greenhouse gases are part of the subject, because the 13-mayoral letter claims that restoration of rail service will provide a reduction in greenhouse gases. Whether they have any basis for making that claim is not evident in the article.
Mr. McFarland: It always amazes me how individuals can accuse those with whom they disagree as lacking science knowledge without providing any scientific evidence themselves. Could restoration of rail service reduce greenhouse gases? Possibly. Would it? I doubt even an unbiased study by an independent outsider could provide a definitive answer. There are just too many ancillary factors that are difficult to accurately forecast.
I am always suspicious of arguments that invoke specious, unsubstantiated reasons for supporting it. Would rail service relieve highway gridlock? Seems plausible since the connection is pretty straightforward. Would rail service boost tourism? Again this seems like a possibility based on experiences elsewhere (although certainly not all have been successful). So there are a number of reasonable reasons to consider restoration of rail passenger service, although these would need to be balanced against the economics. However, would rail service reduce greenhouse gases? A very simple first analysis might suggest it would, but there are too many interconnected factors to put much reliance in such a simple approach.
Including too many supporting reasons can backfire, and destroy any credibility the argument might otherwise have. I seem to recall that about a decade or two ago, some city council in California (where else?) was considering an ordinance to ban styrofoam cups and plates in city parks since they are not biodegradable — a reasonable position. However, some eager-beaver scientifically-illiterate assistant apparently went online and found an additional reason to ban styrofoam (which then was included as part of the reason to support the proposed ban); he/she discovered that the manufacture of styrofoam involved the use of the dangerous chemical di-hydrogen monoxide. (And if you’re not familiar with di-hydrogen monoxide, there are a number of websites detailing all the dangers associated with it!)
GOOD LUCK !
TRACK IS IN TERRIBLE SHAPE . REQUIRES COMPLETE REBUILD
NO POLITICAL GRAIN SO LIKELY WILL NOT HAPPEN.
COMMON SENCE DOES NOT PREVAIL – POLITICS DOES.
Never mind the gasses ………….. get back to the subject !
DARRYL – In no way am I opposed to the train. I am just saying there’s no way it lessens greenhouse gas. Train supporters should support a train on its merits, not some pixie-dust “green” fantasy.
In answer to your question, no have never been to Victoria Island (or anywhere else in the Pacific Northwest, USA or Canada). I had a grad-school buddy who lived there and went to UniVic undergraduate.
Charles – ever been to Victoria, BC, or Colwood, or Langford, or Duncan BC? Ever heard of the “Colwood Crawl”? There are huge weekday traffic jams for people getting to/from Victoria from the western suburbs. The E&N runs right through that area, and is unused.
Thanks, Gerald. Do you have any facts to offer me? I’d be glad to read them.
Charles,
I’m afraid your science knowledge is clearly lacking on this subject, however, I also deem it impossible to educate you on the facts based on your historical posting on this site, so I won’t bother.