Our late Queen, speaking after the fire that heavily damaged Windsor Castle, highlighted the Latin annis horribilis as a time she'd like to forget. A few days that VIA would like to forget, and indicative of a nationwide hebdomanis horrenda* for VIA, a social media post today, July 4 exclaimed: "'Train 67 is delayed and there are no updates! It keeps getting delayed. What's the point of scheduling?"
And another: "Anyone know what is going on with #67? It still hasn’t left Montreal. It originally said estimated departure of 1415. Then 1445. And now it just says they are actively troubleshooting and will provide updates as soon as possible and doesn’t even give a time!"
This pop-up post profiles the plethoric problems posed to VIA operations over the past periodical...
VIA No 67 - CORRIDOR CONFUSION
I decided to theorize a theoretical theory for the very real problems these passengers and crew encountered. The asm transitdocs website shows a lot of location pins (screenshot-above) for the troubled No 67. Many around scheduled departure time i.e. 1320 out toward the Victoria Bridge. Then another series of pins at MMC 1332-1526. Yet another series near the Bridge after 1600 i.e. 1614, then several around 1622 at Central Station.
These pins are sometimes misleading, whether this is all the same set of equipment. Sometimes the 'identity' seems to transfer between more than one set, somewhat of a ghost train when another set is used.
Tough to connect the dots but I guessed a move onto the Victoria Bridge, then over to the MMC. Perhaps problems were rectified or a guard consist was put into use. A source in the know supplied a sad synopsis a couple of hours later:
1230 - HEP2 business class coach 4005 having issues - to be swapped.
1300 - 4005 was taken off.
1340 - LRC business class coach 3467 was added.
1420 - Train was released to No 67's crew for tests.
1440 - No 67's crew finished tests ready to depart.
1443 - Moved one car length and leader 907 had ‘Main GEN input too low’ alarm.
1510 - Leader 907 was pronounced dead - OCC decided to have 920 solo for No 67 after 907 died.
1530 - Loco 920 was set up to lead.
1534 - Loco 907 was cut away.
1535 - Equipment 67 was released to train crew again for brake tests.
1547 - Continuity test passed and paddle armed on tail end LRC car.
1555 - Equipment 67 departing MMC for Central Station.
1558 - Equipment 67 stopped at Victoria Bridge for CN No 527.
1612 - Equipment 67 short of Central Station for VIA No 26.
1622 - Equipment 67 arrived Central Station.
Departure time from Montreal on VIA website shown as 1704, asm transitdocs and VIA websites showing No 67 heading towards Dorval not exceeding 20 mph. Departure was 222 minutes late, arrival in Toronto was 231 minutes late.
It goes without saying that this debacle did NOT happen to a Venture set! Go Siemens!
VIA No 15 - OCEAN OH NO!
A passenger posted: "The Ocean was super warm after getting on in Halifax, only to learn that the refrigeration/AC is down, making it unsafe to continue the rest of the way to Montreal.
Passengers received the message (above) from VIA on Friday, July 3. Tim Hayman, oaken Ocean observer added: "Air conditioning failed in several cars, and the refrigerators in both service cars also failed. Given the extreme heat in the region right now, running a train without functioning A/C or fridges is somewhat of a problem. Passengers are being provided with pizza at the station, and the option to wait for the buses either on the train or in the station. There is also the option to cancel and refund or rebook instead of taking the bus."
Waiting for buses to take passengers from Moncton to Montreal - the first two buses didn't arrive in Moncton for pickup for three hours. Then the rest of the passengers had to wait another two hours for remaining buses. Free pizza, though. One passenger complained: "They put my wife on a bus there, then started handing out peanuts. My wife has a peanut allergy and reacts to even nut particles in the air. VIA is trying to kill her!"
VIA No 75, 70, 72, 64, 66 - CONSISTS CONNECTED
On July 1, No 75 was severely delayed into Windsor and it was reported as mechanical issues and was recovered by No 79 to get to Windsor. 75 becomes 70 and was J’d with 72 operating on 72’s schedule which caused the delay into Toronto on July 2. The next day, VIA No 70 Engs 6427-909 J-trained with No 72 Engs 914 and 913! VIA No 64's arrival was delayed 3+ hours, eventually being J-trained with VIA No 66, resulting in two of VIA's current longest Corridor consists into a 92-axle near-centipede! The consist: 6401-6427-3305-3469-3471-3371-3338-3368-3313-3335-3468-909/914-3455-3460-4004-3340-3367-3352-3307-3337-34xx*913 (*no car numbers visible on either side).
VIA No 1 - CANADIAN ON ICE
Departing Toronto on June 24 (late due to a late No 2 into Toronto), VIA No 1 was held at Winnipeg for mechanical issues. The train originally left Toronto 10 hours late, arriving in Winnipeg at 0700 on June 26, and spent 12 hours stuck at the Winnipeg station while they changed engines twice. The train broke down again at 2100, about 60 miles west of Winnipeg. The train headed back to Winnipeg overnight. June 27 at 0900, the train finally got back to Winnipeg having to wait for new engineers to arrive. Everyone was free to leave and find their own way home or on to their destinations. VIA notified passengers in an email from VIA 0600 Saturday, June 27:
"Passengers will spend the night onboard. Lunch will be provided on Saturday, June 27, and passengers are welcome to remain onboard until 1600 that day. Passengers will receive a refund for the untravelled portion of their trip. In addition, passengers will receive a travel credit equal to 100% of the value of the entire trip, valid for 12 months."
The consist held at Winnipeg became No 2, arriving into Toronto over four hours late behind 6446-6421 with a final 80-minute delay north of Toronto. The locomotives when it left Toronto last week were 6416-6419, swapped out in Winnipeg with those in use on northern Manitoba trains.
ERSTWHILE - ELSEWHERE
VIA No 692 was halted by wet weather in northern Manitoba. High temperatures in the Corridor led to host-railway speed restrictions to avoid CWR sun kinks, delaying sometimes-delayed trains even further, for safety's sake. Some passengers questioned the necessity of that online.
*horrible week. Who said Latin is a dead language?
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