I have had train fever for a few months now… not sure what triggered it, but all i can think of these days is commuter/regular rail service between Nanaimo and Victoria. The existing VIA service seems to be aimed at tourists, since it only runs one per day, is extremely slow (driving is quicker), goes the wrong way (out of vic in the morning, into vic in the afternoon), and generally seems to run late. Yesterday V and I chased the VIA train from chemainus to nanaimo. It was fun, but it drove home the slowness of the train — we had lots of time to drive up a few crossings, get out, then wave at the train as it went by. Sometime i think one could ride their bike faster than that thing. I keep wondering what it would take to set up a company, lease some engines and passenger cars, hire the necessary staff, and get something going. What does the island corridor foundation charge operators for access to the line? What does something like a crossing upgrade cost? What track upgrades are needed for the route to operate at a decent speed? I suppose the 1st place i need to start is some sort of feasability study to find out what people in Nanaimo, Ladysmith, Duncan, etc want. Would people actually ride the rails? I figure i must have tapped into a local buzz about the train without knowing it, because i just discovered 15 minutes ago that on wednesday there is a test-run of a commuter train from langford to victoria! Tix are 10 bucks. too bad i will be insanely busy and cannot take the day off to go down and ride the train. I must say that running a langford to victoria train seems a little short sighted, however it definitely is a start in the right direction. idea: a video cam in nanaimo, one in victoria, collecting license plate numbers over a few month period, would easily determine how many people drive the route every day. Then it is just a matter of figuring out how many of those people would ditch their car to take a comfortable business-oriented train, to get them downtown quicker than any car ride.