VIA Commuter Rail for Halifax

This could be interesting. It's being reported that VIA will make a proposal to the Halifax Regional Municipality to operate a Commuter Rail service:

http://www.metronews.ca/news/halifax/2016/07/15/on-track-for-commuter-rail-via-eyeing-service-for-hrm.html

Nothing new to report on VIA's Regional Rail service they proposed last fall between Halifax-Moncton-Campbellton. Perhaps the two will be tied together.

Very interesting....I didn't know VIA was looking to get into the commuter rail business. I wonder how the tracks (CN?) owner's view this proposal......

More good news for VIA, the Trudeau Government seems to have really changed the climate for rail in Canada!

Would it be similar to the GO Train Operations in Toronto or more like METRA in Chicago?

And any ideas on extending it so connections can be made with the Ferry to/from Maine??

Bob Dylan said:

And any ideas on extending it so connections can be made with the Ferry to/from Maine??

Click to expand...

Proposal is to go as far as Windsor Jct on CN's mainline about 16 miles out of Halifax. If service was restored on an additional couple of miles on the old Dominion Atlantic Railway beyond Windsor Jct., trains could reach the fast growing suburban community of Lower Sackville/Beaver Bank.

I don't see any chance of trains connecting with the Maine Ferry. It would require re-laying a couple of hundred miles of track to Yarmouth either via the South Shore route (CN) or through the Annapolis Valley.....the former Dominion Atlantic. The track is still in to nearly Kentville on the DAR (now Windsor & Hantsport Railway) but hasn’t seen a train in 7 or 8 years.

A year or less? I'd beg for such a turnaround for a new service here! Looking forward to chatting face-to-face in a month Gary.

The initial meeting has gone well. The mention of existing vehicles and the low operating costs suggests to me that this will initially be operated with an RDC.

Global News: Halifax transportation committee backs talks with Via Rail for commuter rail

Councillors on the Transportation Standing Committee voted unanimously in favour of launching formal discussions to bring commuter rail to Halifax.

...

Via Rail already owns the cars that would be needed for the route, so Outhit said compared to light-rail and subways, the costs would be very low.

Last year’s report on commuter rail said startup costs would run between $36 million and $62 million, and estimated the annual operating cost would be in the order of $8 million. However, Outhit said Via Rail’s proposal is cheaper than that.

Click to expand...

Word on the street is Via is shopping around the RDCs from the suspended indefinitely Vancouver Island service.

TheMalahat said:

Word on the street is Via is shopping around the RDCs from the suspended indefinitely Vancouver Island service.

Click to expand...

According to their fleet page, VIA have 3 x RDC1, 2 x RDC2 and one freight RDC4. How many are based in Sudbury? And where have the Victoria Island vehicles been stored since service was suspended?