VANCOUVER, British Columbia —Mechanical issues, not Canadian National dispatching decisions, caused VIA Rail Canada’s transcontinental flagship Canadian to finally arrive at its West Coast destination at 11:10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 23, more than one day after it was supposed to get there.
The train departed Toronto on Wednesday, Dec. 18, As a result, the eastbound Canadian, which was scheduled to leave Monday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. PST is set to leave for Toronto at 8:00 a.m. Tuesday to allow for servicing.
The episode, occurring during the busy holiday period, illustrates how aging equipment on a far-flung network leaves the passenger carrier vulnerable even when attempting to operate a twice-weekly schedule.
Sources tell Trains News Wire that one of the westbound train’s locomotives became disabled near Capreol, Ontario, about 8 hours into its cross-country journey. With the only suitable substitute motive power back in Toronto, VIA made the decision to bus all 135 passengers to a hotel in nearby Sudbury for the night and most of the following day.
A VIA spokesman told Trains News Wire that the Canadian was operating 39 hours late across northern Ontario, and the crew “was ensuring the comfort and safety of all those onboard.” Interviews conducted by Toronto’s CTV News confirmed that passengers were well taken care of during the long delay. In a statement VIA said that two overheated bearings caused the breakdown, but would not elaborate. The onboard staff was recrewed at Hornepayne, Ont., with employees that would have boarded at Winnipeg.
Although the train departed Winnipeg 41 hours late, abundant recovery time helped progressively cut the margin down to 32 hours by the time it left Jasper, Alberta, at 5:03 p.m. Sunday.
Although VIA normally keeps spare equipment in Vancouver — enough to run an extra May-through-October round-trip to Edmonton, Alta., the company instead chose to delay Monday’s scheduled departure to Tuesday.
Can anyone take this train as a serious form of transportation. To bad Canada isn’t more interested in properly funding what they still have. Amtrak is bad, but not this bad.
When the engine on an Amtrak train breaks down, UP or BNSF can (for a fee) supply a freight engine to keep the train running. But doing so is apparently beyond the capacity of even the best-managed canadian railroads.
Yaa rerouted over CP this mechanical breakdown would not have happened,some
people make stupid comments EH !
VIA normally runs the Canadian with two locomotives, a third is sometimes added on longer trains or power balancing moves. In this instance both locomotives broke down, each with a failed traction motor bearing from what I have heard. VIA’s only other choice would have been to cancel the train entirely, which would have also required cancelling the next No. 2 because there would have been no equipment for it in Vancouver
Well it worked out okay for the passengers who got a “free” night at a hotel. Problem was, there were only 7 beds at the hotel ! !
For Rail Travelers like us this can be a turn-off for riding VIA. Perhaps if that Passenger “Service” were to pay people to ride, there might be more takers? Has this ever been tried? Anywhere?
One question about pirating a freight unit…
Would the remaining VIA unit/units be able to generate enough HEP to maintain hotel services (read “heat”) for the train and provide a safety margin?
VIA 1 was about to head into perhaps the coldest, most remote rail-served area in the Western Hemisphere – in wintertime. Had they gotten into that stretch and lost the other/another HEP unit, VIA could have had a REAL problem on their hands. Un-macho as it might seem, getting the passengers someplace safe and warm until the train had an adequate source of HEP would the only realistic choice here.
Just the risk manager in me thinking out loud 🙂
Think of a less-served airline route. Think of maybe Little Rock to Chicago, or Albuquerque to Denver, or Chattanooga to New York. Imagine on such a route, Airline “A” flies once a day, while Airline “B” flies three times a day. Smart travelers will choose Airline “B” because they want to be more sure of getting where they are going, getting there the same day.
Yet we’re supposed to take seriously a railroad that gets you there twice a week – if at all. Sometimes, not at all.
Sadly we won’t have Mr. Fred Frailey to kick around any more so we won’t have a discussion on his favorite train which some of you adore and some of us (like me) don’t consider a logical choice.
The Canadian is a museum train a Budd dome. People love it! Last month I rode a museum train, TVRM, with a Budd dome – Nashville to Watertown (Tennessee). Everyone aboard had a great time. TVRM seems more reliable than VIA Rail.
Take the EH train!
http://www.cn.ca
http://www.westjet.ca
eh?
Time for re-route over CP