What we’re asking for:

We’re asking the government to provide enough funding to restore VIA Rail service from coast to coast, including the Canadian train between Toronto and Vancouver and the Ocean to Halifax, and to resume normal service frequencies in the Quebec-Windsor corridor and on all other routes.

VIA Rail does not receive Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, because it is a crown corporation, and the recently announced “safe restart” funding to support municipalities and local public transit did not include VIA Rail or inter-city bus services.

While tourist fares help to support Canada’s long-distance trains in normal times, these trains are essential services for Canadians, particularly in places where there is no other public transport and in remote areas with limited road access.

We appreciate VIA Rail’s abundance of caution early in the pandemic, but most countries have now restarted their rail networks, including overnight trains. It is now time for safe and comfortable train travel to support Canada’s recovery. People are asking for services to be restored, and VIA Rail needs the federal government’s support to get trains running again.

For the latest details on which trains are operating or suspended, see: https://www.viarail.ca/en/plan-your-trip/service-status

CBC News: Via Rail cutting about 1,000 jobs amid struggles over COVID-19 pandemic

CNW: VIA Rail extends the suspension of the Canadian and the Ocean

Chronicle Journal: Via Rail urged by MPPs to increase schedule