3104 replies to this topic

[todd]

[Victoria Watcher]

The Town of View Royal is calling on the federal and provincial governments to step in and commit funds to preserve the Island Corridor before a court-imposed deadline of March 15, 2023.

At a meeting June 7, council voted 4-1 to approve the resolution brought forward by Coun. Gery Lemon.

“It’s to send a strong signal to the province that we want some action on this file, and if we don’t collectively take some strong action, that we are in danger of loosing the corridor forever,” said Mayor David Screech.

https://www.vicnews....idor-rail-line/

“It’s an alternative route over the Malahat, there are freight and commuter possibilities to Langford. I don’t understand why we are not having the conversations and why the province isn’t stepping up to the plate.”



What freight?

How about let’s not spend money on this line. Time to decommission it altogether.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 14 June 2022 - 04:54 AM.

[dasmo]

Tricky because it will most likely get fractured into First Nation ownership across many bands. So most likely a loss of it as any sort of transportation corridor.

[Victoria Watcher]

So be it, maybe. It’s been 16 years, and nobody can come up with any plan? Just let it die I guess.

We have no leadership.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 14 June 2022 - 05:35 AM.

[todd]

Hopefully just waiting for an election year

[On the Level]

Tricky because it will most likely get fractured into First Nation ownership across many bands. So most likely a loss of it as any sort of transportation corridor.

 

Correct.  It will go back to being reserve land.  While a First Nation could decide themselves to use it as a bike corridor, I highly doubt it, especially considering the coordination across so many owners/stakeholders.

 

We've all voiced our opinion in this thread on the merits and potential for the corridor.  At this point it's best to agree to disagree, then see what happens by Mar 15th.

[Victoria Watcher]

'Sheer lunacy' to let rail corridor go, says View Royal mayor

Federal and provincial governments must take action to preserve corridor as court deadline looms, says David Screech.

https://www.timescol...l-mayor-5480143

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 15 June 2022 - 03:12 AM.

[splashflash]

 
We've all voiced our opinion in this thread on the merits and potential for the corridor.  At this point it's best to agree to disagree, then see what happens by Mar 15th.

Or earlier. Minister Fleming said in his CBC interview that he would be reviewing the ICF "business case" with his federal counterparts during the legislative break this summer.

[AllseeingEye]

The Town of View Royal is calling on the federal and provincial governments to step in and commit funds to preserve the Island Corridor before a court-imposed deadline of March 15, 2023.

At a meeting June 7, council voted 4-1 to approve the resolution brought forward by Coun. Gery Lemon.

“It’s to send a strong signal to the province that we want some action on this file, and if we don’t collectively take some strong action, that we are in danger of loosing the corridor forever,” said Mayor David Screech.

https://www.vicnews....idor-rail-line/

“It’s an alternative route over the Malahat, there are freight and commuter possibilities to Langford. I don’t understand why we are not having the conversations and why the province isn’t stepping up to the plate.”



What freight?

How about let’s not spend money on this line. Time to decommission it altogether.

 

The plan/goal/hope would be to put a spur line into Pt Alberni to use its deep water port as a freight focal point both incoming and outbound. Whether current or future PA shipping volumes would or could support the proposition is another question but that is the thinking at any rate...

[dasmo]

Railways consume up to 9x less energy per tonne-kilometer traveled than trucks. On average, trains are 4x more fuel-efficient.
I think this is a valuable asset we have been lucky to have it not converted to something else. Especially right now with the price of gas….

[Victoria Watcher]

Railways consume up to 9x less energy per tonne-kilometer traveled than trucks. On average, trains are 4x more fuel-efficient.
I think this is a valuable asset we have been lucky to have it not converted to something else. Especially right now with the price of gas….

 

This is true, but they are of course less versatile and less agile for smaller and mixed loads, and shorter distances.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 15 June 2022 - 08:53 AM.

[AllseeingEye]

Meant to include this link in my post above re: the current PA port/terminal capabilities: https://papa-appa.ca...erni-terminals/

 

Go to the Daily Vessel Activity link to get an idea of the products which currently predominate in terms of outbound shipping; not surprisingly logs are the primary export, also underwater cabling, and frozen seafood and fish. Theoretically with a modern spur line there is potential tfor sure. Question is how much potential and could it contribute enough to the bottom line in terms of defraying a portion of the overall costs of a renewed and revamped island rail system?

Edited by AllseeingEye, 15 June 2022 - 09:01 AM.

[dasmo]

Of course. But…. We are having a sand shortage for instance. We lost our huge gravel yard to Royal Bay. Sand has to come from further and further up Island. Agility isn’t needed until it reaches distribution points. Interestingly there is a pit North island that sells sand to Hawaii. They barge it.

[Mike K.]

Plot twist: Nanaimo is investing into a port expansion at Duke Point that could one day accommodate shipping to and from Asia: https://victoria.cit...ng-investments/

Blurb: A 50-year lease agreement, meanwhile, has the Duke Point terminal berth earmarked for an extension from 182 meters to 325 meters, in addition to the creation of new facilities and equipment. This development will pave the way for global shipping, after the Port of Nanaimo and DP World, an international shipping company, put pen to paper on a collaborative agreement. Efficiency of shipping between Nanaimo and Vancouver will be increased, in addition to the establishment of a foundation for future international importing and exporting to and from Asian markets through Vancouver Island.

[Mike K.]

That being said I can see an intermodal setup somewhere in Cowichan, but there is no room for any such operation south of the Malahat. Unless it’s located somewhere we haven’t ever conceived of rail going, like the flats at Luxton. But that’s never happening.

[Victoria Watcher]

DP World is an Emirati multinational logistics company based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It specialises in cargo logistics, port terminal operations, maritime services and free trade zones. Formed in 2005 by the merger of Dubai Ports Authority and Dubai Ports International, DP World handles 70 million containers that are brought in by around 70,000 vessels annually. This equates to roughly 10% of global container traffic accounted for by their 82 marine and inland terminals present in over 40 countries. Until 2016, DP World was primarily a global ports operator, and since then it has acquired other companies up and down the value chain.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DP_World

[dasmo]

That being said I can see an intermodal setup somewhere in Cowichan, but there is no room for any such operation south of the Malahat. Unless it’s located somewhere we haven’t ever conceived of rail going, like the flats at Luxton. But that’s never happening.

That's because our "leaders" are busy ramming not-up-zoning in place instead of looking at things like this. 

[Victoria Watcher]

That being said I can see an intermodal setup somewhere in Cowichan, but there is no room for any such operation south of the Malahat. Unless it’s located somewhere we haven’t ever conceived of rail going, like the flats at Luxton. But that’s never happening.

Maybe put it near the floating LNG terminal in Saanich Inlet.

[Mike K.]

A floating intermodal yard, eh?

[On the Level]

What freight?

 

There is still freight running on Southern Railway up island out of the Wellcox yard.  The train ferry is still running between Nanaimo and Annacis Island on the mainland.