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112-482: Via Rail Canada Inc. ( reporting mark VIA ) ( / ˈ v iː ə / ), operating as Via Rail or Via (stylized as VIA Rail ), is a Canadian national transportation agency. It is a Crown corporation that operates intercity passenger rail service in Canada. As of December 2023, Via Rail operates 406 trains per week across eight Canadian provinces and 12,500 kilometres (7,800 mi) of track, 97 percent of which

224-510: A 1,500-foot wharf had been constructed. The port possesses the deepest ice -free natural harbour in North America, and the 3rd deepest natural harbour in the world. Situated at 54° North, the harbour is the northwesternmost port in North America linked to the continent's railway network. The port is the first inbound and last outbound port of call for some cargo ships travelling between eastern Asia and western North America since it

336-695: A 2-digit code indicating the vehicle's register country . The registered keeper of a vehicle is now indicated by a separate Vehicle Keeper Marking (VKM), usually the name of the owning company or an abbreviation thereof, which must be registered with the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF) and the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) and which is unique throughout Europe and parts of Asia and Northern Africa. The VKM must be between two and five letters in length and can use any of

448-611: A business, it is hindered by the fact that it was created by an Order in Council and not from legislation passed by Parliament . Had Via been enabled by legislation, the company would be permitted to seek funding on the open money markets as other Crown corporations such as CN have done in the past. It is largely for this reason that critics say Via—like Amtrak in the United States—is vulnerable to federal budget cuts and continues to answer first to its political masters, as opposed to

560-516: A connection to a second Via train had been missed. As such, compensation costs were factored into Via's 2018 budget. By the end of 2018, the full route time on the Canadian had been increased twice to absorb freight delays. The second extension – to five days – has been mostly successful in decreasing delays, and also allowed for a daytime transit of Hells Gate in BC, previously transversed overnight in

672-506: A contract since 31 December 2006. Full service resumed on 27 July. An additional strike by the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) union, representing around 2,200 employees, was planned to begin on 4 July 2010, but was called off after the union and Via reached a three-year contract. Via experienced more service cuts at the dawn of the 2010s. In March 2011, the daily Victoria–Courtenay The Malahat RDC service on Vancouver Island

784-483: A dedicated track between Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City, offering more frequent trains (although running at conventional speeds). In Ontario, Via would run a new rail line on currently underused tracks from Toronto to Ottawa through Peterborough instead of Kingston. In Quebec, corridor trains would travel from Montreal to Quebec City through Trois-Rivières on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River rather than on

896-457: A fish plant and a significant population decline. 2005 may be viewed as a critical turning point: the announcement of the construction of a container port in April 2005, combined with new ownership of the pulp mill, the opening in 2004 of a new cruise ship dock , the resurgence of coal and grain shipping, and the prospects of increased heavy industry and tourism may foretell a bright future for

1008-608: A fleet of unused passenger cars which had been built for planned Nightstar sleeper services between locations in the United Kingdom and Continental Europe via the Channel Tunnel were purchased and adapted following the cancellation of the Nightstar project. The new " Renaissance " cars were swiftly nicknamed déplaisance ("displeasure") by French-speaking employees and customers, due to early problems adapting

1120-592: A handful of LRC locomotives remained in service which were subsequently retired by the arrival of the GE Genesis locomotives in 2001). The election of Brian Mulroney 's Progressive Conservative government in 1984 brought an initial friend to Via, when several of Mulroney's commitments included rescinding the Via cuts of 1981 by restoring the Super Continental (under pressure from his western caucus), and

1232-464: A hyphen. Some examples: When a vehicle is sold it will not normally be transferred to another register. The Czech railways bought large numbers of coaches from ÖBB. The number remained the same but the VKM changed from A-ÖBB to A-ČD. The UIC introduced a uniform numbering system for their members based on a 12-digit number, largely known as UIC number . The third and fourth digit of the number indicated

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1344-574: A mainline that runs to Prince Rupert from Valemount, British Columbia . At Valemount, the Prince Rupert mainline joins the CN mainline from Vancouver . Freight traffic on the Prince Rupert mainline consists primarily of grain, coal, wood products, chemicals, and as of 2007, containers. As the renovations at the Port of Prince Rupert continue, traffic on CN will steadily rise in future years. In addition,

1456-412: A maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII ( severe ), broke windows and swayed buildings on August 22. In summer 1958, Prince Rupert endured a riot over racial discrimination. Ongoing discontent with heavy-handed police practices towards Aboriginals escalated to rioting during BC centennial celebrations following the arrest of an Aboriginal couple. As many as 1,000 people (one-tenth of the city's population at

1568-404: A minimal service through the 1970s, with the government subsidizing up to 80 percent of losses. CN, being a Crown corporation at that time, was encouraged by the federal government and political interests to invest in passenger trains. Innovative marketing schemes such as Red, White, and Blue fares, new equipment such as scenic dome cars and rail diesel cars , and services such as Rapido and

1680-411: A negative COVID test was also considered an alternate to show proof of vaccine prior to boarding. On March 9, 2022, Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra announced that the federal government would seek private proposals for operation of the proposed High Frequency Rail corridor. Labour union Unifor criticized this move, calling it a first step toward eventual privatization of Via Rail, and launched

