Several incidents raised security flag this year, Via Rail says

OTTAWA – A senior Via Rail manager says the passenger service has responded to as many as 10 suspicious incidents this year.

Marc Beaulieu, Via’s regional general manager for eastern Canada, tells MPs that security officials reacted effectively to the incidents.

The Commons public safety committee is studying the security of rail transport following an alleged plot to attack a Via Rail train.

On Thursday, Via confirmed that while they use plain-clothes marshals on trains, they did not verify what percentage of trains use plain-clothes marshals.

Raed Jaser, 35, of Toronto, and Chiheb Esseghaier, 30, of Montreal, face criminal charges in what the RCMP says was a terrorist plot guided by al-Qaida in Iran.

Beaulieu says Via Rail responded to at least eight to 10 suspicious incidents this year, suggesting they involved baggage that raised worries but offering no specifics.

The RCMP arrested Jaser and Esseghaier last month – close on the heels of bomb attacks that rocked Boston.