This stat makes me happy.

Guys, be careful about the echo chamber... ... says the echo chamber.

This isn’t really about trains. It’s about whether Canada is still willing to build major infrastructure, or keep studying it. The case has been known for decades. The question now is whether we act on it. dbellerive.substack.com/p/why-i-supp...

Final week for Alto consultations! Feedback closes April 24. If you support high-speed rail in Canada, now’s the time to show up and make your voice heard. Every action counts. en.consultation.altotrain.ca/shaping-the-...

Note that the reason this got passed is because it doesn't explicitly say it reduces the bus lanes from 3 to 2 hours. Clause 3 includes the word "existing", which modifies the staff recommendation. This moved fast because @shawnmenard.bsky.social hid the modifier in unclear language.

The same drivers: "I couldnt see you!" We need some very strict rules about what is an "acceptable" (very generous choice of word) way to mount a phone on a "hands-free" holder. The number of times I see drivers that have most of the FOV filled with the phones, but hey, they aren't touching it!

We have released a copy of @railfans.ca's brief to ALTO’s public consultation. Canadians deserve better intercity transportation options and capable of changing how this country connects. If you haven't done so yet, you can still participate before April 24, 2026: www.railfans.ca/news/brief-s...

Canadians support high-speed rail. A March 2026 survey from Abacus Data found 62% support for building it, versus 18% opposition. Even a survey commissioned by opponents still shows majority support. Read more: www.railfans.ca/article/cana...

Rob Ford preferred subways over LRTs because he didn’t want transit slowing down cars. I prefer subways over LRTs because I don’t want cars slowing down transit. 🤝

Malgré la hausse des derniers jours, le prix de l’essence est dans la moyenne des 15 dernières années lorsqu’on considère l’inflation. Ce qui n’a pas suivi l’inflation, ce sont les revenus de la taxe sur les carburants, qui financent les réseaux de transport. /1 www.transitquebec.org/communiques/...

Once again, the Mayor boasts about how low our taxes are - we’re not even keeping up with the rate of inflation. But this ideological obsession long pre-dates Sutcliffe. It’s a point of pride in Ottawa, a city with almost the highest median household income in Ontario. 1/

Suggestion for @glengower.ca: saying it's been "a long day" doesn't make things better for the people that took time out of their day to come speak to you and the rest of the members of the Transit Committee. This is the first change they got in over 5 months.

I'll pass on a hold-the-date. Thanks @railfans.ca and @bettertransitottawa.ca for talking transit data with me on February 2. Notez bien cette date. Merci à @railfans.ca et @bettertransitottawa.ca pour nos échanges sur les données de transport en commun le 2 février.

Sincerely.

We talk a lot about “value engineering” as responsible cost control. Too often, it’s really a way to defer decisions and push costs, complexity, and risk into the future. I wrote about why waiting is rarely neutral in infrastructure, and what it really costs us. open.substack.com/pub/dbelleri...

We talk a lot about what Canada should build. This is one of the moments where a real project is on the table and public input actually matters. The Alto high-speed rail consultation is open and worth a few minutes of your time! en.consultation.altotrain.ca/shaping-the-...

A quiet year-end reflection. Learning closer to delivery. Listening more. Things starting to align. open.substack.com/pub/dbelleri...

Without a doubt my favourite video to work on each year. There is so much going on across Canada, and even more to come!

Going live in 25 minutes! If you want to share your story, you can call from 12 to 1pm at 1-888-817-8995. I am looking forward to hearing them all! You can listen to the program via CBC Radio in Ontario or online on the CBC Toronto website!

RFC on CBC Radio today! 🚆 @dbellerive.ca will be on Ontario Today this Tuesday (Dec 23) from 12–1 PM talking train travel in Canada — the good, the bad, and everything in between. Tune in and call with your train stories!

This might be the FINAL Stage 2 East update before trial running and (hopefully) the opening of the extension in early 2026! Exciting times are coming in Ottawa!

Exciting update this morning, just in time for our yearly recap of progress of rail projects across Canada! 😉

Explore McGill REM Station — the network’s second busiest stop after Gare Centrale. Take a walkthrough with us to see its layout, design features, and what riders can expect as they move through this key hub in downtown #Montreal. 🎥 youtu.be/z23j0sY5tl4

Experience the first day of service on Montréal’s Réseau Express Métropolitain (REM) Deux-Montagnes branch through a cinematic look at the REM’s newest trains, stations, and the Mount Royal Tunnel. www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MLH...