1792-547: A passenger train again in his life. The Mulroney cuts allowed Via to consolidate its fleet of cars and locomotives, resulting in a fleet of refurbished stainless steel ( HEP -1 and HEP-2 rebuilds) and LRC cars, as well as rationalizing its locomotive fleet with GM and Bombardier (LRC) units. Via was not spared from further cutbacks in Jean Chrétien 's Liberal government elected in 1993. Minister of Finance Paul Martin 's first budget in 1994 saw further Via cuts which saw

1904-700: A predecessor of the CNW, from which the UP inherited it. Similarly, during the breakup of Conrail , the long-retired marks of the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) and New York Central Railroad (NYC) were temporarily brought back and applied to much of Conrail's fleet to signify which cars and locomotives were to go to CSX (all cars labeled NYC) and which to Norfolk Southern (all cars labeled PRR). Some of these cars still retain their temporary NYC marks. Because of its size, this list has been split into subpages based on

2016-696: A result of the freight train crew missing a signal light, resulting in 23 deaths. By the late 1980s, inflation and other rising costs were taking their toll on federal budgets and in the Mulroney government's 1989 budget , Via again saw its budget slashed by $ 1 billion, surpassing even the 1981 cuts under Trudeau. Minister of Transport Benoît Bouchard oversaw the reduction in service on 15 January 1990, when Via's operations were reduced by 55 percent. The privatization of CN rail in 1995 also negatively affected service as it resulted in an effective monopoly, with Via trains having to yield to CN trains. Services such as

2128-424: A significant concern for maintaining on-time service. This issue arose due to typical siding sizes, which were not long enough to accommodate modern freight trains. Passenger trains were consequently placed on sidings whenever two trains passed (rather than freights), which meant that passenger trains did not have priority on CN lines. The issue existed in all parts of the Via network, although it became most extreme on

2240-725: A significant investment in the Voyageur Colonial Bus Lines , an intercity bus line in Quebec and eastern Ontario that was a key competitor of Via. Routes cut under the Martin government included the seasonal Bras d'Or tourist train, which ran for the last time in September 2004, and the Montreal-Toronto overnight Enterprise , which was discontinued in September 2005. The Sarnia-Chicago International

2352-460: A softwood lumber dispute arose between Canada and the USA. After the pulp mill closed, many people were unemployed, and much modern machinery was left unused. After reaching a peak of about 18,000 in the early 1990s, Prince Rupert's population began to decline, as people left in search of work. The years from 1996 to 2004 were difficult for Prince Rupert, with closure of the pulp mill, the burning down of

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2464-559: A temporary building in 1922. Local politicians used the promise of a highway connected to the mainland as an incentive, and the city grew over the next several decades. US troops finally completed the road between Prince Rupert and Terrace during World War II to help move thousands of allied troops to the Aleutian Islands and the Pacific. Several forts were built to protect the city at Barrett Point and Fredrick Point. After

2576-655: A three times weekly Jasper – Prince Rupert train operated by Via Rail connects Prince Rupert with Prince George and Jasper . Running during daylight hours to allow passengers to be able to see the scenery along the entire route; the service takes two days and requires an overnight hotel stay in Prince George . The route ends in Jasper and connects passengers with Via's The Canadian , which runs between Toronto and Vancouver . Telephone, mobile, and Internet service are provided by CityWest (formerly CityTel). CityWest

2688-419: A tremendous variety of equipment — much of it in need of replacement — and operated routes stretching from Sydney, Nova Scotia to Prince Rupert, British Columbia and north to Churchill, Manitoba . Over 150 scheduled trains per week were in operation, including transcontinental services, regional trains, and corridor services. While Via remains an independent federal Crown corporation mandated to operate as

2800-459: A weekly tourist train, the Bras d'Or , returned Via service to Cape Breton Island for the first time since the 1990 cuts, and a commitment was made to continue operating on Vancouver Island , but western Canada continued to languish with the only service provided by the Canadian and a few remote service trains in northern BC and Manitoba. In a significant new funding program dubbed "Renaissance",

2912-604: Is Canada's wettest city , with 2,620 mm (103 in) of annual precipitation on average, of which 2,530 mm (100 in) is rain. In addition, 240 days per year receive at least some measurable precipitation, and there are only 1230 hours of sunshine per year, so it is regarded as the municipality in Canada that receives the lowest amount of sunshine annually. Tourist brochures boast about Prince Rupert's "100 days of sunshine". However, Stewart, British Columbia , receives even less sunshine, at 985 sunshine hours per year. Out of Canada's 100 largest cities, Prince Rupert has

3024-896: Is a member of the New Democratic Party . In the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia , Prince Rupert is a large portion of the North Coast riding. Jennifer Rice is the Member of the Legislative Assembly . She is a member of the New Democratic Party of British Columbia . The NDP traditionally has strong support in the region. Prince Rupert is in BC School District 52 along with Port Edward . A Coast Mountain College campus

3136-515: Is co-located with the Prince Rupert railway station , from which Via Rail offers a thrice-weekly Jasper – Prince Rupert train , connecting to Prince George and Jasper , and through a connection with The Canadian , to the rest of the continental passenger rail network. The Prince Rupert Port Authority is responsible for the port's operation. Much of the harbour is formed by the shelter provided by Digby Island, which lies windward of

