(News Release)
Montreal, November 12, 2015 –VIA
Rail Canada (VIA Rail) is pleased to announce service improvements into and
out of Toronto. The following changes came into effect the last week of
October:
· Train 40, between
Toronto – Kingston – Ottawa now operates daily. This train used
to operate from Friday to Monday.
· Train 45, between Ottawa – Kingston – Toronto, now operates daily. This train used to operate from Friday to Monday.
· Train 70, between Windsor – London – Toronto, now operates from Monday to Saturday. This train used to operate from Monday to Friday.
· Train 75, between Toronto – London – Windsor, now operates daily from Sunday to Friday. This train used to operate from Sunday to Thursday.
Additionally, to meet demand in Southwestern Ontario, trains 82 and 83, between Toronto and London, will now each have an additional 68-seat Economy car and 44-seat Business class car.
“Transforming VIA Rail into an agile transportation company dedicated to serving Canadian travelers means understanding customer needs and meeting the growing demand for an alternative to car travel in and out of major urban centres", said Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, VIA Rail’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “By enhancing train schedules with more departures and adding seat capacity on popular routes, our team is delivering a more efficient, sustainable and attractive transportation option.”
VIA Rail made several enhancements to its services this year, including:
· Business Class service is now available on shorter trips for passengers departing from and going to intermediate cities such as Chatham and Brockville, in Ontario.
· LRC (Light, Rapid, Comfortable) Economy Class cars are being refurbished.
· A new 50-50 seat configuration is being introduced in both Business and Economy class cars. This new seat arrangement will be completed by 2017. It will allow VIA Rail to add additional departures to our schedule and offer more seats with the same fleet, and will eliminate the current time and cost created by turning trains at end point.
· New Business class breakfast, lunch and dinner menus were introduced and several changes were made to increase passenger satisfaction, including the doubling of the number of menus from four to eight.
“These many service improvements were introduced quickly following suggestions from our customers and employees. In many ways, they account for the increase in ridership and revenue VIA Rail has been experiencing over the last year. Their quick execution also reflects the increased level of employee engagement of which we can all be proud”, added Yves Desjardins-Siciliano.
About VIA Rail Canada
As Canada's national rail passenger service, VIA Rail (viarail.ca) and its 2,500 employees are mandated to provide safe, efficient and economical passenger transportation service, in both official languages of our country. VIA Rail operates intercity, regional and transcontinental trains linking over 400 communities across Canada, and safely transports nearly four million passengers annually.
The Corporation was awarded seven Safety Awards by the Railway Association of Canada over the last eight years, and was the recipient of the 2012 Agent's Choice Award voted by Canadian travel agents and presented by Baxter Travel Media. Since 2007, the Government of Canada has invested almost a billion dollars in VIA Rail. VIA Rail information at a glance: www.viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail
· Train 45, between Ottawa – Kingston – Toronto, now operates daily. This train used to operate from Friday to Monday.
· Train 70, between Windsor – London – Toronto, now operates from Monday to Saturday. This train used to operate from Monday to Friday.
· Train 75, between Toronto – London – Windsor, now operates daily from Sunday to Friday. This train used to operate from Sunday to Thursday.
Additionally, to meet demand in Southwestern Ontario, trains 82 and 83, between Toronto and London, will now each have an additional 68-seat Economy car and 44-seat Business class car.
“Transforming VIA Rail into an agile transportation company dedicated to serving Canadian travelers means understanding customer needs and meeting the growing demand for an alternative to car travel in and out of major urban centres", said Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, VIA Rail’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “By enhancing train schedules with more departures and adding seat capacity on popular routes, our team is delivering a more efficient, sustainable and attractive transportation option.”
VIA Rail made several enhancements to its services this year, including:
· Business Class service is now available on shorter trips for passengers departing from and going to intermediate cities such as Chatham and Brockville, in Ontario.
· LRC (Light, Rapid, Comfortable) Economy Class cars are being refurbished.
· A new 50-50 seat configuration is being introduced in both Business and Economy class cars. This new seat arrangement will be completed by 2017. It will allow VIA Rail to add additional departures to our schedule and offer more seats with the same fleet, and will eliminate the current time and cost created by turning trains at end point.
· New Business class breakfast, lunch and dinner menus were introduced and several changes were made to increase passenger satisfaction, including the doubling of the number of menus from four to eight.
“These many service improvements were introduced quickly following suggestions from our customers and employees. In many ways, they account for the increase in ridership and revenue VIA Rail has been experiencing over the last year. Their quick execution also reflects the increased level of employee engagement of which we can all be proud”, added Yves Desjardins-Siciliano.
About VIA Rail Canada
As Canada's national rail passenger service, VIA Rail (viarail.ca) and its 2,500 employees are mandated to provide safe, efficient and economical passenger transportation service, in both official languages of our country. VIA Rail operates intercity, regional and transcontinental trains linking over 400 communities across Canada, and safely transports nearly four million passengers annually.
The Corporation was awarded seven Safety Awards by the Railway Association of Canada over the last eight years, and was the recipient of the 2012 Agent's Choice Award voted by Canadian travel agents and presented by Baxter Travel Media. Since 2007, the Government of Canada has invested almost a billion dollars in VIA Rail. VIA Rail information at a glance: www.viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail
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