Quote:
Originally Posted by someone123
Good example of thinking in network terms for transportation. The current train from Halifax to Montreal that runs a few times a week is nearly useless as part of the transportation network within the region. There is not really any kind of trip that you could plan in the abstract, look at the options including VIA, and then elect to take VIA based on cost in dollars or time. It is just there to tick the "technically has train service" box and for novelty or tourism purposes. You could put a similar useless 20+ hour long train ride anywhere in Canada and produce mediocre ridership and operating losses.
A Halifax-Moncton train running a few times a day would be useful to all kinds of people for many different trips including for people connecting on to other places with flights or buses that already exist (or would in normal non-covid times). It would maybe even be the primary intercity travel option in winter on the busy 102 corridor. Trains could be a primary option for the Maritimes. They were up until the early 90's or so. I think trains could become more attractive in the 2020's because in Halifax now you can get Uber so arriving with a car is less essential.
Ridership of a semi-reasonable transportation service around that area would be dramatically higher than today. Like maybe 20x more riders from rejigging the service and investing 2x more.
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Makes me wonder how much more it would achieve to have it continue on to Saint John. And of course, how expensive it would be.
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