3248-508: Is located at 353 5th St. that also serves as a campus for the University of Northern British Columbia . Prince Rupert relies on the fishing industry, port, and tourism. A belief at the beginning of the 1900s that trade expansion was shifting from Atlantic to Pacific destinations, and the benefit of being closer to Asia than existing west coast ports, proved wishful. Reduced transit times to eastern North America and Europe did not outweigh

3360-680: Is owned and maintained by other railway companies, mostly by Canadian National Railway (CN). Via Rail carried approximately 4.1 million passengers in 2023, 96 percent of which were along the Corridor routes connecting the major cities of the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor , and had an on-time performance of 85.4 per cent. Attracting international tourism forms an important part of Via Rail's long distance trans-continental services. Yearly passenger levels on Canada's passenger trains peaked at 60 million during World War II . Following

3472-537: Is owned by the City of Prince Rupert. CityWest provides long-distance telephone service, as does Telus . In September 2005, the city changed CityTel from a city department into an independent corporation named CityWest. The new corporation immediately purchased the local cable company, Monarch Cablesystems , expanding CityWest's customer base to other northwest British Columbia communities. Since January 2008, Rogers Communications has offered GSM and EDGE service in

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3584-412: Is rare and the snow normally melts within a few days, although individual snowstorms may bring copious amounts of snow. Wind speeds are relatively strong, with prevailing winds blowing from the southeast. The highest temperature ever recorded in Prince Rupert was 32.2 °C (90.0 °F) on 6 June 1958. The lowest temperature ever recorded was −24.4 °C (−11.9 °F) on 4 January 1965. In

3696-489: Is stenciled on each piece of equipment, along with a one- to six-digit number. This information is used to uniquely identify every such rail car or locomotive, thus allowing it to be tracked by the railroad it is traveling over, which shares the information with other railroads and customers. In multinational registries, a code indicating the home country may also be included. The Association of American Railroads (AAR) assigns marks to all carriers, under authority granted by

3808-516: Is the closest North American port to key Asian destinations. The CN Aquatrain barge carries rail cargo between Prince Rupert and Whittier, Alaska . Passenger ferries operating from Prince Rupert include BC Ferries ' service to the Haida Gwaii and to Port Hardy on Vancouver Island , and Alaska Marine Highway ferries to Ketchikan , Juneau and Sitka and many other ports along Alaska's Inside Passage . The Prince Rupert Ferry Terminal

3920-489: The Atlantic (under pressure from his eastern caucus and then- Saint John mayor Elsie Wayne ). Prime Minister Mulroney's government gave Via funding to refurbish some of its cars, and purchase new locomotives, this time a more reliable model from General Motors diesel division. It was during this time on 8 February 1986, that Via's eastbound Super Continental collided with a CN freight train near Hinton, Alberta , as

4032-600: The Super Continental were again discontinued, along with numerous disparate rural services such as in Nova Scotia 's Annapolis Valley and Cape Breton Island , western Canada , and in the corridor. The Canadian was also moved from its home rails on CP to the northerly CN route (previously plied by the Super Continental ). The shift to the less populated route between Toronto and Vancouver severed major western cities such as Regina and Calgary from

4144-521: The 2001 Canadian census , among Canadian municipalities with a population of 5,000 or more, Prince Rupert had the highest percentage of First Nations population. According to the 2021 census , religious groups in Prince Rupert included: Prince Rupert is part of the Skeena—Bulkley Valley federal riding (electoral district). Taylor Bachrach is the Member of Parliament for the riding, and

4256-447: The 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada , Prince Rupert had a population of 12,300 living in 5,072 of its 5,747 total private dwellings, a change of 0.7% from its 2016 population of 12,220. With a land area of 66 km (25 sq mi), it had a population density of 186.4/km (482.7/sq mi) in 2021. Population by age group ( 2001 Canadian census and BC Stats Population Estimates, 2004): As of

4368-527: The Alaska Panhandle , the Haida Gwaii , and isolated communities along the central coast to the south. Prince Rupert Airport (YPR/CYPR) is on Digby Island . Its position is 54°17′10″N 130°26′41″W  /  54.28611°N 130.44472°W  / 54.28611; -130.44472 , and its elevation is 35 m (115 ft) ) above sea level. The airport consists of one runway , one passenger terminal , and two aircraft stands. Access to

4480-604: The Atlantic 's service were Sherbrooke , Quebec, and Saint John, New Brunswick , where the only two Progressive Conservative Party Members of Parliament in Canada were elected in the 1993 federal election in which Chrétien's Liberal Party took power. The Ocean service which was preserved currently operates on track between Montreal and Halifax running through the lower St. Lawrence River valley and northern New Brunswick. The Minister of Transport in Chrétien's government at

4592-633: The Auditor-General of Canada , under the Financial Administration Act . As a federal Crown corporation , Via Rail Canada Inc. operates under the Canada Business Corporations Act and is subject to income taxes, should a profit ever be declared by it. The corporation had $ 9,300,000 in share capital as of 2018. Via also received $ 394.4 million of government funding in 2018. Via has explored

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4704-472: The Canadian , where delays increased from an average of five hours to as much as 50 over the four-day journey. Via ultimately addressed the issue by eliminating its late policy on its cross-Canada trains but retaining it for the Corridor routes. However, Via continues to compensate inconvenienced guests with necessary hotel accommodations prior to the journey, as well as ensuring continued transportation where

4816-490: The Department of National Defence the power to administer and maintain facilities to collect data for communications research. The Royal Canadian Navy was allotted forty positions, seven of which were in Prince Rupert. In either 1948 or 1949, Prince Rupert ceased operations, and the positions were relocated to RCAF Station Whitehorse , Yukon. The 1949 Queen Charlotte earthquake , with a surface wave magnitude of 8.1 and

4928-467: The Port of Vancouver 's. Unlike most west coast ports, there is little traffic congestion at Prince Rupert. Finally, the extremely mountainous nature and narrow channels of the surrounding area leaves Prince Rupert as the only suitable port location in the inland passage region. The Prince Rupert Port Authority (PRPA) is a federally appointed agency which administers and operates various port properties on

5040-557: The U.S. Surface Transportation Board , Transport Canada , and Mexican Government. Railinc , a subsidiary of the AAR, maintains the active reporting marks for the North American rail industry. Under current practice, the first letter must match the initial letter of the railroad name. As it also acts as a Standard Carrier Alpha Code , the reporting mark cannot conflict with codes in use by other nonrail carriers. Marks ending with

5152-587: The UAC TurboTrain trains temporarily increased numbers of passengers, reversing previous declines. These increases proved temporary; by 1977, total passenger numbers had dropped below five million. The decline of passenger rail became a federal election issue in 1974 when the government of Pierre Trudeau promised to implement a nationwide carrier similar to Amtrak in the United States. Starting in 1976, CN began branding its passenger services with

5264-460: The attack on Pearl Harbor , the Canadian government planned to level off Mount Hays, the largest mountain to the southeast of the city, to allow for a potential airstrip due to its tactical location and advantage. After World War II, the fishing industry, particularly for salmon and halibut , and forestry became the city's major industries. Prince Rupert was considered the halibut capital of

5376-499: The 2019 federal budget did not include a final decision for new funds for HFR. However, in January 2020 Via announced the hiring of a joint venture of engineering firms AECOM and Arup to undertake a detailed engineering study of the proposal. The Toronto city council passed a motion supporting the project on March 30, 2023. Reporting mark In North America , the mark, which consists of an alphabetic code of two to four letters,

5488-513: The 26 letters of the Latin alphabet . Diacritical marks may also be used, but they are ignored in data processing (for example, Ö is treated as though it is O ). The VKM is preceded by the code for the country (according to the alphabetical coding system described in Appendix 4 to the 1949 convention and Article 45(4) of the 1968 convention on road traffic), where the vehicle is registered and

5600-559: The Arts"). These developments marked the town's changes from a fishing and mill town into a small city. In the 1990s, both the fishing and forestry industries suffered a significant downturn. In July 1997, Canadian fishermen blockaded the Alaska Marine Highway ferry M/V Malaspina , keeping it in the port as a protest in the salmon fishing rights dispute between Alaska and British Columbia. The forest industry declined when

5712-483: The Auditor General's report was the fact that Via was used as one of several federal government departments, agencies, and Crown corporations to funnel these illicit funds. Forced to act on the Auditor General's report due to its political implications, Martin's government suspended Via President Marc LeFrançois on 24 February 2004, giving him an ultimatum of several days to defend himself against allegations in

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5824-475: The GTP, whose business plan made little sense, was primarily responsible for the bankruptcy of the company, and the establishment of a town that would take decades to achieve even a small fraction of the promises touted. Mount Hays, the larger of two mountains on Kaien Island, is named in his honour, as is a local high school, Charles Hays Secondary School . The Prince Rupert station , a listed historic place, replaced

5936-544: The Get Canada Back on Track campaign to raise awareness and call for "a legislative framework that protects public, accessible, safe passenger rail and directs immediate public investments" to service improvements. In addition to using commercial logos, Via Rail is one of several Crown corporations that has been granted heraldic symbols by the Canadian Heraldic Authority . The coat of arms

6048-615: The Prince Rupert Harbour area spans at least 5,000 years. About 1500 B.C. there was a significant population increase, associated with larger villages and house construction. The early 1830s saw a loss of Coast Tsimshian (Ts'msyen) influence in the Prince Rupert Harbour area. Prince Rupert replaced Port Simpson as the choice for the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (GTP) western terminus. It also replaced Port Essington , 29 km (18 mi) away on

6160-618: The VKM BLS. Example for an "Einheitswagen" delivered in 1957: In the United Kingdom, prior to nationalisation, wagons owned by the major railways were marked with codes of two to four letters, these codes normally being the initials of the railway concerned; for example, wagons of the Great Western Railway were marked "G W"; those of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway were marked "L M S", etc. The codes were agreed between

6272-558: The ability to deliver in a timely fashion, the quality of the product offering, and the price. The new fleet will consist of Siemens SC-42 locomotives hauling a combination of coaches, business-class cars, and cab cars from the Siemens Venture series to allow bi-directional operation. The trains will be built at Siemens plant in Sacramento, California , and Siemens committed to including at least 20 percent Canadian content in

6384-541: The acquiring company discontinues the name or mark of the acquired company, the discontinued mark is referred to as a "fallen flag" railway. Occasionally, long-disused marks are suddenly revived by the companies which now own them. For example, in recent years, the Union Pacific Railroad has begun to use the mark CMO on newly built covered hoppers, gondolas and five-bay coal hoppers. CMO originally belonged to Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway ,

