# So I guess the Malahat is dead?



## VentureForth

I rode the _Malahat _13 years ago with my new bride on our honeymoon - not exactly the _Empire Builder _or _The Canadian _but it was a memorable trip to Courtenay from Dallas via Seattle & Victoria.

I still have pics from that journey. I'm saddened that it seems like the E&N just can't seem to get the business to stay afloat.

Does anyone have any better news?


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## Bob Dylan

VentureForth said:


> I rode the _Malahat _13 years ago with my new bride on our honeymoon - not exactly the _Empire Builder _or _The Canadian _but it was a memorable trip to Courtenay from Dallas via Seattle & Victoria.
> I still have pics from that journey. I'm saddened that it seems like the E&N just can't seem to get the business to stay afloat.
> 
> Does anyone have any better news?


 I rode it many years ago also! RIP Malahat!


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## Notelvis

Rode it Victoria to Nanaimo in 2004...... wanted to go all the way BUT there was a bustitution north of Nanaimo due to a trestle fire the week before. Walked over to the Greyhound station and caught a bus back to Victoria instead of going further north.


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## Swadian Hardcore

Too bad it's gone. It's so rare to find an RDC in regular service these days. They'd be great to add some Amtrak rural services where no other transport is available (except maybe car).

I'll have to get a bus ride up to Port Hardy on the island in case they cut that too. You can't really enjoy the scenery from a car.

Was the Malahat popular? How full's the bus?


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## NorthCoastHiawatha

Swadian Hardcore said:


> Too bad it's gone. It's so rare to find an RDC in regular service these days. They'd be great to add some Amtrak rural services where no other transport is available (except maybe car).
> I'll have to get a bus ride up to Port Hardy on the island in case they cut that too. You can't really enjoy the scenery from a car.
> 
> Was the Malahat popular? How full's the bus?


I rode in the Malahat in September of 2010, little did I know it had just 6 months left to run, I'm glad I did too. Anyway the single RDC was quite full throughout the journey. A good number of the passengers were just there for a scenic day excursion during there visit to Victoria. There were a few people actually using it for transportation though.


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## Swadian Hardcore

NorthCoastHiawatha said:


> Swadian Hardcore said:
> 
> 
> 
> Too bad it's gone. It's so rare to find an RDC in regular service these days. They'd be great to add some Amtrak rural services where no other transport is available (except maybe car).
> I'll have to get a bus ride up to Port Hardy on the island in case they cut that too. You can't really enjoy the scenery from a car.
> 
> Was the Malahat popular? How full's the bus?
> 
> 
> 
> I rode in the Malahat in September of 2010, little did I know it had just 6 months left to run, I'm glad I did too. Anyway the single RDC was quite full throughout the journey. A good number of the passengers were just there for a scenic day excursion during there visit to Victoria. There were a few people actually using it for transportation though.
Click to expand...

That's just like other Canadian trains. It's probably why the train got axed unlike the Essential Services.


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## CHamilton

Effort to resume E&N passenger rail service gets support from B.C. minister




> B.C.’s transportation minister says he’ll try to persuade Via Rail to restart passenger train service on Vancouver Island’s E&N line, as the Island Corridor Foundation sets another make-or-break deadline for the stalled project next month.Todd Stone said he will push the issue federally on behalf of Vancouver Island, after a meeting with Island Corridor officials at the legislature on Monday.
> 
> “I understand the holdup at this point is with Via Rail,” Stone said.
> 
> “The folks this morning wanted to bring me up to speed on where that was at. They certainly weren’t asking for much, certainly nothing new from the province. What they are hoping for is that I will, as the minister responsible, reach out to Via and perhaps have a conversation there.”
> 
> Stone said he’ll tackle the issue, noting that with more than $15 million in federal and provincial funding committed, as well as $3.2 million from regional districts, “it’s time for Via Rail to come to the table” with service.
> 
> “If there is the ability to provide some encouragement, some moral suasion perhaps with our federal partners, including Via Rail, I’m absolutely prepared to do that,” he said.
> 
> The $18 million in funding is supposed to pay for track, bridge and trestle upgrades along the 223-kilometre Island E&N line, which runs from Victoria to Courtenay.
> 
> But the money is contingent on the Island Corridor Foundation first negotiating a new passenger service deal with Via Rail.
> 
> Passenger service on the rail line was suspended in March 2011 due to poor track conditions and safety concerns.


