Via Rail issues apology to passengers; advocate says service disruption was out of their hands

Via Rail is apologizing for what it’s calling a “let down” from the transportation service that left passengers in Eastern Canada stranded throughout Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick.

Maritime passengers first heard of issues on Christmas Eve when service between Montreal and Halifax was delayed leaving the station.

After finally departing Montreal, it only took 15 minutes for service to be halted, and the train waited in Rivière-du-Loup for “hours” before returning back to Quebec’s largest city.

In a statement, Martin Landry, interim president and CEO at Via Rail Canada, said the service didn’t live up to their standards, noting that an outside review will be conducted.

“We know, we should have been more forthcoming in sharing information about trains that were delayed and in communicating updates,” Landry said.

“We also know we should have adopted a different approach in supporting passengers on trains that were delayed for lengthy periods.”

The statement comes as transportation advocates say more needs to be done by the government, working with the owner of the tracks, the Canadian National Railway (CN).

When trees and other debris fell on the tracks, Via was unable to clear them because they didn’t own the tracks. That, according to Tim Hayman, president of Transport Action Atlantic, was one of the causes of the delays.

“I think it’s fair to say that they’re apologizing for a lot of things that are out of their control,” said Hayman.

“But you understand why a lot of passengers are looking at them because they are the service provider that they’re frustrated with and looking for compensation and recognition.”

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Lynn Clyde travelled from Kingston, Ont., to Campbelton, N.B., and said it was an ordeal that took more than 35 hours before she finally got back on a bus to Kingston days later.

She said she understood that it was out of Via Rails’ hands and commended the staff for working with her while she was on the train to the Maritimes.

While the company offered her a stay in a hotel, she said she wasn’t provided with any other details on how to get to New Brunswick from Montreal.

Many of the passengers on the Montreal to Halifax Christmas run were also put up in hotels for the night, and refunds were provided for the time being.

Via Rail said that they are set to talk to the Federal Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in the coming days and will provide more details on the matter after that meeting.