6496-546: The airport is typically achieved by a bus connection that departs from downtown Prince Rupert (Highliner Hotel) and travels to Digby Island by ferry. The airport is served by Air Canada from Vancouver International Airport (YVR). Prince Rupert is also served by the Prince Rupert/Seal Cove Water Aerodrome , a seaplane facility with regularly scheduled, as well as chartered, flights to nearby villages and remote locations. CN Rail has

6608-428: The area. The port is becoming an important trans-Pacific hub. Prince Rupert is on Kaien Island (approximately 770 km (480 mi) northwest of Vancouver ), just north of the mouth of Skeena River , and linked by a short bridge to the mainland. The city is along the island's northwestern shore, fronting on Prince Rupert Harbour . It lies at similar latitudes to Cumbria and the city of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in

6720-424: The autumn months. Winters are chilly and damp, but warmer than most locations at a similar latitude, due to Pacific moderation: The January daily mean is 2.4 °C (36.3 °F), although frosts and blasts of cold Arctic air from the northeast are not uncommon. Snow amounts are moderate for Canadian standards, averaging 126 cm (50 in) and occurring mostly from December to March. Snowfall in Prince Rupert

6832-538: The bilingual name Via or Via CN. The Via logo began to appear on CN passenger locomotives and cars, while still carrying CN logos as well. That September, Via published a single timetable with information on both CN and CP trains, marking the first time that Canadians could find all major passenger trains in one publication. In 1977, CN underwent a dramatic restructuring when it placed various non-core freight railway activities into separate subsidiaries, such as ferries under CN Marine , and passenger trains under Via Rail which

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6944-423: The business decisions needed to ensure the viability of intercity passenger rail service. In 1981, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau 's government endorsed Minister of Transport Jean-Luc Pépin 's plan which slashed Via's budget, leading to a 40 percent reduction in the company's operations. Frequently sold-out trains such as the Super Continental and the popular Atlantic were discontinued. The retrenchment of

7056-540: The city and contains the Prince Rupert Airport . The city is on Kaien Island and the harbour also includes Tuck Inlet, Morse Basin, Wainwright Basin, and Porpoise Harbour, as well as part of the waters of Chatham Sound which takes in Ridley Island. Prince Rupert is ideally located for a port, having the deepest natural harbour depths on the continent. The city's port capacity is comparable with

7168-532: The city's downtown station as far as Windsor Junction . However, in June 2019, Halifax regional council voted unanimously to direct staff "not to pursue commuter rail service further ... due to infrastructure requirements and associated financial implications, as well as operational considerations and restraints". Via developed a $ 4.4 billion high-frequency rail (HFR) service plan as a response to delays faced by sharing tracks with freight trains. The plan opts for

7280-576: The coolest summer, with an average high of 15.67 °C (60.21 °F). Winters in Prince Rupert are mild by Canadian standards, with the average afternoon temperature in December, January and February being 5.2 °C (41.4 °F), which is the tenth warmest in Canada, surpassed only by other British Columbia cities. Summers are mild and comparatively less rainy, with an August daily mean of 13.8 °C (56.8 °F). Spring and autumn are not particularly well-defined; rainfall nevertheless peaks in

7392-530: The corridor, and re-allocate the HEP2 and corridor-based HEP1 cars to other parts of the network. On October 30, 2021, Via Rail implemented a mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policy in line with new Transport Canada regulations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which required all Via Rail staff and passengers aged 12 and older to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to travel aboard Via Rail trains. Until November 30

7504-500: The creation of Via Rail included those offered by BC Rail , Algoma Central Railway , Ontario Northland Railway , Quebec North Shore & Labrador Railway , various urban commuter train services operated by CN and CP, and remaining CN passenger services in Newfoundland . At this time, Via did not own any trackage and had to pay right-of-way fees to CN and CP, sometimes being the only user of rural branch lines. Via initially had

7616-406: The dark. The scheduled increased running time actually resulted in the Canadian arriving early on several occasions. However, Toronto–Vancouver service frequencies were reduced to only twice weekly during peak summer period, with a third Toronto–Edmonton run suspended entirely. [clear] On 12 December 2018, Via announced that it had awarded a contract to Siemens Canada for 32 train sets to replace

7728-425: The entire Quebec City-Windsor Corridor fleet. This marked the completion of a procurement process launched following the 2018 federal budget, which allocated funding for the fleet replacement. During the request-for-proposals stage, Via had narrowed the potential suppliers down to Siemens, Bombardier , Talgo and Stadler Rail . Siemens was ultimately selected after finishing first on the key criteria, which included

7840-801: The equipment for Canadian use. Doors and toilets froze in cold Atlantic Canada temperatures, resulting in delays and service interruptions. New diesel-electric P42DC locomotives purchased from General Electric (GE) allowed the withdrawal of older locomotives, including remaining LRCs. LRC passenger cars were retained and continued to provide much of the Corridor service. This expansion to Via's fleet has permitted scheduling flexibility. Additionally, many passenger stations have been remodelled into passenger-friendly destinations, with several hosting co-located transit and regional bus hubs for various municipalities. On 24 October 2003, federal Minister of Transport David Collenette announced $ 700 million in new funding over

