VIA passengers stranded overnight on corridor trains (updated)

BROCKVILLE, Ontario — Cascading delays following a mechanical issue with one train led to VIA Rail Canada passengers being stuck on Ottawa-Toronto trains overnight before finally being transferred to another train, arriving at their destination more than 12 hours late.

The problems that began Tuesday night continued into Wedesday, with some trains arriving more than five hours late, although it is unknown if those delays are related to the Wednesday issues.

As reported by the CBC, the issues began with train No. 669 from Montreal to Toronto, which experienced a mechanical failure, according to VIA. After that 6:09 p.m. departure from Montreal broke down, some 127 passengers were transferred to another train and arrived in Toronto after a delay of more than eight hours.

That breakdown then disrupted two Toronto-Ottawa trains, No. 48 (a 5:38 p.m. departure) and No. 54 (a 6:38 p.m. departure). VIA informed customers that the trains were held near Brockville “due to serious mechanical issues” that engineers were unable to resolve. After initially attempting to obtain buses, the company eventually transferred some 168 passengers to today’s train No. 50, a 6:32 a.m. departure from Toronto, which arrived in Ottawa at 11:59 a.m. Nos. 48 and 54 had been due in Ottawa at 10:13 p.m. and 11:11 p.m., respectively, on Wednesday.

“Our priority is the safety of our passengers,” VIA spokesman Karl Helou told the CBC, “so we preferred to keep [them] on a train where there was heat, where they received food, beverages, blankets.” Helou called the service problem “is absolutely unacceptable,” and said the company will do its due diligence in reviewing the incident.

Speaking Friday (Dec. 12) at a press conference on Canada’s high-speed rail project, Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said he was “not happy at all” with VIA’s response, “and we will continue to discuss with the folks at VIA Rail how they deal with these situations.

“We have a public transportation disystem that operates in a Canadian winter, and there are going to be issues. … But it’s how you deal with those issues when they arise that preoccupies me, and I want to make sure that VIA is on a path of continuous improvement. And I want to certainly express my regret to all of those who might have been aboard that train.”

Problems on Thursday included Ottawa-Toronto trains 641 (scheduled to depart at 4:13 am.) and 41 (a scheduled 5:21 a.m. departure), which both departed late and operated together from their first stop after departure, Fallowfield, Ont. They arrived in Toronto at 2:27 p.m., five hours, 40 minutes late and four hours, 26 minutes late, respectively. As of 4:50 p.m. CT, five other VIA corridor trains are shown as operating one hour, 17 minutes late to four hours, 2 minutes late.

The ongoing delays led to train No. 78, a 5:40 p.m. departure from Windsor, Ont., for Toronto, being replaced by a bus because of the late arrival of the incoming trainset. Business-class passengers will receive a partial refund, while those who choose not to travel by bus were able to receive a full refund or exchange for another train with no service charge.

— Updated at 6:35 p.m. CT with substitution of bus service for one train; updated at Dec. 12 at 9:55 a.m. CT with comments from Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon. Greg Gormick contributed information to this report. To report news or errors, contact trainsnewswire@firecrown.com.