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Caption:
What happened to the Renaissance ( of rail travel ) ?
Westbound VIA powered by GE 2001 built P42DC, #915, breezes under the Newtonville overpass with Renaissance equipment in tow, April 18, 2012 digital by S.Danko
Noteworthy, what happened to the Renaissance:
The VIA 7000 series cars were built 1995 – 1996 by Metropolitan – Cammell ( now Alstrom ) in the U.K., for a proposed NightStar overnight channel tunnel service.
Your federal government spent $130 million to purchase 139 carriages ( cars ), and spent an additional $100 million to complete up to 64 cars for passenger service. Eventually VIA completed up to 94 cars for service – additional costs n/k - after much controversy and a court case regarding accessibility ( the lack thereof ).
At one point, available for VIA service: 14 club cars, 33 coach; 27 sleeper; 17 service (lounge plus one bedroom for disable person approx an additional $50 million to renovate for accessibility?) ; 3 dining cars, plus some 'transition cars' to allow compatibility with North American rail equipment: all semi permanently connected with the euro style couplers.
In addition to the above, the $402 million 2002 federal government Renaissance plan included improvements to the corridor ( QC to Windsor) rail infrastructure ( rail upgrade plus new sidings) to allow VIA trains to operate up to 240 kph ( that is 149 m.p.h.)....what ever happened ?
[ well what happened.....CN got upgraded signaling systems and well manicured mainline sidings to store container trains and the like – at your and my expense and VIA's 240 kph speed limit ? What happened ? ]
The Renaissance deal on the NightStar carriages that your federal government thought they were getting: the Metro – Cammell carriages are seriously flawed for Canadian service - the federal people involved in the buying decision obviously had little understanding of North American rail operating conditions and climate compared to the 'fluffy' euro standards....After all a rail carriage in Europe is a rail car in North America …..right ? [ ….only if you are tourist ! ]
What has happened: Today ( 2021), only two Renaissance cars sets ( approximately 30 carriages ) available for the Ocean service.....the other 109 carriages have been scrapped and /or provide parts.
[ Also happened: in 2021 the same Federal Government people are spending $989 million on 32 new semi permanently coupled train sets. Each set to include a Charger type locomotive powered by a 4000 hp Cummins engine. All designed and built by: Siemens AG – a German conglomerate. The locomotives are a Charger type, a version of the Euro Vectron ( Amtrak has ordered Siemens ALD-42 to replace the GE P42's) . The passenger cars are a derivative of the Viaggio Comfort cars created for Austria’s “RailJet” high performance rail service and a British (!) firm is handling the VIA design! Seimens AG is well known internationally for price fixing and bribery of government officials. Seimens AG has plants around the world and there is a North American manufacturing plant – in the USA; but note that Seimens AG has partnered with Communist China's Zhuzhou Electric for AC locomotive traction components.... ]
What are the chances the Germans, Brits, and Chinese designers and engineers can get the new VIA product right for Canada ?
Long live the GMD London Ontario built ( 1987 – 1988) F40PH-2D's ; now F40PH-3's ! ( rebuilt 2009 – 2012 by CAD Montreal) !
Long live the Bombardier Thunder Bay / Montreal built ( 1981 – 1984 ) L R C 's !
Long live the 1954 era Budd built (mainly ex CPR, 149 remaining of 173) stainless-steel rolling stock !
ok ok the Budd's were built in Philadelphia! …but re-rebuilt with HEP 1990 to 1993 by AMF in Montreal, (yahoo) CANADA !
sdfourty
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![What happened to the Renaissance ( of rail travel ) ?
Westbound VIA powered by GE 2001 built P42DC, #915, breezes under the Newtonville overpass with Renaissance equipment in tow, April 18, 2012 digital by S.Danko
Noteworthy, what happened to the Renaissance:
The VIA 7000 series cars were built 1995 – 1996 by Metropolitan – Cammell ( now Alstrom ) in the U.K., for a proposed NightStar overnight channel tunnel service.
Your federal government spent $130 million to purchase 139 carriages ( cars ), and spent an additional $100 million to complete up to 64 cars for passenger service. Eventually VIA completed up to 94 cars for service – additional costs n/k - after much controversy and a court case regarding accessibility ( the lack thereof ).
At one point, available for VIA service: 14 club cars, 33 coach; 27 sleeper; 17 service (lounge plus one bedroom for disable person approx an additional $50 million to renovate for accessibility?) ; 3 dining cars, plus some 'transition cars' to allow compatibility with North American rail equipment: all semi permanently connected with the euro style couplers.
In addition to the above, the $402 million 2002 federal government Renaissance plan included improvements to the corridor ( QC to Windsor) rail infrastructure ( rail upgrade plus new sidings) to allow VIA trains to operate up to 240 kph ( that is 149 m.p.h.)....what ever happened ?
[ well what happened.....CN got upgraded signaling systems and well manicured mainline sidings to store container trains and the like – at your and my expense and VIA's 240 kph speed limit ? What happened ? ]
The Renaissance deal on the NightStar carriages that your federal government thought they were getting: the Metro – Cammell carriages are seriously flawed for Canadian service - the federal people involved in the buying decision obviously had little understanding of North American rail operating conditions and climate compared to the 'fluffy' euro standards....After all a rail carriage in Europe is a rail car in North America …..right ? [ ….only if you are tourist ! ]
What has happened: Today ( 2021), only two Renaissance cars sets ( approximately 30 carriages ) available for the Ocean service.....the other 109 carriages have been scrapped and /or provide parts.