7952-1020: The equipment used in these services. This may also apply to commuter rail, for example Metrolink in Southern California uses the reporting mark SCAX because the equipment is owned by the Southern California Regional Rail Authority —which owns the Metrolink system—even though it is operated by Amtrak. This is why the reporting mark for CSX Transportation , which is an operating railroad, is CSXT instead of CSX. Private (non-common carrier) freight car owners in Mexico were issued, up until around 1990, reporting marks ending in two X's, possibly to signify that their cars followed different regulations (such as bans on friction bearing trucks) than their American counterparts and so their viability for interchange service

8064-490: The fact that rail transport has always been far more expensive than by sea. The opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 exacerbated the problem. During 1906–08, the federal government undertook a hydrographic survey of the Prince Rupert harbour and approaches, finding it free of rocks or obstructions, and sufficient depth for good anchorage. Furthermore, it offered an easy entrance, fine shelter, and ample space. By 1909,

8176-411: The final product. The order includes an option for an additional 16 train sets to be exercised if the federal government approves Via's high-frequency dedicated-corridor project. The first train set is to be delivered for testing by winter 2021, with the first sets in service by 2022 and all trains in service by 2024. The delivery of the new trains will allow Via to retire LRC and Renaissance equipment from

8288-448: The first letter of the reporting mark: A railway vehicle must be registered in the relevant state's National Vehicle Register (NVR), as part of which process it will be assigned a 12-digit European Vehicle Number (EVN). The EVN schema is essentially the same as that used by the earlier UIC numbering systems for tractive vehicles and wagons , except that it replaces the 2-digit vehicle owner's code (see § Europe 1964 to 2005 ) with

8400-523: The former reduced Via to operating only one transcontinental train, The Canadian . Via also sought to reduce its reliance on over 30-year-old second-hand equipment and placed a significant order with Bombardier Transportation for new high-speed locomotives and cars which would be used in its corridor trains. The LRC (Light, Rapid, Comfortable) locomotives and cars used advanced technology such as active tilt to increase speed, but proved troublesome and took several years to work out problems (by 1990 only

8512-631: The harbour. Previously run by the National Harbours Board and subsequently the Prince Rupert Port Corporation, the PRPA is now a locally run organization. PRPA port facilities include: All PRPA facilities are serviced by CN Rail . The Canadian Coast Guard maintains CCG Base Seal Cove on Prince Rupert Harbour where vessels are homeported for search and rescue and maintenance of aids to navigation throughout

8624-608: The introduction of daily regional service in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick (connecting Halifax , Moncton , and Campbellton ) to complement the thrice-weekly Ocean service to Montreal. As of 2017, Via's statement was that it was "exploring an eastern intercity corridor service" and that further developments were dependent on infrastructure upgrades and equipment testing. Via has also expressed interest in operating commuter rail service on CN tracks in Halifax that would run from

8736-501: The land for railway and town use. By 1909, the town possessed four grocery, two hardware, two men's clothing, a furniture, and several fruit and cigar stores, a wholesale drygoods outlet, a wholesale/retail butcher, two banks, the GTP Hotel and annex, and numerous lodging houses and restaurants. The first lot sales that year created a bidding war. Prince Rupert was incorporated on March 10, 1910. Although he never visited Canada, it

8848-592: The letter "X" are assigned to companies or individuals who own railcars, but are not operating railroads; for example, the TTX Company (formerly Trailer Train Company) is named for its original reporting mark of TTX. In another example, the reporting mark for state-funded Amtrak services in California is CDTX (whereas the usual Amtrak mark is AMTK) because the state transportation agency ( Caltrans ) owns

8960-456: The location of the old dry dock on Prince Rupert's waterfront. In the 1960s, the majority of the town's workforce was employed either in the fishery or at Gill's sawmill. The construction of coal and grain shipping terminals followed. From the 1960s into the 1980s, the city constructed many improvements, including a civic centre , swimming pool , public library , golf course and performing arts centre (recently renamed "The Lester Centre of

9072-507: The month of July 2017 (corresponding to Canada's sesquicentennial celebrations) for youth aged 18–25, costing $ 150 (several hundred dollars cheaper than a comparable rail pass would typically cost). A larger than expected response resulted in the temporary loss of functionality for Via's website. Despite plans to cap the number of passes sold at 1867 (the year of Canadian Confederation ), over 4,000 passes were ultimately sold. The company received significant backlash, as it initially appeared there

9184-603: The network. This announcement was similar in content to the previous "Renaissance II" package, and once again was criticized for not including new equipment or funding for services outside the Windsor-Quebec City Corridor. Shortly afterwards, documents obtained by the Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act revealed that delays due to equipment failures had risen by 60 percent since

9296-540: The next five years. This funding was below the $ 3 billion needed to implement a high-speed rail proposal in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor nicknamed ViaFast ; however, the funding was intended to "provide for faster, more frequent and more reliable passenger service across Canada... [preserving] the option for higher speed rail, such as the Via Fast proposal," said Collenette. This new project

9408-522: The north coast. CCG also bases helicopters at Prince Rupert for servicing remote locations with aids to navigation, as well as operating a Marine Communications Centre, covering a large Vessel Traffic Services zone from Port Hardy at the northern tip of Vancouver Island to the International Boundary north of Prince Rupert. Both BC Ferries and the Alaska Marine Highway operate ferries which call at Prince Rupert, with destinations in

9520-489: The northeast of England . At the secondary western terminus of Trans-Canada Highway 16 (the Yellowhead Highway ), Prince Rupert is approximately 16 km west of Port Edward , 144 km west of Terrace , and 715 km west of Prince George . Prince Rupert has an oceanic climate ( Köppen Cfb ) and is also located in a temperate rainforest . Prince Rupert is known as "The City of Rainbows", as it

9632-572: The owner of a reporting mark is taken over by another company, the old mark becomes the property of the new company. For example, when the Union Pacific Railroad (mark UP) acquired the Chicago and North Western Railway (mark CNW) in 1995, it retained the CNW mark rather than immediately repaint all acquired equipment. Some companies own several marks that are used to identify different classes of cars, such as boxcars or gondolas. If

9744-405: The owner, or more precisely the keeper of the vehicle. Thus each UIC member got a two-digit owner code . With the introduction of national vehicle registers this code became a country code. Some vehicles had to be renumbered as a consequence. The Swiss company BLS Lötschbergbahn had the owner code 63. When their vehicles were registered, they got numbers with the country code 85 for Switzerland and

9856-617: The passenger rail network and flared western bitterness toward the Government of Canada . The official justification for the rerouting was that the trains would serve more remote communities, but the concentration of ridings held by the Progressive Conservatives along the CN route attracted the charge that the move was chiefly political. Harvie André , one of Alberta's federal cabinet ministers who represented Calgary, stated publicly that he did not care if he never saw

9968-482: The popular Atlantic dropped from the schedule, focusing the eastern transcontinental service on the Ocean . CP had sold off a large portion of track the Atlantic had operated on and, as Via at that time was only mandated to provide passenger services on tracks belonging to CN or CP, the route was discontinued. This move was seen as somewhat controversial and politically motivated as the principal cities benefiting from

10080-673: The previous year. The company attributed this to problems with the aging F40 locomotive fleet. On 27 January 2009, the Government of Canada's 2009 Economic Action Plan increased funding to Via by $ 407 million to support improvements, including increased train frequencies and enhanced on-time performance and speed, particularly in the Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto corridor. On 21 July 2009, Via began cancelling all trains in anticipation of an engineers' strike, which officially began at midnight on 24 July. Engineers had been without

10192-659: The protection of persons and property. A flag was also granted by the Canadian Heraldic Authority. It is black and charged with Via Rail's badge. Via is operated as an independent crown corporation and receives a subsidy from the Minister of Transport to provide service to remote communities. Via operates more than 500 trains per week from coast to coast. The sum of CA$ 369 million was earned from passenger revenues in 2018. Over 4.74 million passenger voyages were taken in 2018. An on-time ratio of 71 percent

10304-560: The railways and registered with the Ministry of Railways , Government of India . Prince Rupert, British Columbia Prince Rupert is a port city in the province of British Columbia , Canada. Its location is on Kaien Island near the Alaskan panhandle . It is the land, air, and water transportation hub of British Columbia's North Coast , and has a population of 12,220 people as of 2016. Coast Tsimshian (Ts'msyen) occupation of

10416-762: The railways and registered with the Railway Clearing House . In India, wagons owned by the Indian Railways are marked with codes of two to four letters, these codes normally being the initials of the railway divisions concerned along with the Hindi abbreviation; for example, trains of the Western Railway zone are marked "WR" and "प रे"; those of the Central Railway zone are marked "CR" and "मध्य", etc. The codes are agreed between

10528-399: The report or face further disciplinary action. Several days later during LeFrançois's suspension, former Via marketing department employee Myriam Bédard claimed she had been fired several years earlier when she questioned company billing practices in dealing with advertising companies. (According to CBC News , an arbitrator's report later concluded that Bédard had voluntarily left Via.) She

10640-433: The south shore through Drummondville . Via claimed this would allow them to run more trains in the corridor, reduce trip times by 25 percent and improve on-time performance to over 95 percent. Feasibility studies were funded by the federal government in the 2016–2018 budgets, and the 2018 budget allowed for the funding of the fleet replacement portion of the plan, though not the dedicated rail lines. Contrary to expectations,

10752-719: The southern bank of the Skeena River , as the business centre for the North Coast. The GTP purchased the 5,700 ha (14,000-acre) First Nations reserve, and received a 4,000 ha (10,000-acre) grant from the BC government. A post office was established on November 23, 1906. Surveys and clearing, that commenced in that year, preceded the laying out of the 810 ha (2,000-acre) town site. A $ 200,000 provincial grant financed plank sidewalks, roads, sewers and water mains. Kaien Island, which comprised damp muskeg overlaying solid bedrock , proved expensive both for developing

10864-443: The time) began smashing windows and skirmishing with police. The Riot Act was read for only the second time since Confederation. Over the years, hundreds of students were said to have largely paid their way through school by working in the lucrative fishing industry. Construction of a pulp mill began in 1947 and it was operating by 1951. In 1958, Indo-Canadian industrialist Sohen Singh Gill established Prince Rupert Sawmills at

10976-597: The time, Douglas Young , was elected from a district that included Bathurst, New Brunswick , on the Ocean 's route. A remote Via service to Quebec's Gaspé Peninsula , the Chaleur was also spared from being cut at this time, despite carrying fewer passengers than the Atlantic . By the late 1990s, with a rail-friendly Minister of Transport, David Collenette , in office, there were modest funding increases to Via. Corridor services were improved with new and faster trains,

