IMPORTANT UPDATE ON VIA RAIL SERVICES IN RESPONSE TO THE OMICRON VARIANT

MONTRÉAL, January 13, 2022 – Given the impact on travel demand of tighter COVID-19 restrictions due to the rapid spreading of the Omicron Variant, VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) will temporarily reduce frequencies in the Québec City-Windsor corridor starting Wednesday, January 19, 2022.

“These decisions, while difficult, are consistent with the balanced approach we have maintained throughout the pandemic in order to fulfill our important public service mandate while proactively managing the financial impacts on our operations,” said Cynthia Garneau, President and CEO of VIA Rail. “Every change we have made to our services has been, and continues to be, closely linked to the evolving health crisis and following market demand.”

CORRIDOR SCHEDULE STARTING JANUARY 19:

ROUTES	SERVICES
Montréal-Ottawa	51 (633) and 38
Québec City-Montréal-Ottawa	24/28 and 35/37
Toronto-Kingston-Montréal	62/64/68 and 63/67/69
Toronto-Kingston-Ottawa	51*(643)/53/59 and 52/42/54
Toronto-London-Windsor	72/76 and 73/75
Toronto-London-Sarnia	1 departure per day maintained in both directions (trains 87-84)

 

* Some stops have been added on some trains. This information is subject to change without notice.

This temporary service reduction in the Corridor has been carefully planned in order to continue to provide essential intercity service on all routes. As we continue to closely monitor the evolution of the pandemic, VIA Rail is ensuring that we can offer our customers options for essential travel in all regions of the country. There will be no reduction in frequencies for the moment on any other routes, but some on-board services have been modified.

VIA Rail Business class will be temporarily suspended, and Business lounges are closed until further notice. For a full list of changes to our services please visit VIA Rail’s website.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have implemented various measures throughout the passenger journey, so that our customers can travel safely and with confidence. VIA Rail remains focused on implementing the final phase of our gradual service resumption plan for the spring of this year, and we are hopeful that the situation will have improved in time for us to deploy it as planned.   

FLEXIBILITY FOR PASSENGERS

For questions customers may contact the VIA Customer Centre by email at service@viarail.ca or by phone at 1-888-VIA-RAIL (1-888-842-7245), TTY 1-800-268-9503 (hearing impaired). The VIA Customer Centre is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday to Friday and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Eastern Time) on weekends.

 

REMINDER 

Since the beginning of the pandemic, VIA Rail has implemented various measures throughout the passenger journey, so that our customers can travel safely and with confidence. These include, amongst others, a mask policy, enhanced cleaning, and a mandatory vaccination policy.

Since October 30, 2021, passengers over 12 years and 4 months are required to be fully vaccinated to travel on VIA Rail trains, as well as to access VIA Rail Business lounges. Click here for details.

Wearing a mask is required at all times in VIA Rail’s stations and on-board VIA Rail trains. For the health and safety of all passengers and employees, passengers who do not wear a mask during their trip will be required to disembark the train or will be refused entry upon boarding.

Furthermore, VIA Rail asks that passengers stay informed of public health guidelines and respect those that apply to them and their travel plans. The Corporation also constantly reminds its passengers and employees of the importance of following recommendations from public health authorities and to rigorously follow good hygiene practices (wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, cough or sneeze into a tissue or the bend of the arm, avoid touching their eyes, nose or mouth without first washing their hands).

Passengers will be denied boarding if they are experiencing symptoms similar to a cold or flu (fever, cough, difficulty breathing) or if they have been denied boarding for travel in the last 14 days due to medical reasons related to COVID-19.

The most recent updates are available on VIA Rail’s website.

About VIA Rail

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 transported over 5 million passengers in 2019. The Corporation has been awarded nine Safety Awards and three Environment Awards by the Railway Association of Canada since 2005. Visit the “About VIA Rail” section at https://www.viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail.