VIA Rail Will Resume Partial Service

USPA NEWS - Via Rail Canada announced on Tuesday  afternoon it will resume service between Quebec City, Montreal and Ottawa along with service in Southern Ontario which will include Toronto to Windsor, Toronto to Sarnia and Toronto to Niagara, beginning Thursday  February 20th. This amid ongoing anti-pipeline protests which continue to  cause disruption to rail operations throughout the country.

As previously reported, VIA Rail Canada was forced  to suspend all passenger service across Canada  with the exception of two routes as CN notified them that they would be suspending  all operations in Eastern Canada due to ongoing protest blockades and safety concerns for rail employees and protesters. Because VIA Rail operates primarily on CN infrastructure, it was necessary for VIA to suspend it's operations. As the result 470 VIA trains had been cancelled which affected   more than 94,000 passengers.

On Tuesday afternoon, VIA Rail posted the following statement on their website. "While most of our services remain cancelled as of this morning February 18 at 8:00 am we will be reinstating partial service between Quebec and Ottawa as of Thursday, February 20th. Also beginning Thursday morning, February 20, all trains running between Toronto to Windsor, Toronto to Sarnia and Toronto-Niagara will resume full service. For operational and safety reasons, please note that trains may encounter certain delays. Furthermore, trains between Québec City- Montréal- Ottawa, partial service will resume during weekdays and full service will be offered during weekends. As previously mentioned, services for Sudbury-White River (CP Rail) and Churchill-The Pas (Hudson Bay Railway) are still in operation, until further notice.

"VIA Rail received a notification from CN allowing a partial resumption of service between Québec City, Montréal and Ottawa and resumption of full service in Southwestern Ontario. To allow for a smooth transition, all current reservations on those segments will be protected. VIA Rail is reaching out directly to passengers with reservations that have not been cancelled to update them on the latest developments. All other passengers are encouraged to visit our website for more information. Our passengers rely on VIA Rail for regular and safe intercity rail service and we are eager to resume operations. We remain hopeful for an end to the situation as soon as possible and encourage all relevant parties to continue their efforts towards a peaceful resolution. We thank our passengers for their continued patience and understanding."

LATE BREAKING DEVELOPMENT --- Despite the restoration of service on some routes, VIA has announced the temporary layoff of 1000 employees. VIA CEO Cynthia Garneau said, “This general interruption is an unprecedented situation in our history. In 42 years of existence, it is the first time VIA Rail has had to interrupt most of its services across the country. Therefore, it is with sincere regret that we must proceed with temporary employee suspensions. Starting today, close to 1,000 VIA Rail employees will receive a notice regarding this matter. Until CN Rail opens the remaining tracks for service, VIA Rail has no choice but to continue the cancellation of its services on a large part of its network." 

We will continue to provide coverage of this developing situation as VIA Rail Canada has an International following and each year hosts many travelers from around the world who wish to see Canada in a way like no other.

For the latest information please refer to www.viarail.com or follow VIA Rail on Facebook or Twitter.

BREAKING NEWS AS OF 1900 EASTERN STANDARD TIME ON 19/02/2020 -- Via Rail released the following statement,
"Due to a new blockade near St-Lambert (Québec), VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) has no other option but to cancel the resumption of its service between Montréal and Québec City, which was initially scheduled for Thursday February 20."
Update posted at www.viarail.com