Saturday, May 18, 2024

VIA Ventures in Service, Part 2


As of January, 2024 and with the delivery of the twelfth Siemens Venture set, I split my original Siemens Venture post first published on September 21, 2021. That now seems like an awfully long time ago! VIA's Siemens implementation has so far spawned six Trackside Treasure posts in total! They are:
In May, 2024 a major revision to Venture service was made, with a ninth Venture set entering service in the Corridor and 16 of 32 sets already delivered. Even this split-in-two post was getting a little long. So the post you're reading is now entitled VIA Ventures in Service, Part 2 with updates from May, 2024 onward, perhaps until the last of 32 sets are in service? Time will tell.

For your ticket-booking benefit - Venture car seating diagrams: Business, Economy, and cab car. The direction of travel changes during booking, so disregard it here. Someone's selected seats are in yellow. Purple means premium, X for groups of three or four, green available. 
Seats reported with no/poor window views (all rows shown include seats A,B,C,D):
  • Car 3: Rows 2, 4, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15. Good views: 3, 5.
  • Car 4&5: Rows 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 16.
Set 4 remains the lone Venture set at TMC as of May 19.

MAY 2024 UPDATES:
  • The now-together Set 10 (2200-2309) made an in-service run as VIA Nos 61-46 on May 1, after a test run west two days earlier. On May 2, four Venture-equipped trains went east through Kingston: Set 8 (was 61)/66, Set 3 643/646, Set 9 63/54, and Set 7 43/668.
  • Set 14 entered service on May 4 as VIA No 24, already on the Kingston Sub by May 19.
  • During Saturday, May 4's York Sub detours, Set 9 (No 66) and Set 5 (No 46) were planned to J-train east from Union until separated to continue separately down the Kingston Sub.
  • Set 13, so long sitting at TMC, operated as "No 668" Ottawa-Brockville-Toronto with seats still covered in plastic on May 7.
  • Put this under you hat: mystery car at Siemens plant as posted by SJVRailfan instagram (below) though not visible in an April aerial video posted on May 10.

    That 'big white door' at the left looks like a letter 'A' from 'VIA' but the two yellow stripes??
    Also, Set 17 completed with final preparations before delivery:
  • Watch for this change: Effective May 27, there will be nine Venture consists in daily service. A guard Venture set will then be maintained at the TMC, with another at the MMC. The last Ren set is expected to be out of Corridor service. Quite a change from 2009 when there were 5 Ren, 17 LRC and 6 HEP sets. The latter two numbers have remained constant, with Ventures replacing Rens.
  • May 19 - VIA No 61 fatally hit a car at 0745 at a private crossing near Coteau, with Set 10's cab car 2309 sustaining damage to headlights, nose dent, scrapes to side and arriving in Toronto 4 hours late, with No 63 following 2 hours 40 minutes late. Returning as No 668, it had power problems near Cornwall. The set remains in service, contrary to railfan rumours.
  • May 27's rotation quickly went right out the Venture window as reinstituted VIA No 641was not the planned HEP consist, but instead Set 7, arriving in Toronto 42 minutes late. This substitution may have been made for en route publicity photos with the mayor and local MP Philip Lawrence at Cobourg:
    Unlike plans, 643-54 are not planned to be Ventures. VIA No 40 was a Venture; VIA No 63 was Set 4; VIA No 45 was Set 14; VIA No 46 was Set 10; No 55 was a Venture set. The Rens have had their life in the Corridor extended by one week.
  • Tues. May 28: VIA No 50 was a Venture set, not running J-trained as usual with No 60, suggesting non-interoperability of Siemens and other consist types. Other trains planned as Ventures continue (i.e. No 40 Set 12, No 47 Set 14, No 55 Set 9), except No 53 showing HEP.
  • Wed. May 29 Ventures planned: No 45 was Set 7, 40, No 55 was Set 2. Plus No 46 (Set 14).
  • Thu. May 30 Ventures planned: 643 (Set 14), 668, 40 was Set 4 and confirmed 44. VIA No 35 delayed at Drummondville arriving Montreal four hours late, low oil. Set 8 sent from MMC to couple on and tow to MMC.
  • For three of the first four days of the ninth set implementation, VIA's own rotation differed by one Venture set each day, with one Venture train replaced by LRC or HEP, except for:
A second version of the May 27 rotation thanks to Doug Bardeau (below) and the train numbers through Kingston match the list of new trains posted on VIA Rail's webpage, although the sequence is not always accurate.
VIA is reportedly producing a new rotation as of May 28! It has not been widely circulated at VIA yet, so I'll keep the above rotation diagram on until I have something concrete to publish instead. Or, I'll just sleep for a week and let VIA get this all sorted out and save myself a few grey hairs!

