VIA RAIL SETS RIDERSHIP RECORD OVER AUGUST LONG WEEKEND

HIGHLIGHTS

From Thursday, August 2, to Tuesday, August 7, 2018:

VIA Rail Cross-Canada Services

- 91,600 passengers | 8.5% increase compared to 2017

- 8% increase in passenger revenue compared to 2017

- Busiest day: Friday, August 3rd

- Most popular destinations: Toronto, Montréal, Ottawa, Québec City and London

Montréal, August 9, 2018 – The number of passengers onboard VIA Rail Canada’s (VIA Rail) trains over the August long weekend hit a new record. It reached the 90,000 passenger mark for the very first time in ten years. With ticket sales up by 8% compared to 2017, the past long weekend was again very busy onboard. Friday, August 3rd was the busiest day of the weekend, with 18,900 people travelling.

Many Ontarians chose the train for their long weekend getaway. 85% of trips took place in Ontario or between Ontario and the province of Québec where 78,200 people travelled, primarily between Toronto, Montréal and Ottawa, Québec City and London.

“Although we had increased our capacity by 10% to accommodate more passengers based on the popularity of some routes, many of our trains were full, or nearly so. This is a trend we have been observing for the past few summers as the highways are generally very busy during this long weekend. Our results show that transportation habits are changing and that trains are preferred because of their comfort and the quality of service offered on board. This choice deserves to be highlighted since it has a positive impact on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions,” said VIA Rail President and CEO, Yves Desjardins-Siciliano.

About VIA Rail Canada
As Canada’s national rail passenger service, VIA Rail (viarail.ca) and all its employees are mandated 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 over 400 communities across Canada, and about 180 more communities through intermodal partnerships, and safely transports nearly 4.4 million passengers annually. The Corporation has been awarded five Safety Awards and three Environment Awards by the Railway Association of Canada since 2007. For more information, visit: http://www.viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail.