VIA Rail sets record for ridership over the holiday season

• Number of travellers up 10%
• Revenues up 12%

HIGHLIGHTS
From December 18, 2017 to January 7, 2018:

VIA RAIL CROSS-CANADA ROUTES
308,000 passengers (up 9.7%)

QUÉBEC CITY–WINDSOR CORRIDOR  
291,500 passengers (up 10.7%)

LONG-HAUL – EAST (OCEAN)
7,700 passengers (up 1.5%)

LONG-HAUL – WEST (THE CANADIAN)
4,600 passengers (down 8.2%)

REGIONAL ROUTES
3,800 passengers (down 13.6%)

MONTRÉAL, Jan. 9, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - As harsh winter conditions swept across the country, many thousands of Canadians chose VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) for their travel during the holiday season. From December 18 to January 7, trains from coast to coast carried 308,000 passengers — 10% more than in 2016-2017. The busiest day, Friday, December 22, saw VIA Rail trains transporting 20,700 passengers to their destinations.

"Our operations have been strained in recent weeks by cold spells and extreme winter storms. Over this busy season, we have doubled our efforts to limit the impact, provide good service and bring our passengers to their destinations safely. I thank our clients for their understanding and I want to acknowledge the dedication and professionalism of our front-line employees and our maintenance centers," said Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, President and CEO of VIA Rail.

In the Québec City-Windsor corridor, over 291,500 passengers travelled on the trains serving communities in and between Montréal, Québec City, Ottawa, Toronto, London, Windsor, Sarnia and Niagara Falls. Toronto-Ottawa was the most popular route: 35,800 travelled between these two cities over the period. Toronto's Union Station, a transit point for 180,000 travellers was especially busy during the holidays. Respectively, Montreal and Ottawa saw 92,000 and 78,000 passengers pass through their stations to be reunited with family and friends.

On the long distance trains, most of the passengers travelled to Halifax, Moncton and Vancouver. The Ocean service, which operates between Montréal and Halifax, welcomed almost 7,700 passengers. Six additional departures were offered over the holidays, giving more people the opportunity to travel by train to celebrate with their loved ones. Also, the Régie intermunicipale de transport Gaspésie – Îles-de-la-Madeleine (RÉGÎM) offered a shuttle service connecting Gaspé and the VIA Rail station in Campbellton, allowing some 200 passengers on the Ocean train to make transfers toward municipalities on the south coast of the peninsula, between Nouvelle (Québec) and Gaspé. Meanwhile, the Canadian, which connects Toronto to Vancouver, saw over 4,600 passengers onboard.

About VIA Rail Canada
As Canada's national rail passenger service, VIA Rail (viarail.ca) and all its 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 about 180 more communities through intermodal partnerships, and safely transports nearly four million passengers annually. The Corporation was awarded five Safety Awards and three Environment Awards by the Railway Association of Canada since 2007. For more information, visit: www.viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail.

Follow VIA Rail
Twitter @VIA_rail
Facebook viarailcanada
Instagram @viarailcanada
VIA: The Blog

SOURCE VIA Rail Canada Inc.