JUNE 2024 UPDATES:
Let's do another week of ninth set implementation, comparing reality to the rotation diagram above! Ventures "planning" is based on same-day information from traincar.info as taken from VIA's reservation, though this can and does change on the date in question. I then correlate those train numbers with VIA's webpage showing the trains Ventures are in service on. Confirmed (Sets) are from OS reports/photos.
  • Sat. June 1 Ventures planned: 42, 643, 46 (Set 6 - ours), 47 was Set 14, 59 was Set 12. Plus No 54 (Set 2).
  • Sun. June 2 Ventures planned: 40, 643, 46, not 646 nor 55.
  • Mon. June 3 Ventures planned: 40, 45 was Set 7, 48, 54, 55 not 643 (was LRC).
  • Tue. June 4 Ventures planned: 40 (Set 12), 45 (Set 7), 48, 53 (Set 14), 55 (Set 15). Eleven sets in service, three not in service, one recently-arrived (posted by Luc Lanthier - below). Notice three duplicate locations/sets!
  • Wed. June 5 Ventures planned: 40, 45, 55 not 46.
  • Thu. June 6 Ventures planned: 40, 643, 44, 55, 668.
  • Fri. June 7 Ventures planned: 40, 47, 48, 54, 55, 63.
  • Sat. June 8 Ventures planned: 42, 643, 46, 47 (Set 14), 59.
  • Sun. June 9 Ventures planned: 40 (Set 12), 643 (Set 15), 46, 55, not 646.
  • Set 15's first documented trip through Kingston this week, meanwhile Set 16 is testing Montreal-Ottawa
  • Mon. June 10 Ventures planned: 40, 643 (Set 15), 45 (possibly Set 8), 48, 54, 55 (Set 12). 
  • Tue. June 11 Ventures planned: 40, 45, 48, 53, 55.
  • Wed. June 12 Ventures planned: 40, 45, 46, 55.
At this point, actual Ventures versus planned Ventures is about 85%.

On June 13, Set 2 was halted at Trenton on VIA No 55 with what was described as electrical breaker trouble for over 60 minutes.

Sun. June 16: 55 was Set 5.
Mon. June 17: 45-->48 were Set 12, 55 was Set 4.
Tues. June 18: 45 was Set 4.
Wed. June 19: 40-->55 was Set 4.
Sat. June 22: 643 was Set 4, 47 was Set 12, 42 was Set 11.
Sun. June 23: 55 was Set 5, 646 was Set 8.
Mon. June 24: 53 was Set 14, 55 was Set 6.
Tues. June 25: 45-->48 was Set 8, 40 was Set 6, 53 was Set 14, 55 was Set 5.
Wed. June 26: 46 was Set 14, 40 was Set 5, 45 was Set 8, 55-->40 was Set 12. Unusually, 63 was Set 11, departing Thursday as a Special - a media availability for VIA's New Fleet Arriving in SW Ontario at London and Windsor - implementation loosely described as 'this summer' in SW Ontario!
Thu. June 27: 44 was Set 8, 643 was Set 14 and had to be pushed by 63 from Kingston to Toronto.

Interestingly, between June 8 and June 27, only Sets 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 12, 14 and 15 have been observed into Toronto. That's only eight out of 15 in-service sets!

