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THE IIERAI OUTLOOK Saturday August 1DS9- Pages From sea to sea the railway pulls Canada together Vince It was the railway more than anything else that originally pull ed Canada together into a nation from sea to sea Isnt it incredible then that the government is proposing to slash its already inadequate fun ding of Via Rail Whats more it is threatening to privatize the passenger service which could be tantamount to killing it Granted the government has piously offered reasons that are supposed to make its Intention seem sound and businesslike Only three per cent of intercity travel in Canada is by train Via Rail is los ing money the federal govern ment has to take tough measures to cope with its annual deficit of about billion On closer examination however the situation looks much different Rail service accounts for 30 per cent of travel by common carriers with airlines at per cent and buses at 26 per cent Vias losses arise largely because the two freightcarrying railways whose tracks are used by Via have allowed their roadbeds to deteriorate As for the deficit the government in Ottawa never seems to be short of funds to spend on services that are much less essential than basic transporta tion BETTER SERVICE Even with the inadequate financ ing with which Via has had to operate throughout its 10year ex istence it has demonstrated that it can be effective and successful enough to justify its continued operation Standards of service have im proved steadily in most areas although it is always possible to find shortcomings Via has for in stance scheduled daylight runs through the Canadian Rockies making a spectacular journey out of what previously could only be imagined And it has organized a highly in teresting series of tours and excur sions in every part of the country usually offering closeup views of otherwise inaccessible but scenic areas of Canada On a more prosaic level the Crown corporation has introduced the concept of travel credits as compensation for late arrivals and complimentary light meals for coach passengers on its busy TorontoMontreal route Such charges contributed to a notable improvement in 1988 operating results Ridership rose by almost 10 per cent and passenger revenues by nearly per cent LOOK ABROAD Those gams may or may not pro ve that rail service in Canada has a future although they certainly point in that direction But a look at other countries seems to confirm that there is plen ty of potential for growth in railway passenger services In Bri tain it is often impossibel to find space so popular are the trains on weekends Accommodation on South Africas Blue Train between Pretoria and Cape Town is usually sold out months in advance In Japan seats are at a premium on many intercity express trains It can be argued of course that Canada is vastly bigger than such countries as those and that our rail service faces correspondingly big ger problems AMTRAK EXPANDS But the US is pretty big too There the US counter part of Via created in 1971 is operating successfully and pro fitable from coast to coast As recently as July it reinstated a daily overnight train service bet ween Washington and Montreal via New York which was made possi ble by US government funding of major improvements to the roadb ed Its sobering to think of the con gestion of our overtaxed airports and highways if rail travellers be dumped upon them The existing combination of rail air and highway may not be totally satisfactory but it works efficient ly on balance and provides options for periods of bad weather traffic peaks and major disasters Rather than abandoning Via Rail Ottawa ought to give it a long- term mandate Let the politicians and bureaucrats find other budget areas to cut there are op portunities galore and give Via the authority to reinvest in routes and services that are genuinely needed TRAVEL NOTEBOOK Here are notes on news of cur rent interest to travellers The 1989 US National Hot Air Balloon Championship which opened yesterday in Baton Rouge La continues until Aug 13 Win ners of the colorful competition will represent the US at the 1991 World Championship of Ballooning in Montreal Air Canada has extended the life of its frequentflyer program Aeroplan by one year to Dec 1990 The number of free seats allotted to the program has been increased by 30 per cent while blackout periods have been reduced by per cent As well points can be redeemed now for certain Sun Charter flights to Fort Lauderdale West Palm Beach Tampa and Fort Myers The same airline beginning Oct and throughout the winter will operate up to six charter flights a week between Toronto and Fort Lauderdale using aircraft The increase from last winters B767 flight is a response to growing interest in Fort Lauderdale and Boc Raton to the north the company says Fort Lauderdale is home port for several Caribbean cruise ships For a book of discount coupons valid until Dec write to 500 Free Palm Beach County Con vention and Visitors Bureau 1555 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