11088-502: The war, the growth of air travel and the personal automobile caused significant loss of mode share for Canada's passenger train operators. By the 1960s Canadian National Railway (CN) and the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) found that passenger trains were no longer economically viable. CP sought to divest itself of its passenger trains, but federal government regulators and politicians balked, forcing them to maintain

11200-633: The world from the opening of the Canadian Fish & Cold Storage plant in 1912 until the early 1980s. A long-standing dispute over fishing rights in the Dixon Entrance to the Hecate Strait between American and Canadian fisherman led to the formation of the 54-40 or Fight Society. The United States Coast Guard maintains a base in nearby Ketchikan, Alaska . In 1946, the Government of Canada, through an order in council , granted

11312-426: Was achieved in that year. Over 3,115 persons were employed by Via by the end of 2018. Via president Yves Desjardins-Siciliano stated that the subsidy for passenger rail travel in Canada in 2015 was about 200 percent: for every $ 1 travellers spend on fares, Canada pays $ 2 in subsidy. As of May 2019, the chair of the board of directors is Françoise Bertrand. The Annual accounts of Via are audited to GAAP principles by

11424-485: Was also discontinued in April 2004 by Amtrak. Via's portion of the route from Toronto-Sarnia remained in operation as Via was able to use their own equipment to operate the train. The federal Auditor General 's report released on 10 February 2004 showed what appeared to be a criminal misdirection of government funds intended for advertising to key Quebec-based supporters of the Liberal Party of Canada . Included in

11536-421: Was for capital projects and the remainder additional operating funding). The capital funding was earmarked to refurbish Via's fleet of 54 F40PH-2 locomotives to meet new emissions standards and extend their service lives by 15–20 years, refurbish the interiors of LRC coaches, reduce track capacity bottlenecks and speed restrictions in the Windsor-Quebec City Corridor, and make repairs to a number of stations across

11648-406: Was granted on May 15, 2020, and presented by Canada's Chief Herald. An heraldic badge was approved for use at the same time as the coat of arms. The badge design follows the design of a law enforcement agency badge in Canada, denoting the responsibilities of Via Rail Police Service . The Royal Crown indicates that Via Rail has police constables appointed for the enforcement of the laws relating to

11760-580: Was impaired. This often resulted in five-letter reporting marks, an option not otherwise allowed by the AAR. Companies owning trailers used in trailer-on-flatcar service are assigned marks ending with the letter "Z", and the National Motor Freight Traffic Association , which maintains the list of Standard Carrier Alpha Codes, assigns marks ending in "U" to owners of intermodal containers . The standard ISO 6346 covers identifiers for intermodal containers. When

11872-752: Was named after Prince Rupert of the Rhine , the first Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company , as the result of a nationwide competition held by the Grand Trunk Railway, the prize for which was $ 250. With the collapse of the real estate boom in 1912, and World War I , much of the company's land remained unsold. The GTP also planned a large hotel, the Château Prince Rupert , connected to a railway station and passenger ship pier, all of which went unbuilt. Charles Melville Hays , president of

11984-466: Was no limit on the number of passes available. Extreme winter conditions had always been an operational hazard for Via, with the Ottawa routes and Canadian being most vulnerable. Equally, summer repairs and construction often delayed trains systemwide, even though schedules were regularly adjusted in an attempt to minimize delays. However, by 2018, freight traffic on the heavily used CN lines had become

12096-421: Was not passed. The Quebec-Windsor corridor was the focus of service restorations and implements. A direct Ottawa-Quebec City train was restored, with additional trips between Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto being added. In 2016, LRC passenger cars used for the corridor were refurbished; in the Via 1 class, this included single seating. In March 2017, Via announced the release of a new category of rail pass valid for

12208-717: Was publicly belittled by Via CEO Jean Pelletier in national media on 27 February 2004. Pelletier retracted his statements but on 1 March, Pelletier was fired. By 5 March, after failing to defend himself adequately against the allegations in the Auditor General's report, LeFrançois was fired as well. The reversal of funding in 2003 led to a backlog of deferred maintenance and left Via unable to replace or refurbish life-expired locomotives and rolling stock. Conversely, Via ridership increased from 3.8 million in 2005 to 4.1 million in 2006. On 11 October 2007, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced federal government funding of $ 691.9 million over five years (of which $ 519 million

12320-422: Was subsequently renamed Via Rail Canada. On 12 January 1977, CN spun off its passenger services as a separate Crown corporation, Via Rail Canada. At its inception, Via acquired all CN passenger cars and locomotives. Following several months of negotiation, on 29 October 1978, Via assumed all CP passenger train operations and took possession of cars and locomotives. Passenger train services which were not included in

12432-492: Was suspended indefinitely due to deteriorating track (it has yet to resume). By 27 June 2012, Via announced additional service cuts due to funding issues: To address declining on-time performance due to freight train traffic on Via routes, MP Olivia Chow drafted a private member's bill in 2014 that would reorganize the company and allow the government to force freight rail carriers to give scheduling priority to public passenger rail. However, as with most private member's bills, it

12544-478: Was to be called "Renaissance II". On 18 December 2003, Liberal Prime Minister (PM) Paul Martin froze federal spending on all major capital projects, including Via's five-year $ 700 million "Renaissance II" program announced just six weeks earlier by outgoing PM Chrétien's administration. Critics of Martin's cuts claimed that he was in a conflict of interest as his family through Canada Steamship Lines and various subsidiary and affiliated companies had once had

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