VIA's CEO, MP's and mayors rode Set 11 at London and Windsor (as train 671 westward and 678 eastward) to introduce SW Ontario to their future with Ventures. Now, there was some disparity between the actual implementation date and the wished-for implementation date. VIA did not publicize the event on its own website, though it was posted on Canada News Wire. then took to social media in the evening of June 27 to proclaim that the entire corridor is now served by [Ventures]. A Railway Age story later in the day correctly inserted the important words "by the end of summer 2025" into that sentence and removed "now". A win for accuracy and a loss for hype!

JULY 2024 UPDATES:
Mon. July 1: 643 was Set 8.
Tues. July 2: 40 was Set 6.
Thu. July 4: 643 was Set 7.
Fri. July 5: Set 16 was in service here (below - at Townline Road, Andre Gerow photo), 54 was Set 6, 47-->48 was Set 4.
Sat. July 6: 47 was Set 4.
Sun. July 7: 46 was Set 5, 646 was Set 8.
Mon. July 8: 48 was Set 6.
Tues. July 9: 40 was Set x, 45 was Set 8, 53 was Set 6.

The First Venture set has reportedly been used as a parts source so often that it may have to be returned to the Siemens in California before it can be used in revenue service. VIA No 20 (Set 9) stopped due to a filter not being replaced. After filter replacement, it was good to continue.
On July 10, VIA had a media availability to introduce Set 18, curiously christened Lumi. The marketing people were busy generating copy for this: Lumi is another way to celebrate the arrival of our new fleet and to let even more people know that they can now enjoy an unparalleled onboard experience thanks to these new modern and state-of-the-art trains. Simple and efficient, the monochrome yellow, our brand’s signature colour, is a bold brand play that will stand out in the Canadian landscape. From my unscientific polling, 99% of non-railfan passengers do not even notice the type of train they're riding on, much less the paint scheme. 

As others have done when introducing a new fleet, VIA Rail wanted to make a strong gesture by differentiating one of its trains with a special exterior design. [Well, I wouldn't call Set 18 our of 32 introducing...] 

Simplicity won: reminiscent of the design of the Turbo Train that ran between Montréal and Toronto until 1982, Lumi stands out and becomes a "Champion" for the new fleet with its luminous design. [This is the first official, i.e. not only employee, acknowledgement that this paint scheme was patterned on the Turbo. Also, the Turbo's last few years were short and ended in ignominy and scrapping after VIA service. Although Set 18 was photographed at the MMC the day before in the company of what look like Set 17 and Set 15, before being in the spotlight at the media availability.
The media kit was an salad bar of images: animations of Lumi operating unaccompanied in rural and urban areas, a fine David McCormack photo of the train being delivered with its two units to Montreal, a B. Nicholson photo of the Turbo, and two photos of cab car 2317 at the Siemens plant. In the same press release, some hard [well, as hard as they get with VIA] dates for further implementation]: 
  • Summer 2024: Commercial entry into service of the new trains in Southwestern Ontario.
  • End of 2024: 63% [not round number!] of new trains in service in the Corridor.
  • Summer 2025: Complete replacement of all the trains in the Corridor.
This email landed in my inbox. The graphic on the left actually toggles between the Lumi scheme and the regular Venture scheme in animation! VIA really is hanging its blue & yellow hat on the Turbo comparison!
Parlez-vous...? Check out this status board at the MMC (Lion Liu photo - below). Set 13 was sitting at TMC depuis longtemps and was testing through Cedars as No 331 on July 2.
A tenth set joins the Kingston Sub rotation on July 10. That's as many as eight trains a day (M, T, F) to as few as four (Sat). I'll likely wait awhile before posting more Venture OS's. I'll take VIA at its word that the stated trains on its webpage will indeed be Ventures, or until a rotation diagram is available.

