Happy Birthday, CN Crossing Supplement!

You will not see this post's title on any greeting card. It's an unusual title for an unusual time. One year ago this weekend, CN decided to unilaterally punish VIA Rail Canada by imposing on its new Siemens Venture trains a series of unfounded crossing speed reductions across its Ontario-Quebec Corridor. 

This has caused a year of delays, negative publicity, lost business and over $31 million for provision of  late-arrival credits to its passengers. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of dollars VIA has spent on court cases in Ontario and now in Quebec.

One year ago, I was befuddled and desperate for more news on what was happening. At the time, VIA did little to inform its passengers of the situation, and that lack of information has continued. Passengers still take to social media complaining about their late arrivals, trying to find out which trains are Venture-equipped so they can book an alternate departure, and as we all know bad news travels fast.

This would be a corporate black-eye for any organization, but VIA is a Crown corporation that relies on government funding, one that is introducing its first new purpose-built fleet in over forty years, and it's a fleet that MUST continue in the Corridor as all other Legacy fleets -  HEP, LRC and Renaissance - are slated to disappear in the coming year.

For me as your humble blogger, this has become a legal and jurisidictional rabbit-hole. Once I sought to find out the background, I gained access to public court documents through Access to Information requests, thereby seeing all the supposed proof that CN had assembled, as well as affidavits and documents that VIA had gathered to counter CN's contentions.

The result has been 20+ posts on the Ventures saga. I've been trackside as the first test run arrived at 0222 on 22/2/22, the first revenue run here in 2023, the continuing implementation of Ventures and even attempting to construct on-time performance and serviceability data right up to today...and tomorrow...and tomorrow. My thanks to those who have contributed OS's and other very useful information. I wouldn't say the Venture saga has overtaken Trackside Treasure, but it's certainly made itself at home here!

Who knows where and when this rabbit-hole will end? Perhaps when all 32 Venture sets are in revenue service and the well-worn Legacy fleet takes a well-deserved break and it put out to pasture in museums. Or sees the jaws of an excavator intent on its destruction. 

But this is supposed to be a happy occasion! So happy birthday, redundant and baseless Crossing Supplement! As CN dogpaddles to save face in the public eye, VIA plods along with its Venture implementation and passengers wait for the schoolyard spat to be resolved. Please continue to check back, and with the help of Transport Canada, the new minister and cooler and wiser heads, we won't have to break out two candles for the cake (or pumpkin pie?) next Thanksgiving.

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I'm looking forward to making this presentation in the coming week. Rehearsing it, I'm struck that it contains a lot of locomotive and car numbers. It's not a scenic slide show, and frankly since the audience is likely to be VIAphiles and members of the VIA Historical Association, this seemed appropriate to me. 

There are those who might be expecting glorious photos of VIA trains. I wish there had been an opportunity to include a short blurb or even a full title in the advance schedule of clinics. Perhaps a 'parental advisory' of sorts. I still think it will be enjoyable, I'll try to make it interesting and hey, there will be door prizes!