March 19, 2014

First Nations' Railroad Blockade in Marysville, Ontario, Forces VIA Rail to Stop Trains

MONTREAL, March 19, 2014– A railroad blockade in the Napanee area between Belleville and Kingston affects the movement of VIA Rail (www.viarail.ca) trains on the Toronto - Montréal and Toronto – Ottawa routes, in both directions. Trains between Ottawa and Montréal are operating according to the regular schedule for now.

Every effort is being made to bring passengers with itineraries passing through the site of the blockade to destination by bus as train operation had to be cancelled until further notice. VIA Rail’s foremost priority is to ensure that customers reach their destinations as comfortably and safely as possible.

VIA Rail appreciates the understanding of its passengers. Affected customers with reservations choosing not to travel can receive a full refund. Those wishing to exchange their ticket for a later date may do so at no additional charge. Affected customers wishing to cancel or change their date of travel, may do so at no additional charge by calling 1 888 VIA-RAIL (1 888 842-7245) or 1 800 268-9503 (hearing impaired), within 24 hours prior to their scheduled departure during the blockade. For updated information, follow us on Twitter @VIA rail and on Facebook.

Delays can be expected. Service recovery measures such as late train travel credits or travel credits for bus substitutions will not be offered for affected trains. Extra charges paid for Business Class tickets will be reimbursed in the case of a bus substitution.

 

About VIA Rail Canada

As Canada's national rail passenger service, VIA Rail Canada's mandate is to provide safe, efficient and economical passenger transportation service, in both official languages of our country. VIA Rail operates intercity, regional and transcontinental trains linking 450 communities across its 12,500-kilometre route network. Recipient of the Railway Association of Canada's Safety Award in 2012 for the 11th time in 12 years, and of the 2013 Agent's Choice Award voted by Canadian travel agents and presented by Baxter Travel Media, VIA Rail safely transports nearly four million passengers annually. Since 2007, the Government of Canada has invested more than a billion dollars in VIA Rail. Follow the evolution of current projects at viarail.ca/TransformerVIA.