July 11 - Set 18 was testing between Montreal and Ottawa. Also the debut of the ten-set rotation. Diagram of the new rotation thanks to Doug Bardeau (below). The train numbers through Kingston match the list of new trains posted on VIA Rail's webpage, with the exact sequence yet to be verified. Lest we think all trains between Ottawa and Toronto are Venture-equipped, there are 2-5 LRC trains per day and 6-9 HEP trains per day in this service lane.
July 17 - Lumi had its second test trip Montreal-Ottawa as train 631.
July 27 - Set 16 was on No 63 (not per diagram);  Set 17 is in service, seen below at Kingston on No 47:
July 28 - Set 7 made one round trip in SW Ontario.
July 31: Set 18 was in revenue service on No 24-->31.

AUGUST 2024 UPDATES:
August 19: An eleventh Venture set has been added to the Corridor equipment cycle, with Venture sets now equalling the number of LRC sets (11). VIA Nos 42-59 will now have Venture sets every day of the week:
August 20: Set 19 made a test run to Ottawa as train 631.
August 23: Set 20 made a test run, returning to Montreal from Ottawa as train 636.
August 31: Set 10 as VIA No 622 had an air line problem, marooned for 7 hours between Montreal and Quebec. The expected social media outrage included a video showing an engineer grabbing a passenger's cellphone during the delay. VIA's rescue train consist from MMC on Sept. 1 was symbolled 308 was: 901-3478-913. Lion Liu shared this great photo of the eclectic P42/LRC/Venture consist:

SEPTEMBER 2024 UPDATES:
Sept. 1: Set 12 made a trip to Windsor trailing Burton Manor and an 8101, as VIA No 331, apparently assessing the pulling power of the Charger locomotive. Experiencing mechanical trouble by London, Windsor was eventually reached. Due to the two trailing HEP cars, the bidirectional Venture consist had to be wyed. The crew booked rest and departure east was planned for 0200 Sept. 2 as VIA No 334, although the return trip took six hours!
Sept. 12: Set 12 operated as VIA No 87 to Sarnia, returning Friday Sept. 13 as VIA No 84.
Sept. 20: Set 20 operated as VIA No 55.
Sept. 26-29: I spent four days trackside, logging 10 Venture sets, each observed (one to three times) during that time: Set 2 (1), Set 5 (1), Set 8 (2), Set 9 (3), Set 11 (1), Set 13 (2), Set 16 (2), Set 17 (1), Set 19 (1), Set 20 (2). Watch for an upcoming four-part Trackside Treasure series!
OCTOBER 2024 UPDATES:

October 1: Oddly, VIA No 69 (Montreal Central Station to TMC) was 6457-4LRC-6411-2310-2210 (Set 11) deadhead. Perhaps being staged into Toronto for the new October 7 twelve-set rotation. 
October 3: Even in advance of the 12-set rotation beginning, Set 11 ran as VIA No 72, expected to operate as No 79/72 October 4.

The twelfth Venture set will be added to the rotation beginning October 7. The number of Venture sets will now exceed the number of LRC sets (11) and the HEP sets will be reduced (5). New Venture trips: Mondays 641, 644; Tuesdays 643, 53, 87; Wednesdays 44, 73, 78, 84; Thursdays 71, 76; Fridays 71, 76; Saturdays 71, 76; Sundays 71, 76, 48. New LRC runs (were Venture): Tuesday 41, 44; Wednesday 41, 46. New HEP run (was LRC): Wednesday 54. There are two HEP consists with two VIA1 cars each and HEP-I cars are mostly gone. One-time additional Venture runs appear: Saturday October 5 on 75 and Sunday October 6 on 72-48 (for Monday’s #641
Equipment rotation diagram by Doug Bardeau.

October 8: Set 5 operated as VIA No 87 and as No 84 on October 9.
October 12: Set 19 operated as VIA No 76 and as No 71 on October 13.

Also on October 12, a major operational challenge for VIA's Ventures was introduced by CN. As infrastructure owner, CN is concerned about loss-of-shunt affecting signalling and crossing operation on VIA's Corridor lines. I will be updating the situation in this post as the situation evolves.

