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I'll tell ya what, all yee who doubt the future of passenger railroads, just two years ago I would have begruggingly agreed with you. Nobody wants to travel by train for four hours what they could fly in 45 min. It's a sad fact. Hey, when I was thinking about putting in my application to VIA six years ago; my Dad had shown me the application, I said "I didn't know we still had a passenger rail system. Who travels on it?" Not that many, to tell you the gods honest truth. And although I really did like the work, when they decided to cut the conductors to save money (yes, that's how "in the red" we were.....) Who thought that would work? Not me. I actually put in my applications for the airlines. I was accepted. I ended up turning it down. (Good thing too as it was with Canadian...and I would clearly be out of a job by now.) Anyway we struggled along. Service got stronger as fresh-blood was hired. Things became vibrant, and positive word of mouth was spreading. For those who did travel with us, they came back. Still, however, I would go out to bars with my friends . I would meet people. They would say, "and what do you do for a living?" I would tell them and their faces were all confused. "What does VIA do?" It's true. September eleventh 2001, I was working the club car from Montreal to Toronto, and I was supposed to double out to Ottawa that same afternoon. My preview manifest that morning had indicated an easy, quiet trip. 30 pax in the club, and about 90 in the coachs. I'm sure you can imagine how that changed. (68pax in club, 278 coach) Passengers off airlines, people desperate to get home, no car, no plains, what now? The train? You mean we still have one? yes. yes we do. Those people who travelled that day experienced, for many of them, for the first time what "efficient use of time" really means. Experiment. Flight from Toronto to Ottawa takes 45min. Train, 4 hrs. Which gets you there faster? Answer: They're both the same. Airports are never downtown, and rarly eaily accessable. Add 30 min. to the 45min. flight for travel time to airport. (1hr15min.) Still faster? Wrong. You can not arrive 5 min before your flight takes off (no matter what they do in the movies). Add 1hr30min. (2hrs.45min.) Flight time includes time plain take off to time plain land, but does not incorporate the time it takes to run up and down the runway. Add 30 min. (3hr15min.) Walking 5 kilometers through the airport, plus baggage retrival, Add another 30 min (3hr45min). Now get from airport in Ottawa(also not downtown) 20 min. We're now at 4hr. 05 min. Aproximatly the same time. Difference. You get on the train you plug in your lap top, you talk on the phone, you arrive downtown. 911 changed the buisnessmans paradime on the cold side of the boarder. Amtrac needs to work and focus on catering more exclusivly to them, they may find them coming in in droves. Give it five years.
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