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## CHamilton

Public urged to pressure rail company

Posted August 29, 2013
By Tamara Cunningham – Nanaimo News Bulletin


> The Island Corridor Foundation hasn’t met certain conditions needed for a passenger service agreement and until it does, VIA Rail isn’t willing to talk, says a representative for the Crown corporation.Graham Bruce, ICF president, has launched a campaign urging the public to turn up the heat on VIA Rail, as the corporation remains mum on signing a passenger rail agreement. According to Bruce, the company hasn’t responded to a pitch for passenger rail submitted five months ago and the waiting game could put critical government funding at risk.
> 
> Passenger service was suspended in 2011 because of unsafe rail conditions. It can’t be revived until VIA Rail inks a deal to take on the service, triggering the release of $21 million in government funding set aside for trestle and track improvements. ICF members had planned on securing the agreement before September so it could start construction, but with no response and the clock ticking, it’s now calling on the public to pressure the Crown corporation.
> 
> Government and industry officials, like Seaspan, have already sided with the foundation with calls for VIA Rail to go back to the bargaining table.
> 
> VIA Rail spokesman Jacques Gagnon said the corporation is “more than happy to resume activities” with passenger rail, but it has given ICF detailed and specific conditions and none of them have been met. There are desires for a rail station in Victoria, maintenance centre and reassurance there will be no further increase in its operating deficit.
> 
> “If you are doing a business proposal through your partner and you don’t hear back from [them] … it’s because you have to amend your proposal,” Gagnon said. “We are not negotiating this in the public domain, but we are stating there are fairly specific issues that need to be addressed and if they are not addressed … how can we resume activities?”
> 
> ICF and VIA Rail have been in on-and-off again talks for 12 months about passenger service, which the corridor foundation says could be key to sustaining rail on the Island.
> 
> The Corridor Foundation – made up of First Nations and regional governments – believes Island communities could capitalize on significant economic benefits of rail, from redevelopment to increased port activity and tourism. It’s a critical link between half a million people on Vancouver Island, said Bruce.
> 
> But before the foundation can help unlock the Island’s rail potential, they need to ensure there’s an anchor service that can put any doubts of the longevity of rail to rest.
> 
> Federal, provincial and local governments have offered support for track improvements needed to restore passenger service, but it’s contingent on VIA Rail and ICF’s operator, Southern Rail, entering into an agreement.
> 
> Bruce is still confident a deal can be reached, but is concerned VIA Rail’s slow response could put funding in jeopardy. No government has threatened to withdraw dollars, but there is money set aside for this year and 2014. The longer construction is pushed back, the less likely the funding will remain in reserve, Bruce said.


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## Marvin Thornton

The VIA service is so heavily subsidized on the Island that VIA really does not want to come back. The times that I have been aboard the train the ridership was so low that you basically had your choice of where to sit. :help:


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## CHamilton

> As negotiations to restore passenger service on the E&N rail line continue, bigger ideas are being floated. A tourist feature train from the Nanaimo cruise ship terminal and an excursion train connecting Nanaimo, Ladysmith and Duncan are both in preliminary talks between local governments and railroad officials. Island Corridor Foundation executive director Graham Bruce said he wants to focus on "tidying up arrangements" with VIA Rail to restore the E&N rail line, but hinted other opportunities are making themselves available.
> 
> "There are a lot of different opportunities but nothing I can speak authoritatively to at the moment," he said. "We've done cursory work but it's not anything where one could say, 'here's the plan, here's the cost of operation, here are the areas it could from.'" Bruce said once freight is expanded, ICF will look "more aggressively at excursion trains and tourist feature trains."
> 
> Bruce hinted that a tourist feature train stemming from the cruise ship terminal in Nanaimo has also been talked about.


http://www.canada.com/Comox+council+gives+Beaufort+resort+developers+some+leeway/9153296/story.html


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## The Davy Crockett

From the Vancouver Sun on 12/27/13: Via Rail might return to island

From the article:



> The return of passenger rail service on Vancouver Island is inching closer to reality amid positive negotiations with Via Rail. "I'm feeling really good about it," said Mary Ashley, co-chairwoman of the Island Corridor Foundation, which owns the railway track from Victoria to Courtenay. "The frustrating part now is getting all the details done and starting on the improvement of the track so we can get passenger service up and running." Both sides are exchanging proposals and clarifying language, after stalled talks this fall. If negotiations continue to make progress, Ashley said she hopes a deal could be signed in early 2014.



I'm skeptical, but thought I'd share.


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## MikefromCrete

Since there doesn't seem to be enough freight traffic to run a short line railroad, it's doubtful anyone would spend big money to make the line passenger-worthy.


