New bill could speed up rail service in Canada
Deputies have decided to fight against late trains.
New Democrat MP Taylor Bachrach has introduced a bill that boils down to prioritizing passenger trains over freight trains.
A parliamentarian is proposing amendments to the Canada Transportation Act to require railroad companies to give passenger trains priority fare rights. Otherwise, they would face monetary penalties of up to CA$ 250,000 for each violation.
According to Bachrach, such a simple change will help drastically change the situation of delays and tardiness on the railroad:
"It's a very simple change and it would make a difference towards improving our passenger rail system right across the country."
To prove his point, the official took a train ride from Toronto to Vancouver during the Christmas vacation. At the end of the trip, he said that the train had to "pull over dozens of times" to let freight trains pass. The total travel time took about a day longer than it took 50 years ago.
"If we had passenger priority, that trip would take less time and Via Rail would be able to maintain a reliable schedule that would allow more people to get on the train and know that they're going to arrive at their destination with some level of predictability," he said.
How rail transportation works
VIA Rail is responsible for passenger rail service in Canada. The company owns only 3% of the 12,000 kilometers of track. That means it has to negotiate schedules and pay track owners, including CP, Metrolinx and CN. These are major Canadian carriers that give priority to their own freight trains on their tracks — which have to let passenger trains through.
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