Canadian National released a system wide advisory that weather was effecting on time performance. A couple of excerpts - - A blizzard is currently affecting CN operations in Nova Scotia. The area is experiencing freezing rain, strong winds gusting up to 90 kilometres per hour, and a snowfall ranging from 25 to 40 centimetres. As a result, service throughout Nova Scotia may be delayed by at least 24 hours. - Unusually cold temperatures have impacted CN's operation between Saskatchewan and northern Ontario, as well as between Winnipeg and Chicago. Current forecasts call for cold weather to continue throughout these areas for the next 48 hours. Customers should expect that shipments moving through these areas may be delayed. A CN employeehas advised me that there is a system wide problem with the dispatching system, and certain repairs are suspended till the problem is resolved. This could be related to the cold weather.
VIA is consistently arriving bizzarely late here in Vancouver BC due to weather problems. Up to 8 hours late as been recorded. Yesterday when I was with my wife looking at furniture at a store close the VIA station, we saw the VIA roll in at around 2:30 PM. It is suppose to be here in VAncouver at 8:30 AM.
The October on time performance figures for Via trains in Western service was 58.2% That is below the 77% target. Weather would not be as an important factor in October as say in February. My guess would be freight train congestion especially just east of Vancouver. Apparently the CP/CN directional running agreement in your area has helped, but passenger trains are not as important as the freight and they tend to get "put away". Here on the CN Kingston sub, the on time performance is 71.1 The target was 81% I can remember when it was very rare to have actual on time performance below 90%. Back then CN had a lot more passing sidings and crossovers. On December 20 Via train 52 was 3 hours late into Montreal because the washrooms froze. Health Canada regulations required the train to stop at stations along the route so passengers could use the washrooms. This delay was not attibuted to freight train congestion, but to a different kind of backlog.
A rather nasty type of backlog! What type of dispatching system is in use? Does the CN use a track warrant similar to what might be seen here in the USA? Or something else? Boxcab E50
Boxcab E50, I'm not familiar with operating practices in the US, but on the Kingston sub, and I believe on most of the other subdivisions, CN uses Centralized Traffic Control. There are the usual General Bulletin Orders and Occupancy Control System Rules. Most railways are governed by the Canadian Rail Operating Rules which I believe is the juristiction of Transport Canada, a Federal Government department. The Rules are on the Transport Canada website - Transport Canada CROR rules
There's some interesting reading on that site. Will be going back to finish it later. I see a lot of similarities to rules in the USA. Especially in the safety stuff. Yet some quite different concepts as well. Boxcab E50
