bdawe wrote:I would think that the best option for such a service would be neither this proposal nor by way of the ex-CN/GTW route, but rather by way of the Michigan Central Tunnel in Detroit. This has the benefit of serving the much larger metropolitan areas of Windsor and Detroit bypassed by the Grand Trunk, making use of ongoing Amtrak, Michigan , VIA Rail & Ontario investments in higher speed corridors connecting Chicago & Detroit and Montreal and Toronto rather than the smaller cities of upstate New York.
Furthermore, the Michigan Central Tunnel is majority owned by an Ontario pension fund, who could likely be more easily induced to part with the tunnel than could a class I railway.
bdawe and Everyone:
I found a video on YouTube about the 1994 renovation of the Detroit River Tunnel from CP Rail.
Who now has control of the tunnel taking note of the mentioned Ontario pension fund majority
owner? The problem with Detroit-Windsor would be aligning tracks from the tunnel to the VIA
owned route into Walkerville and the Amtrak used route on the Detroit side.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnSfOuCJdR4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The most direct route will again be the International route via Port Huron and Sarnia.
Taking note to the direct service ideas from New England a Boston-Montreal direct service would
be an interesting addition - but the most practical service to Montreal may be restoring the route
of the "Montrealer" from New York north or second another "Adirondack" frequency...
The trouble of it all would again be getting Customs and Immigration formalities squared away.
With the current strained relations between the US and Canada this may not be the best time
to attempt train restorations of this type...MACTRAXX
EXPRESS TRAIN TO NEW YORK PENN STATION-NO JAMAICA ON THIS TRAIN-PLEASE STAND CLEAR OF THE CLOSING TRAIN DOORS