Transport committee  As I mentioned, part of the study is looking at the possible technology options. We don't have available right now what the consultants are going to come up with, because as part of the requirement we've asked them to keep in mind the Canadian environment, the Canadian ridership, and the routing distance.

Transport committee  They would be able to provide you with data, but it's not something you can take to the store to say, “I want to buy X”. Everything is customized. They can probably give an indication of the average price of a railcar or of a system that they sell in Europe. They'll probably be able to—

Transport committee  Okay. We'll see what we can provide.

Transport committee  Yes, the department and VIA Rail make requests to the government.

Transport committee  VIA Rail does it.

Transport committee  No, we work together. It is not VIA Rail but the department that has responsibility for this project. What we do with the carrier is discuss how we can improve the VIA Rail system and provide faster, safer service. That is how we work together. Our goal is to improve the system currently in place.

Transport committee  There isn't anything that stands out at us right now as impossible. On the capacity issue, I have a team, and Mr. Lawless is one of the members. There are others who are spending a huge chunk of their time on this, working with the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, who also have dedicated staff on the file and who are coaching or guiding the consultants as they do their work.

Transport committee  I've been doing rail files now since 2001.

Transport committee  That is true right now in some parts of the corridor, yes. I do not know what the future holds, because the funding VIA Rail received this year is certainly spread over two or three years. It will allow improvements, but not in all the corridors. Right now, we do not know what will happen.

Transport committee  We are starting to implement the plan that VIA Rail and the department approved in 2007, using the additional funding the government provided this year. That will take three or four years.

Transport committee  I think overall that passenger rail is a big contributor to tourism in Canada. I can speak for VIA today. VIA provides service across the country. A significant portion of its ridership are tourists who come in, whether on the west coast or the east coast, and go across Canada; to the east coast, for example, to visit Nova Scotia, or even places such as P.E.I.

Transport committee  Exactly. Even the track technologies and the signal systems have evolved significantly, and they are continuing to evolve. In fact, the previous U.S. government made a decision to require positive train control on the current freight systems that are also accommodating passenger systems.

Transport committee  We would hope so, yes. Bombardier is a world leader. This could be an opportunity for them. We also have Alstom in this country. We have Siemens here as well. There are opportunities to come from something like this.

Transport committee  As to the negatives, one could be the reaction of some of the other modes to the impacts on them and their viability. What will this mean in the future for them? As with any other infrastructure project, we often underestimate the reaction of the people who are affected by it.

Transport committee  Not yet, but it's—