More Canadians taking train to get back to school and work

MONTRÉAL, Canada – Close to 13,000 more people took the train to get back to school and work, attesting the popularity of VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail). VIA Rail’s trains welcomed 155,000 passengers between August 26th and September 8th, a 9% increase compared to the same period last year. This growth trend shows that people are trusting VIA Rail more and more when it comes to their mobility.

“Again this year, more Canadians recognized the value of travelling on VIA Rail: more train frequencies, better schedules, world-class mobile Wi-Fi, refurbished comfortable and spacious cars and excellent customer service explain this growth. We can be optimistic that more Canadians will continue to make the environmentally-conscious decision and choose “the human way to travel”, said VIA Rail’s President and CEO, Yves Desjardins-Siciliano. “With more trains running, our teams were able to meet the demand of this peak period and provide the exceptional service for which VIA Rail is known and recognized.”

Passenger revenues rose by 11% compared to the same period in 2014. The Québec City – Windsor corridor (the Corridor) and long-haul services saw both revenues and ridership grow. Most notably is the increase of passengers in the Corridor, up by 9%, and on the Ocean service, between Montréal and Halifax, up by 18% compared to last year.