Transit advocates are calling on VIA Rail to rethink a proposed non-stop service pilot between Toronto and Montreal, as the project has been postponed indefinitely.
On Monday, VIA Rail announced it was postponing a pilot project that would launch a non-stop express train service between the two major cities, due to “operational constraints” with its rail partner, CN.
The service, which was supposed to begin on Monday, aimed to provide a faster service between the cities, reducing arrival times by 30 to 40 minutes in comparison to the regular service, which makes intermediate stops before arriving in Montreal.
The Crown corporation didn’t reveal a new date for when the pilot is supposed to resume, but said it is still working on implementing the service.
“VIA Rail will continue to work closely with CN to explore solutions that would allow us to test and implement this service in the future. In the meantime, we sincerely apologize to passengers who were unnecessarily re-accommodated. Impacted customers may modify their booking at no cost by contacting our customer service team,” it wrote in a statement to Now Toronto.
VIA Rail also highlighted that this pilot represents a step into making improvements for many passengers, revealing that 70 per cent of their customers have requested this new service.
Nevertheless, some local leaders and organizations have been raising concerns about the now postponed pilot.
Jerry Johnson, president of Transport Action Canada, a non-profit organization that promotes sustainable transportation in the country, told Now Toronto that the group has two main concerns about the project: possible effects on other local rail service, and lack of time for commuters to plan for changes.
The new Toronto-Montreal service, which was first announced on Sept. 21, would come with changes for other VIA Rail service in other Ontario cities. Under the new service, trains 60, 61, 61, and 69 would not be making stops between the two major cities.
Meanwhile, train 50 which made stops in Brockville, Smiths Falls, Fallowfield, and Ottawa, would also see a reduced schedule, with less trains running throughout the day.
This meant that service would be reduced for municipalities in Ontario, with trains departing hours later than before, which Johnson says could be highly disruptive for commuters in the areas.
“People heading from anywhere on the corridor, apart from Toronto to Montreal, would no longer be able to get there before two o’clock in the afternoon, and that’s really just very inconvenient,” he said.
“This all happened very, very quickly, with not enough time for people to adjust their plans. It was announced days before it was supposed to start.”
Johnson also suggested that although 70 per cent of the people currently using the lines are trying to get from Toronto to Montreal or vice versa, more people could actually use local service if the service was more reliable.
“What we actually [have] got to do is double or triple the ridership that we’re seeing from the intermediate stations. And in my opinion, the way to do that is actually to provide more service to the intermediate stations with a long-term view of making sure…that those communities are getting the service they need.”
Johnson was not the only one that raised concerns about the new line.
After VIA Rail first announced the pilot, Brockville Mayor Matt Wren took to social media to raise concerns about the reduced service at his municipality.
“Under VIA [Rail]’s route changes, there will be only one train per day to get you from Brockville to Montreal departing at 3 p.m. and, perhaps even worse, only one train a day departing Montreal at 8:30 a.m. that will stop [in Brockville]?” he wrote on Facebook.
“We should be concerned it could get worse and need to speak up about these cuts.”
Meanwhile, the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC), a non-profit organization that represents 103 municipalities across eastern Ontario, also opposed the new service.
In a LinkedIn post, the EOWC called out VIA Rail for not properly consulting with Ontario municipalities, saying that cutting services could present real challenges for passengers who need to commute for work, school, healthcare appointments and to connect with loved ones.
“The EOWC believes that innovation in transportation must go hand-in-hand with equity and regional inclusion. Removing service from small urban and rural communities not only limits mobility, but also impacts our economic development, sustainability, and population retention,” it wrote.
With the pilot now postponed, Johnson hopes VIA Rail will take the opportunity to expand service in other municipalities, perhaps considering adding more trains to provide needed service in the area.
“Currently VIA Rail is only able to operate six trains per day in each direction between Toronto and Montreal, and this means that they don’t have a lot of flexibility to have [a] combination of express and local services.
“We actually believe in transportation accountability for relatively small infrastructure investments, you could increase that by one or two trains a day, which will give you a bit more wiggle room to have services that please everybody,” he added.
