MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada’s on-time performance plummeted in the first quarter of 2025, falling to 30% from 72% in the same period last year, the company said in a quarterly financial report issued on Tuesday, June 3.
The company also said ridership also dropped by 2.7% compared to the first quarter of 2024, the first such drop since the end of the pandemic. Total revenues, however, increased by 8.3%.
VIA said the dismal on-time performance stems from speed restrictions instituted by Canadian National Railway for the passenger operator’s Siemens Venture equipment used in Windsor, Ontario-Quebec City corridor service. CN said those trainsets had problems triggering warning devices, and requires trains to slow at some crossings. [See “VIA Venture slowdown limited …,” Trains News Wire, Oct. 17, 2024.] That has led to the trains’ ongoing inability to meet their schedules.
“The service disruptions we are experiencing are the direct result of infrastructure restrictions imposed by CN, restrictions that we believe are arbitrary and unnecessary,” VIA Rail CEO Mario Péloquin said in a statement. “We have formally appealed this situation in court while continuing to engage with Transport Canada with a goal of finding a resolution that restores reliable, efficient service to the millions of Canadians who depend on passenger rail.”
VIA filed suit over those restrictions the following month [see “VIA goes to court …,” News Wire, Nov. 13, 2024].
“CN’s restrictions have severely impacted our ability to fulfill our public service mandate: on-time performance has plummeted, customer satisfaction has eroded, and confidence in passenger rail is being undermined,” said Jonathan Goldbloom, VIA board chair. “We will never compromise on safety and remain committed to working with our partners to put an end to this unsustainable and unjustified situation.”
Also noted in the report: Ridership of the Toronto-Vancouver Canadian increased by 17%, helping spur a 28.8% increase in revenues compared to the first quarter of 2024. The ridership was helped by a 15.3% increase in available capacity.
A completely expected, annoying result…
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
Another CN shakedown that’s their MO, for the right price we’ll make the “problem” go away kind of like the Mafia.
CN is doing everything it can to sabotage passenger service in both Canada and the US. For years the dubious claim of numbe4 of axles has been deployed. I cannot understand why independent engineering analysis has not been done and released to the public.
The class 1s behave like monopolies, which they’ve become. Both countries need re-regulation.
In March 2025 I rode VIA from Quebec City to Montreal. We slowed down to 45 MPH at each road crossing, then tried to accelerate back up to 90 MPH in between. This happened about every 2 miles. It was uncomfortable and a bit disorienting. The extra fuel consumption and wear on brakes must be significant.
A very negative experience for a very important route that is covered in 3 hours and 11 minutes with the fastest VIA trains…
Dr. Güntürk Üstün
Maybe there’s more wrong with CNR’s signals than there is with VAI or Amtrak rolling stock.
Of course there is, Charles; no other railroad in North America is having these issues, except CN. But don’t hold your breath waiting for lucid explanation from CN. Assuming that they actually know what the problem is, they’re surely not going to admit what the issue is where the hoi polloi can her it.