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## CHamilton

Challenges mount to bring rail service back to Island




> Confidence in the campaign to resume Island passenger rail service took a hit this week, with word that the service will terminate in Nanaimo weekdays and news that track restoration costs have skyrocketed.
> 
> Should the Island Corridor Foundation reach a rail agreement with Via Rail to resume passenger service, Budd cars would only roll north of Nanaimo on weekends.
> 
> New estimates to repair bridges and track on the 289-kilometre line now put the price tag as high as $160 million, up from $103 million.


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## Nathanael

At this point, if I were ICF, I'd start negotiations with someone other than VIA to operate the line. VIA clearly wants nothing to do with it. Someone else might.


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## CHamilton

Surprising news:

Rail service to move forward on Vancouver Island




> There's a tentative deal between VIA Rail and the Island Corridor Foundation to bring train service back to Vancouver Island.
> 
> The E and N Rail line links Victoria to Courtenay, but the tracks are in bad shape and service has been suspended since 2011.
> 
> Today's tentative deal for service means promised funding from municipal, provincial and federal governments can now be spent to fix the tracks. There's $20-million dollars available.
> 
> The ICF says the tracks need 9-months worth of work, once a contract is awarded. There no time line yet for when that might happen.
> 
> The new route will be more commuter-friendly. The train will leave Nanaimo in the morning bound for Victoria. Then will travel to Courtenay. It will travel back to Victoria to pick up afternoon commuters before ending the day in Nanaimo.
> 
> Where the main stops will be along the line are no yet known.
> 
> The ICF says VIA Rail will provide the trains and Southern Rail will operate the track. No VIA representatives were at today's announcement in Nanaimo.


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## CHamilton

A friend from Vancouver BC writes:



> It's been quite a battle.... The train wasn't running since 2011 due to abysmal track conditions. Ties need to be replaced, bridges need to be upgraded. The governments agreed to commit some cash to it all, but only if a new agreement with VIA is made. VIA was being stubborn which lead to quite a long delay of more than a year. Meanwhile, the locals have been working on fixing up whatever they could. One town raised money to restore the station that was torched by arsonists, the other one had a roofing company reroof their beautiful historic station for free.... So it will be mega exciting when after all this fight trains finally start rolling.


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## CHamilton

Passenger rail returning to Vancouver Island



> After a three-year absence, passenger rail may be returning to Vancouver Island.
> According to the Island Corridor Foundation (ICF), a tentative deal has been brokered between Southern Railway and VIA Rail to restore commuter service on the old E&N line.
> VIA suspended the once-daily passenger train in 2011, citing the poor condition of the tracks.
> 
> ICF co-chair Mary Ashley said Monday that Southern has agreed to handle the operation of the line — including service, marketing and maintenance — while VIA will provide the train itself.
> The new deal includes $20.9 million for upgrading tracks and bridges along the route.
> The new service will operate out of Nanaimo, the ICF said, allowing for an early morning train to Victoria.


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## CHamilton

UPDATED No Vancouver Island railway deal yet, says VIA Rail
Railway company denies claim by Island Corridor Foundation a deal has been reached



> VIA Rail says there is no deal to restore passenger rail service on the Southern Railway of Vancouver Island, despite an announcement earlier today by the Island Corridor Foundation that it had reached a tentative agreement with VIA to bring trains back.
> 
> VIA spokesperson Jacques C. Gagnon said talks between the two parties are still underway, but no final agreement has been reached.
> 
> Earlier today the Island Corridor Foundation announced it had reached a tentative agreement with VIA Rail to restore the service.
> 
> View Royal Mayor Graham Hill said the deal was still subject to final approval from the ICF, which owns the track, Southern Railway which operates it, and VIA.


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## CHamilton

Deal signed to resume E&N rail service; boards need to ratify



> NANAIMO — An agreement to restore passenger rail service on Vancouver Island has been signed by Via Rail, the Island Corridor Foundation and Southern Railway of Vancouver Island Ltd., according to Southern Railway president Frank Butzelaar.
> 
> The operating agreement must still be ratified by each organization’s board, Butzelaar said, noting that Southern Railway’s board is not scheduled to meet until August.
> 
> The news is the strongest sign yet that rail service along the E&N corridor between Courtenay and Victoria could resume.


