Not just expensive, downright impossible. The Rockies are volcanic, so boring a level tunnel through the base of the mountains is out of the question. They’re also very steep, which necessitates a lot of switchbacks, sharp curves, and even a pair of spiral tunnels at Kicking Horse Pass. We can and do run normal trains through these lines, but the geography severely limits how fast we can move through the terrain.
Don’t think the Rockies are volcanic. I can’t find any sources to support that.
From Wikipedia
The current Rocky Mountains arose in the Laramide orogeny from between 80 and 55 Ma.[11] For the Canadian Rockies, the mountain building is analogous to pushing a rug on a hardwood floor:[12]: 78 the rug bunches up and forms wrinkles (mountains). In Canada, the terranes and subduction are the foot pushing the rug, the ancestral rocks are the rug, and the Canadian Shield in the middle of the continent is the hardwood floor.[12]: 78
There currently aren’t any active volcanoes in the Canadian Rockies, but there is still magma towards the base of them that we’d run into if we tried to bore tunnels straight through. In theory, we could bore tunnels at a sharp incline to go over the magma; but that basically eliminates all the benefit vs just building rail lines on the surface like we already have, plus there’s the added complexity of trying to make an earthquake-safe tunnel that crosses a fault line.
I imagine if any party in power talked seriously about making cross-country HSR happen, it would raise levels of public excitement that haven’t been seen in generations.
I realize there are powerful interests that don’t want the country to feel so unified (in multiple senses) and they would inevitably fight against it, but I bet it wouldn’t take as much as people think to excite the public imagination over the possibilities this could bring for everyone.
edit
Also, I’m sure any one of us who has used HSR (or even regular rail) before in other countries (and who don’t have a direct conflicting interest in getting people into cars or planes) would sing its praises to anyone who would listen.
To be fair, HSR across the Rockies sounds extremely expensive and extremely inefficient.
I don’t think we’re going to be fixing Vancouver’s isolation anytime soon.
I would settle for just lower mainland trains for commuting purposes. Chilliwack / Hope to Tsawwassen ferry would be nice. Or to YVR
And yet we need it, eventually.
Not just expensive, downright impossible. The Rockies are volcanic, so boring a level tunnel through the base of the mountains is out of the question. They’re also very steep, which necessitates a lot of switchbacks, sharp curves, and even a pair of spiral tunnels at Kicking Horse Pass. We can and do run normal trains through these lines, but the geography severely limits how fast we can move through the terrain.
Don’t think the Rockies are volcanic. I can’t find any sources to support that.
From Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Volcanoes_of_the_Rocky_Mountains
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology_of_the_Rocky_Mountains#Terranes_and_subduction
There currently aren’t any active volcanoes in the Canadian Rockies, but there is still magma towards the base of them that we’d run into if we tried to bore tunnels straight through. In theory, we could bore tunnels at a sharp incline to go over the magma; but that basically eliminates all the benefit vs just building rail lines on the surface like we already have, plus there’s the added complexity of trying to make an earthquake-safe tunnel that crosses a fault line.
Nothing stops a conventional sleeper train for Vancouver-Calgary though, right? Sounds like sleeper service would be ideal given the circumstances.
CN already runs those, and from what I’ve heard they are indeed nice!
People who think HSR can be slapped up willynilly across the mountains, are poor students of history.
It just requires political will. Something lacking these days with all lacklustre politicians.
Japan has had it since the 60s, so it’s definitely doable and they have similar mountain issues to Canada (tunnels anyone?).
It would cost billions or trillions in public infrastructure costs which would make cons even more insane than they already are though…
HSR across Canada and down to the US would be amazing.
I imagine if any party in power talked seriously about making cross-country HSR happen, it would raise levels of public excitement that haven’t been seen in generations.
I realize there are powerful interests that don’t want the country to feel so unified (in multiple senses) and they would inevitably fight against it, but I bet it wouldn’t take as much as people think to excite the public imagination over the possibilities this could bring for everyone.
edit Also, I’m sure any one of us who has used HSR (or even regular rail) before in other countries (and who don’t have a direct conflicting interest in getting people into cars or planes) would sing its praises to anyone who would listen.