VIA Rail Canada has postponed its plan to test nonstop service between Montreal and Toronto, CBC reports.
VIA Rail had sought to test express train service between Canada’s largest cities beginning Sept. 29, but said it would have to hold off due to “operational constraints” on Canadian National.
The express service would shave 30 to 40 minutes off existing schedules by skipping intermediate stops.
That did not go over well in Kingston, Ontario, which would have seen service reduced by five daily trains.
“This doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game, where in order to service Montreal and Toronto, you have to take something away from the communities in between,” Kingston Mayor Bryan Paterson told CBC.
Nonetheless, VIA Rail said it would push ahead with its plan once it irons out matters with CN.
“We remain confident that this … service, requested by 70% of our passengers, represents an important step toward delivering more efficient passenger rail in Canada,” the passenger railroad told CBC.
