The American government has just announced the construction of a TGV between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. The federal government will spend more than $8 billion in subsidies for this line. But other TGV lines will soon be built in several American states. These new railways constitute a revolution in the country of automobiles and frenzied individualism. However, the United States is only following several other developed countries which have understood the advantages of TGVs. This is not the case in Quebec and Canada, where we would have to make do with cushy high-frequency trains. A train that doesn’t even move as fast as most normal trains in Europe or China. This is because TGVs do not seem profitable enough for CP and CN. It thus appears that the privatization of CN was not done to the advantage of the population. These companies should be nationalized or renationalized, subtracting from the CN buyout price the investments that this company should have made, but which it did not make.
1) What are the TGV projects in the United States?
The construction of numerous high-speed train projects (250 km/h and more) is seriously considered not only between Los Angeles and Las Vegas, but also in California, Texas, on the American east coast, from Florida to Pennsylvania. Contrary to what one might believe, a few TGV lines already exist in the United States, such as the line between New York and Washington. However, on this last link, the TGV only travels on average at 140km/h, although it can reach 320km/h.
2) Where are the TGVs in the world?
More than twenty countries have TGVs. Around the world, there are around 60,000 km of tracks dedicated to TGVs. Nearly 75% of the world’s TGVs operate in the Asia-Pacific region, mainly in China. Around 21% of TGV lines are in Europe.
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3) What are the advantages of TGVs?
TGVs are much faster than cars. For comparison, by TGV, the journey between Montreal and Quebec would take just an hour. TGVs also have many advantages over planes, when distances are relatively short, since TGV stations transport passengers from one city center to another. TGVs are also low-polluting, compared to cars or planes.
4) Why was the privatization of CN a bad thing?
The privatization of CN occurred in 1995. Like CP, CN divested itself of many secondary and tertiary routes that were unprofitable for shareholders. Not all railways, like roads, can be profitable. This is why roads are generally public. The logic should be the same with railways, especially at a time when we are seeking to reduce the carbon footprint of transport.
Archive photo, AFP
5) How would a renationalization of the railways help?
Canada’s railway companies do not have the strength to invest in TGV passenger transport. Their interest lies in the transport of goods. A nationalization of these companies, taking into account the investments that they should have made over many decades, but which they did not make, would allow the government to get its hands on an essential, but neglected, lever of economic development. .