Leong: Don’t like two-car CTrains on weekends? Blame politicians

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Show, don’t tell.

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In so many aspects of life, what you say means far less than what you do.

This obviously includes politicians, where people in high office love to utter all sorts of wonderful things, only to be betrayed by the consequences of their choices.

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So it goes for public transit. Politicians at all levels and of all persuasions have beat the drum for improved bus and train services. Once in a while, they shower local transit agencies with eye-watering sums of cash to build something bold and new. (Hello, Green Line!)

Meanwhile, the existing systems are left to wallow, not given the attention they need and deserve.

This brings me to a recent change at Calgary Transit, which coincides with the new spring schedule that came into effect on March 17.

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As of this past weekend, CTrains have been shortened to two cars from three on Saturday, Sunday and stat holidays, part of a pilot project.

This is despite a resurgence in transit use, which has recovered to pre-pandemic levels. Regular weekend ridership is also increasing, Calgary Transit said in a statement released last week.

Cost savings, safety cited as reasons

But still, the agency figured it can pack everyone onto shorter trains.

Reasons cited include cost savings linked to lower power usage, reduced maintenance and decreased wear and tear.

It’s also understood shorter trains will make it easier for transit peace officers to do their jobs. (Another case of unintentionally punishing paying riders because we can’t get a handle on what bureaucrats would call “non-destination transit users.”)

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Extra trains will operate during events like Calgary Flames home games, Calgary Transit said, while three- and four-car trains are planned during weekends for Stampede and the huge Rotary convention.

As a frequent transit user, I am disappointed about this service reduction — yet I don’t blame Calgary Transit for resorting to this.

This is what happens when financial support for transit doesn’t match the political rhetoric pushing to boost service.

I didn’t see any off-the-charts-full trains this past weekend. (Your mileage may vary: There were reports of overloaded trains on social media.)

That said, there were some difficulties I’d call annoyances of concern.

Trains were busy enough that people with baby carriers and bicycles were having trouble manoeuvring. And because people were squeezing through a smaller number of doors than before, it felt as if it was taking longer for passengers to board and alight.

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For those who use a mobility aid, constantly super-full trains could become a problem for them.

Limiting the number of cars in operation also caps the potential for future growth on weekends. On the one hand, officials are saying “take transit” but on the other hand, they’re also saying “we won’t make room for you.”

Concern for aging CTrain fleet

I was also a little alarmed at first about the desire to reduce wear and tear.

But we should remember the oldest CTrain cars still in operation date as far back as the system’s opening in 1981. A number of those light-rail vehicles have been retired in the last few years, and their replacements don’t appear to have entered service yet despite having been ordered.

“Calgary Transit has partnered with Siemens to deliver 31 new S200 model LRVs (the “mask” trains) over the next several years, with negotiations underway for a further nine units,” reads a 2023 update to RouteAhead, Calgary’s long-term transit plan.

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“The first order of 15 LRVs is currently in production with the first units to begin arriving in 2024, with the second order to begin arriving in 2026. The delivery and commissioning of these 40 train cars will allow Calgary Transit to fully retire the original U2 models which have served the city since the 1980s and to provide reliable four-car train service into the future.”

That last bit made me snicker, seeing how trains are getting shorter.

And why didn’t we buy more than 40 cars to account for growth?

Politicians say they want us to leave our cars at home whenever we can, even for activities beyond work and school, and yet transit services are simultaneously handcuffed with constraints preventing them from helping us to reach such goals.

The introduction of two-car CTrains is just another in a list of things big and small that, cumulatively, make public transit less desirable and useful to use than it could or should be.

rleong@postmedia.com

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