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Via Rail says recent train cancellations along its Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal corridor were in response to “heightened operational pressure.”
A number of trains between Toronto and Ottawa, Ottawa and Montreal, and Montreal and Ottawa were cancelled “end-to-end” Monday due to what Via Rail’s live tracker called “operational constraints.”
Pressed for details, the federal Crown corporation declined to be interviewed but said via email that the cancellations are a short-term measure meant to “protect service reliability” during what’s expected to be a challenging time.
Severe weather expected this week, plus an anticipated bump in passenger traffic around the upcoming Family Day weekend in Ontario, “necessitates temporarily reducing service to keep additional trains in reserve to limit the risk of prolonged delays,” Via Rail said.
Terry Johnson, president of the citizen advocacy group Transport Action Canada, said Via Rail appears to be keeping some trains in reserve to prevent last-minute trip cancellations.
“By keeping a deeper bench, as we might say in sports terminology, they are hoping to get to the end of the game,” Johnson said.
Via has made a number of last-minute cancellations in the last two weeks, he added.
Parliamentary scrutiny Wednesday
This week’s cancellations come at a key time for Via Rail.
On Wednesday afternoon, Via executives will face questions from members of Parliament’s standing committee on transport, infrastructure and communities.
The topic of conversation is expected to be “Improving VIA Rail’s Safety and Customer Service.”
The meeting will come two months after Via Rail passengers were stranded overnight on a train stopped at Brockville, Ont., between Ottawa and Toronto.
“We have directed that they get much better at [dealing with] issues that may arise on a line,” Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said at the time.
In its emailed statement Monday about this week’s cancellations, Via Rail said it recognizes the impact they have on passengers and communities.
“All affected passengers have been rebooked or refunded at no cost,” Via said.
“We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate our passengers’ understanding.”
Are you affected by a recent last-minute Via Rail cancellation? Reach out to Guy at guy.quenneville@cbc.ca
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