October 17: Set 21 made a test run as 331/326 Montreal-Ottawa return. Earlier, last week, Set 21 made two round trips to Quebec City.

October 20: Due to crew shortages, eight Corridor trains operated as J-trains today: 50/52, 62/64, 645/55 and 647/59, the lattermost being the first time an HEP/Venture J-train have operated in revenue service together: 913 and Set 14.

October 22: Set 15 operating as VIA No 40 had mechanical issues that blocked single-track mainline in Brockville, VIA 42 towed 40 to Brockville station, 134 passengers from 40 bussed to Ottawa, Set 16 left in Chelsea siding. VIA 40 was over 4'30" Late, VIA 42 over 4'20" late. Other late trains as a result: 44 (3'48", departed Toronto 28' late), 46 (2'37"), 48 (1'8"), 55 (4'8"), 644 (4'14"), 645 (5'23").

October 23: Set 8 operated as VIA No 73 (and as No 71 on Oct. 24); Set 4 operated as VIA No 84.

October 27: Set 15 operating as VIA No 71 stopped at Mi 38 Dundas Sub 0825-0925, Economy coach 2814 lost communication with entire consist running 1'45" late east of Woodstock. Around the same time, VIA No 70 Eng 904 broke down awaiting rescue. 

October 28: VIA No 59 (likely Set 19) was halted by engine problems at Smiths Falls for 85 minutes before resuming their trip west.

October 29: Set 16 operated as VIA No 87.

NOVEMBER 2024 UPDATES:
November 2: Set 10 operated as VIA Nos 71/76.

The thirteenth Venture set will be added to the rotation beginning November 4 (diagram by Doug Bardeau). The number of Venture sets exceeds the number of LRC sets (11) and the HEP sets have been reduced again (4). New trains VIA Nos  624 and 637 (Q-M-O) on weekends, and VIA Nos 71-73-76-78 now have Venture sets Monday-Friday.

Monday-Sunday CN Kingston Sub Venture-equipped trains: 11, 10, 10, 11, 10, only 5 on Saturdays, 11.
November 4: Set 18 (Lumi) operated as VIA No 71/76.
November 5: Set 18 operated as VIA No 73.
November 6: Set 5 operated as VIA No 71/76, Set 19 operated as No 78.
November 10: the first weekend of Venture-equipped 'new trains' 624-637 (and York Sub maintenance detours, and some leaves on rails/grade on Dundas Sub and on the Don Valley detour route) was hobbled by two Siemens breakdowns on train Nos 24 and 624 Quebec-Montreal-Ottawa service, both replaced by 6406 and 6452 with LRC consists. Cascading lateness of the same consists used on multiple trains like 622-->37, 24-->29 and 40-->647 makes the next train also late, resulting in black boxes denoting 1+ hour-late trains (above). Even worse, 42-->59 3' 24" hours late and no provision for VIA late train credits due to host railway operational issues. Pizza at Kingston for some eastbounds like VIA No 64!

November 12: CN No 500 took Set 1 from the MMC to Taschereau yard. The return of this set was first leaked in early-July, likely because it has not only been the prototype but also a source of parts and a test-bed of sorts for potential upgrades. CN P66721 Eng 3946 (ex-Citirail) from Montreal Taschereau Yard to the TMC delivered Set 1 in the early morning hours of November 13, westward through Kingston around 2300 hours, then a bit of a detour to Aldershot before returning east. Apparently because a highline connection no longer exists that would allow a more direct trip.
Set 1 is inoperable, dead battery, bad-ordered air brakes, software and electrical issues. Unclear whether Siemens team is coming to TMC and/or the set will be returned to Siemens' Sacramento plant. One source familiar has said that Set 1 was delivered unfinished to avoid delaying the cold-climate testing at NRC in Ottawa.

November 17: Lumi's locomotive 2218 was involved in a collision. Engineer-side nose panel and opposite-side windshield require replacement.
November 22: Set 21 operated as VIA No 53.
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