RC105 MarApr2023 - Magazine - Page 34
TRANSPORTATION
it is vital that trackage through urban areas
be upgraded to facilitate higher average
speeds and a smoother ride than that suited
to most existing, freight-only, urban traffic
routes. Precisely aligned, welded rail capable
of withstanding the high axle loading of
freight cars weighing up to 130 tonnes may
be necessary. Slow, rough, and clattering approaches to stations in city centres can reduce
average train speeds, lessen HFR’s appeal to
intercity travelers and annoy local residents.
Trackage shared with freight railways
may also preclude overhead, high-voltage,
electric power catenary. Although there are
routes carrying double-stack containers “under the wires” in the United States, it seems
unacceptable to Canadian Class 1 freight
railways. Unless resolved it would require
hybrid propulsion for HFR trains making
them more expensive and less efficient.
Although the Government of Canada has
funded early-stage work on HFR to the tune
of $396 million and delayed any final goahead until 2026 or 2027, surely the priority
should be to provide Canadian taxpayers
with high-reliability cost estimates, properly
inflated to a realistic in-service date, potentially a decade or so hence. In this regard the HFR
business case submitted to Cabinet in 2021 by
the Joint Project Office and funded at a cost
of $71.1 million, must be made public. The
ongoing level of project financial and technical
transparency should at least emulate that of
Metrolinx for their GO Expansion project.
A realistic order-of-magnitude cost for
the Toronto to Québec City HFR project is
therefore essential before project planning
proceeds in earnest. To properly evaluate
the physical and commercial challenges an
exhaustive SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, and Threats) analysis must
also be prioritised. These are essential elements to ensure the project is viable and does
not expose taxpayers to a blank cheque that
has become the norm in major infrastructure
projects. Somewhat alarming is that federal
Transportation Minister, Omar Alghabra,
recently indicated the project capital cost
remains unknown.
As the competition for federal funds
for climate-related remediation, national
defence, supply-chain improvements, health
care, housing and other national needs
escalates, it is vital to have an informed
discussion on public investment priorities. A
federally funded HFR gravy train that might
eventually hit the cost and political buffers
or end in a scandal, as several light rail projects have done, seems a poor one.
That the entire Windsor-Quebec City corridor requires substantial and urgent investment in much improved passenger rail services is without question. Except for procurement
of the new corridor fleet, VIA Rail Canada has
deteriorated into a rolling museum sustained,
not by successive federal cabinet tinkering and
paucity, but by dedicated customer service
and maintenance staff and users who have
few or no other travel options and/or understand its environmental advantages.
Many will be familiar with Daniel Burnham’s maxim, “Make no little plans. They
have no magic to stir men’s blood …” Intercity passenger rail in Canada requires big
plans. But we should be smart enough not
to have our financial boiler explode far short
of our destination with hopeful passengers
waiting for a train that doesn’t come.
Making the
Difference
Turner & Townsend is the program,
project, and cost management
consultancy behind the delivery of the
world’s largest and most notable
projects.
Our successful track record across the
transportation sector helps to drive
decision-making, innovation, and savings
for our clients. It also makes a difference
to the communities in which we work.
www.turnerandtownsend.com
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RENEW CANADA – MARCH/APRIL 2023
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