[ Also happened: in 2021 the same Federal Government people are spending $989 million on 32 new semi permanently coupled train sets. Each set to include a Charger type locomotive powered by a 4000 hp Cummins engine. All designed and built by: Siemens AG – a German conglomerate. The locomotives are a Charger type, a version of the Euro Vectron ( Amtrak has ordered Siemens ALD-42 to replace the GE P42's) . The passenger cars are a derivative of the Viaggio Comfort cars created for Austria’s “RailJet” high performance rail service and a British (!) firm is handling the VIA design! Seimens AG is well known internationally for price fixing and bribery of government officials. Seimens AG has plants around the world and there is a North American manufacturing plant – in the USA; but note that Seimens AG has partnered with Communist China's Zhuzhou Electric for AC locomotive traction components.... ]
What are the chances the Germans, Brits, and Chinese designers and engineers can get the new VIA product right for Canada ?
Long live the GMD London Ontario built ( 1987 – 1988) F40PH-2D's ; now F40PH-3's ! ( rebuilt 2009 – 2012 by CAD Montreal) !
Long live the Bombardier Thunder Bay / Montreal built ( 1981 – 1984 ) L R C 's !
Long live the 1954 era Budd built (mainly ex CPR, 149 remaining of 173) stainless-steel rolling stock !
ok ok the Budd's were built in Philadelphia! …but re-rebuilt with HEP 1990 to 1993 by AMF in Montreal, (yahoo) CANADA !
sdfourty](http://www.railpictures.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/DSC_9433-2-1280x839.jpg "What happened to the Renaissance ( of rail travel ) ?
Westbound VIA powered by GE 2001 built P42DC, #915, breezes under the Newtonville overpass with Renaissance equipment in tow, April 18, 2012 digital by S.Danko
Noteworthy, what happened to the Renaissance:
The VIA 7000 series cars were built 1995 – 1996 by Metropolitan – Cammell ( now Alstrom ) in the U.K., for a proposed NightStar overnight channel tunnel service.
Your federal government spent $130 million to purchase 139 carriages ( cars ), and spent an additional $100 million to complete up to 64 cars for passenger service. Eventually VIA completed up to 94 cars for service – additional costs n/k - after much controversy and a court case regarding accessibility ( the lack thereof ).
At one point, available for VIA service: 14 club cars, 33 coach; 27 sleeper; 17 service (lounge plus one bedroom for disable person approx an additional $50 million to renovate for accessibility?) ; 3 dining cars, plus some 'transition cars' to allow compatibility with North American rail equipment: all semi permanently connected with the euro style couplers.
In addition to the above, the $402 million 2002 federal government Renaissance plan included improvements to the corridor ( QC to Windsor) rail infrastructure ( rail upgrade plus new sidings) to allow VIA trains to operate up to 240 kph ( that is 149 m.p.h.)....what ever happened ?
[ well what happened.....CN got upgraded signaling systems and well manicured mainline sidings to store container trains and the like – at your and my expense and VIA's 240 kph speed limit ? What happened ? ]
The Renaissance deal on the NightStar carriages that your federal government thought they were getting: the Metro – Cammell carriages are seriously flawed for Canadian service - the federal people involved in the buying decision obviously had little understanding of North American rail operating conditions and climate compared to the 'fluffy' euro standards....After all a rail carriage in Europe is a rail car in North America …..right ? [ ….only if you are tourist ! ]
What has happened: Today ( 2021), only two Renaissance cars sets ( approximately 30 carriages ) available for the Ocean service.....the other 109 carriages have been scrapped and /or provide parts.
[ Also happened: in 2021 the same Federal Government people are spending $989 million on 32 new semi permanently coupled train sets. Each set to include a Charger type locomotive powered by a 4000 hp Cummins engine. All designed and built by: Siemens AG – a German conglomerate. The locomotives are a Charger type, a version of the Euro Vectron ( Amtrak has ordered Siemens ALD-42 to replace the GE P42's) . The passenger cars are a derivative of the Viaggio Comfort cars created for Austria’s “RailJet” high performance rail service and a British (!) firm is handling the VIA design! Seimens AG is well known internationally for price fixing and bribery of government officials. Seimens AG has plants around the world and there is a North American manufacturing plant – in the USA; but note that Seimens AG has partnered with Communist China's Zhuzhou Electric for AC locomotive traction components.... ]
What are the chances the Germans, Brits, and Chinese designers and engineers can get the new VIA product right for Canada ?
Long live the GMD London Ontario built ( 1987 – 1988) F40PH-2D's ; now F40PH-3's ! ( rebuilt 2009 – 2012 by CAD Montreal) !
Long live the Bombardier Thunder Bay / Montreal built ( 1981 – 1984 ) L R C 's !
Long live the 1954 era Budd built (mainly ex CPR, 149 remaining of 173) stainless-steel rolling stock !
ok ok the Budd's were built in Philadelphia! …but re-rebuilt with HEP 1990 to 1993 by AMF in Montreal, (yahoo) CANADA !
sdfourty")
For what it’s worth, apparently two Ren sets will be returning to the Quebec City-Ottawa corridor at the end of the month.
I love this description. Your Federal Government. Makes me roll on the floor with laughter the way you say that.
150mph service in the Corridor? Yeah right. Pipe dream there. Lip service. Maybe might make it’s way into an Election Promise. Believe me when I say this. I have been on the TGV, and someone asked me when I got back to compare the 2 systems. I said, and I’ll sanitize this:
“What we have here is f—— b——-!”