Shades of red. #Montreal #REM

Shades of blue. #REM #DeuxMontagnes

From some rails fans to others! See you on the REM! @milesintransit.com @railfans.ca @remgrandmtl.bsky.social

We keep buying hundred-million-dollar tunnel boring machines like they’re single-use coffee pods. Canada’s biggest infrastructure problem isn’t technical; it’s continuity. It is time to move beyond projects into programs. open.substack.com/pub/dbelleri...

Did you know that when Mount Dennis GO opens this Sunday. It'll be 3x faster to get to Union Station than it currently takes. The fastest trips today take around 45 minutes, on Sunday it'll take just 13 minutes. This is the power of regional rail.

Today, Lansdowne 2.0 was passed with a 15 - 10 vote at Council. This is going to be an important issue in 2026, and I hope you'll stay engaged with Council in the coming months.

#NotMyLansdowne www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BP0...

Just can't help but laugh at this

Ottawa just voted 15–10 for Lansdowne 2.0, a “revitalization” that saddles taxpayers with decades of debt so OSEG can call it partnership. The city gets the bill, OSEG gets the benefit. A ridiculous decision that will define Ottawa’s future for generations. Shame on council. #OttCity #Lansdowne2

Another exciting milestone for @railfans.ca! We look forward to sharing more content with you over the coming months!

FACT: Amtrak's Cascades colour scheme slaps. A great execution of brand, identity and recalled not just outside, but inside too. Bravo.

Nothing says “meh” like a green PVC roof as “nod to the parliament buildings” Talk about grasping for straws. (Flips desk) @alexbozikovic.bsky.social

it's amazing that approximately 70 kilometres of rail transit will be inaugurated in canada over the next few months (eglinton crosstown + finch west + o-train east + rem deux-montagnes)

Ribbon cuttings make headlines. But delivery doesn’t end there. Hospitals, transit lines, campuses: what matters is whether they work, year after year. New piece on why Canada must fund operations as seriously as construction: dbellerive.substack.com/p/delivery-d...

My latest video for Rail Fans Canada! Exciting progress along the tracks of Stage 2 East in Ottawa. Hopefully we have some good news later this year regarding the timeline for this transformative project to open.

“Efficiencies” don’t balance the books: they erode services and trust in our governments, institutions and organizations. My first (!!!) op-ed in the Ottawa Citizen: Why respect for taxpayers must mean real investment in transit, housing, and climate resilience. ottawacitizen.com/opinion/taxp...

Canada doesn’t suffer from a lack of plans. It suffers from a lack of delivery. The new Major Projects Office is a step forward, but the real test is whether Canada can build the capacity to deliver. dbellerive.substack.com/p/the-time-t... #Infrastructure #Canada #Delivery

Toronto’s streetcars carry more riders every weekday than Ottawa + Edmonton’s rail systems combined. They’re not broken. They’re underpowered. Under-prioritized. The reasons? Not technical: political, spatial, social. Read: open.substack.com/pub/dbelleri... #Transit #Cities #Urbanism #Toronto

In case you missed it! We know how to build infrastructure that works, so why don’t we? dbellerive.substack.com/p/we-know-ho...

If we already know how to build better infrastructure — why don’t we? New post on the real barriers: not technical, but cultural, institutional, and human. dbellerive.substack.com/p/we-know-ho...

What’s the difference between a cancelled project and one that gets built? Sometimes, it’s who’s in charge. New essay on how institutions are reshaping how we build things in Canada, and what it might cost us. dbellerive.substack.com/p/whos-going... #infrastructure #Canada #governance #transit

People lined up to visit… a closed train station. Not because it was new. Because, for once, they were invited in. If we want people to care about public systems, we need to build toward inclusion, not just completion. New post: open.substack.com/pub/dbelleri... #infrastructure #transit

Excited to share the launch of my Substack and a first post! It’s about infrastructure, systems, and figuring out how to go from talking to doing. Do not hesitate to share your thoughts, I'd love to hear them. open.substack.com/pub/dbelleri... #Infrastructure #Transit #Delivery

ne manquez pas la nouvelle exposition éphémère à la station berri-uqam dans le couloir de l'accès d (de maisonneuve)! #stminfo don't miss out the opportunity to see the new temporary art exhibition at berri-uqam station (near the de maisonneuve entrance/exit)! #stminfo

Not to be THAT guy, but have they considered that capacity is only ONE factor? Like if I am gonna miss a train and wait 10 minutes for the next one, I might just walk instead. I’d also love to see what they consider “light”, “medium” and “high”. uOttawa Station during “off-peak” is a mess.

POV: your autofocus loves the snow. 🙃