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## CHamilton

> Regional district directors took another step towards rail service — but not before adding one more condition.
> 
> Directors voted in favour of a contribution agreement with the Island Corridor Foundation (ICF) that will see $945,000 committed over two years to upgrading rail infrastructure and reinstating rail service from Victoria to Courtney. This money was originally authorized by the board in 2012.
> 
> Additionally, directors set aside $68,000 for the contribution agreement from a provincial grant to help offset the 2015 tax requisition.
> 
> However, director Julian Fell, who represents Coombs and Errington, made one last provision before the motion was carried at Tuesday night’s RDN committee of the whole meeting. The motion will come back to the board to be ratified at the next regular RDN meeting slated for July 22.


http://www.pqbnews.com/news/266621011.html


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## CHamilton

Repairs to Island rail line to start this winter




> The work to repair Island rails and bridges that will allow passenger trains to resume is expected to start this winter.
> 
> While Southern Rail of Vancouver Island, which operates the railway, has yet to issue tenders to find a contractor to do the work, Island Corridor Foundation, which owns the track, expects that to happen soon....
> 
> Finalization of an agreement this summer will trigger the release of nearly $20 million in federal, provincial and local government funds for track and bridge restoration.


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## The Davy Crockett

CHamilton said:


> Repairs to Island rail line to start this winter
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The work to repair Island rails and bridges that will allow passenger trains to resume is expected to start this winter.
> 
> While Southern Rail of Vancouver Island, which operates the railway, has yet to issue tenders to find a contractor to do the work, Island Corridor Foundation, which owns the track, expects that to happen soon....
> 
> Finalization of an agreement this summer will trigger the release of nearly $20 million in federal, provincial and local government funds for track and bridge restoration.
Click to expand...

So I guess it could it be time to change the title of this thread to:

"So I guess I'm Cautiously Optimistic the Malahat Could be Coming Back From the Dead?" ?


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## CHamilton

The Davy Crockett said:


> So I guess it could it be time to change the title of this thread to:
> 
> "So I guess I'm Cautiously Optimistic the Malahat Could be Coming Back From the Dead?" ?


Sounds like the latest zombie movie


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## The Davy Crockett

CHamilton said:


> The Davy Crockett said:
> 
> 
> 
> So I guess it could it be time to change the title of this thread to:
> 
> "So I guess I'm Cautiously Optimistic the Malahat Could be Coming Back From the Dead?" ?
> 
> 
> 
> Sounds like the latest zombie movie
Click to expand...

You mean the movie titled Jerry's Acid Park?

The movie begins in Courtenay with a zombie Jerry Garcia boarding the Malahat, and goes south - literally and figuratively -

... when he and fellow zombie passengers encounter zombie dinosaurs while trying to get to Victoria for a night on the town? :unsure: :wacko: :blink:

:giggle:


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## VentureForth

It looks like they have reached a deal with VIA for scheduling, though a far cry from the daily round trip previously offered. It sounds like they want 4 round trips from Victoria to Nanaimo per week and once a week all the way to Courtenay.

Similar to the Sunset Limited, they showed the Malahat on their service maps for several years after discontinuance, but there is ZERO mention of it anymore anywhere on the VIA site.

Anyone know if the Johnson Street bridge in Victoria has been removed and if they are definitely going to move the station? Ooo - never mind. Looked at Google Maps and it's obliterated. Could be restored, but why? They can relocate the station to the other side of the inlet. Beter yet, to the Roundhouse complex - make it into a tourist attraction and try to get more revenue.


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## CHamilton

Minister says “there may still be a path forward” on E&N rail, but lot’s of work remains


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## The Davy Crockett

I read (I think it was at TRAINS newswire) that the Feds have promised funding in the amount of several millions of Loonies . 

Correction: The article is from July 30, 2015, and said that the BC government has decided to keep its previous commitment of 7 million Loonies after deciding in April of this year to review said commitment of said Loonies. That said, all upgrade work must not exceed 20.4 million Loonies.

Now how will they know before work starts what the true cost will be? Someone in the BC government must think that the Island Corridor Foundation has a really good crystal ball? 

So, MAYBE trains will roll in 2016.

My crystal ball ain't that good!


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## MikefromCrete

This really seems like a lost cause.


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## The Davy Crockett

I didn't think this train passed through nine circles. What a divine comedy of errors! :giggle:


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## CHamilton

Train service could return next year



> Southern Railway of Vancouver Island (SVI) expects passenger train service to return to the Island by the end of next year or early 2017.
> 
> The operator of the E&N Railway said Friday it has sign-off on all funding except $7.5 million from the federal government, which was held up because of the election.
> 
> But the company expects an agreement in principle will be signed by early-2016, after which it can go to tender and rehabilitate the track. The plan is to replace 9,000 rail joints, renew 110,000 wood ties, add 56.5k tonnes of ballast, and lift and resurface the track.


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## VentureForth

I started this thread 8 years ago, and this picture was from 14 years before that. October will be our 22nd anniversary. This is my new bride and myself at Courtenay after a 4 hour ride on the Malahat in 1999.

Even if they restore the service, it won't be the same without the Johnson St Bridge.


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