To the Editor,
Re: Budd cars bid adieu to Island, Nov. 8.
I was most pleased to see that Via Rail had taken the Budd cars off the Island.
We have all known for years that the Budds were not only obsolete and expensive to operate, but they were becoming almost impossible to maintain.
Along with the Budds, we can also hope that we are rid of Via Rail, another obsolete and overly expensive cost to the Island Corridor Foundation.
There is a lot of new technology out there, such as Japan Rail’s dual-purpose vehicle – a bus that drives on the road and the tracks.
Or the British unit that is like an oversize tractor trailer that can tow multiple trailers of differing types.
Now is the time for the Island Corridor Foundation to think beyond heavy freight, Budd cars and Via Rail.
The future is exciting.
As for the Buddies, hopefully we will never see them on the Island again.
Alan MacKinnon
Nanaimo
