Evidence of meeting #77 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was project.
A video is available from Parliament.
Chief Executive Officer, VIA HFR – VIA TGF Inc.
As we've mentioned before, there is a study being done, which I am learning is called phase two, or an extension to other regions. Our mandate is to stop in Toronto. If the mandate were to change, we would look at it.
I'm sorry to be....
Liberal
Vance Badawey Liberal Niagara Centre, ON
It's a work-in-progress, and I asked the question deliberately for that reason, because we are all working together here to come to that end.
That said, do you also see the possibility down the road that short-line operators may be a part of this overall network?
Chief Executive Officer, VIA HFR – VIA TGF Inc.
The intent is to have our private partner operate all of the facilities in the corridor between Quebec and Toronto—to have a single operator—because they will be taking the operational risk at that point in time. It's also to reduce the taxpayer exposure to the risk of the operation—
Liberal
Vance Badawey Liberal Niagara Centre, ON
Essentially, you're going to have a spine going east to west. Is there a possibility that you might use short-line operators to come off that spine into certain jurisdictions?
Chief Executive Officer, VIA HFR – VIA TGF Inc.
For spur lines and that type of facility, if we build it, they will come. For sure, we'll have hub-to-hub main services and then we'll have spur lines. It's how things were developed elsewhere, so the same thing will happen in Canada, in the country.
Liberal
Vance Badawey Liberal Niagara Centre, ON
This is my last question. What would it mean for Canada if this project were to be abandoned?
Chief Executive Officer, VIA HFR – VIA TGF Inc.
I close my eyes and I see myself in 40 years: We're the only G7 country without that type of service.
Liberal
Vance Badawey Liberal Niagara Centre, ON
Let's make sure that doesn't happen. Let's get the job right and get 'er done.
Chief Executive Officer, VIA HFR – VIA TGF Inc.
Right.
We'd be the only country still riding on diesel trains on non-dedicated track. Our two capitals wouldn't be linked. I just don't see it not happening.
Liberal
Vance Badawey Liberal Niagara Centre, ON
Perfect. Let's end on a good note. Let's make sure she gets done.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Peter Schiefke
Thank you, Mr. Badawey.
To begin our final round, we have Mr. Strahl.
Mr. Strahl, the floor is yours. You have five minutes.
Conservative
Mark Strahl Conservative Chilliwack—Hope, BC
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Imbleau, you've referenced a number of times your mandate letters and that sort of thing. Are those public documents? I know that the ministers' mandate letters are public. Are you able to table those with the committee?
Chief Executive Officer, VIA HFR – VIA TGF Inc.
Yes. They're all public. They were part of my 800-page briefing book.
Chief Executive Officer, VIA HFR – VIA TGF Inc.
We'll make them available if they're difficult to find.
Corporate Secretary, VIA HFR – VIA TGF Inc.
Members of the committee can find them in the corporate plan summary tabled by the minister in the House of Commons. You do have—
Conservative
Mark Strahl Conservative Chilliwack—Hope, BC
I appreciate that. Thank you for that direction.
In your comments, Mr. Imbleau, you mentioned how getting passengers off the current line and onto the new service would improve freight traffic. Obviously, if the tracks are not being shared, there would be more ability to move volumes quicker.
I would assume that you know how many Via trains would be coming off that current line and onto the main line. Have you done the modelling to show by what volume the current line would be reduced, how many trains would be reduced and how many passengers would move off the current line onto the HFR line? If that happens, what reaction do you anticipate from the communities that are currently served by the current corridor? Have you taken into account their level of service dropping because of a lower frequency of trains there? How will that impact feeding into the hubs?
I guess I'm a little concerned about the reduction. Have you modelled how that reduction of service on the current line will integrate with the HFR, or will those communities just see less and less service and, therefore, have to use other modes of transport to access the HFR? Are they going to be at a huge disadvantage, compared to those few communities along the route that will get stations on the HFR and will benefit from them?
Chief Executive Officer, VIA HFR – VIA TGF Inc.
I may have misspoken. The idea is not to cannibalize the existing system but to keep the existing system rolling. It's really to offer incremental services, new services, on dedicated track. Communities on the south shore of Montreal will still be served by Via. The intent is not to stop that service. It's really to go from eight million to 17 million passengers through incremental services.
If we could have done it on the existing track and be faster and reliable, someone else would have done it. We simply cannot add them, because there's no flexibility with the other rail cargoes.
Conservative
Mark Strahl Conservative Chilliwack—Hope, BC
Then I guess the question is this: How can you say that freight volumes and efficiencies will be met if you're saying that Via traffic will be the same on the current corridor and that this will just be additional capacity? I don't know. Maybe you can help me understand how those two things can both be true—the same amount of Via traffic and increased freight efficiencies and volumes.