VIA Rail has not learned from its mistakes, deplores Ottawa

Photo: Sean Kilpatrick Archives The Canadian Press On August 31, in the middle of Labour Day weekend, passengers on train 622 from Montreal to Quebec City were stuck on a stationary train for about 10 hours.

A train breakdown that stranded passengers for about 10 hours between Montreal and Quebec City last week reveals that VIA Rail has not learned any lessons from a similar incident two years ago, say federal elected officials from all parties.

“It’s unacceptable that we’re experiencing this in 2024. It shouldn’t have happened, given what happened in 2022,” Conservative MP Luc Berthold told a parliamentary committee on Friday.

This observation is shared by elected officials of all stripes sitting on the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in Ottawa. They readily agreed on Friday to launch an investigation into the matter in mid-September. Representatives from VIA Rail, the federal Minister of Transport and passengers will be invited to testify.

On August 31, in the middle of Labour Day weekend, passengers on train 622 from Montreal to Quebec City were stuck on a stationary train for about 10 hours. Some of them took to social media to complain about the lack of information they were being given and the behaviour of crew members, among other problems.

Passengers were “without food, without water, with periods without electricity, toilets or air conditioning,” read the motion by Conservative MP Philip Lawrence, summarizing other allegations from passengers. VIA Rail qualifies some of its claims, saying it offered snacks, handed out pizzas and that water was available for most of the day.

History repeats itself

A similar episode occurred during the 2022 holiday season. For about 18 hours, 228 passengers were trapped on a train that crashed into a tree near Cobourg, Ont. Following the incident, VIA Rail conducted an investigation, after which the Crown corporation assured the federal government that it had established a communications protocol in the event of a similar incident.

“We were told that there would be fixes, that the situation was acknowledged,” Bloc Québécois MP Xavier Barsalou-Duval lamented Friday. I find it completely unacceptable that people were left on a train for 10 hours, especially since this is not the first time this has happened.”

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New Democratic Party (NDP) MP Taylor Bachrach added that then-Transport Minister Omar Alghabra had used strong words to demand explanations from VIA Rail shortly after the 2022 incident. “I wonder what changes the government has made.”

The Liberal Party of Canada amended the Conservative motion to hear passenger testimony directly before the committee. “I myself have [already] been stuck on a train for eight hours,” Liberal MP Francis Drouin shared with his colleagues.

Conservative lawmakers have suggested that the story is part of a larger narrative of “nine years of transportation chaos” since Justin Trudeau came to power.

Rodriguez demands explanations

Canada’s Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez sent a letter to VIA Rail’s senior management on Wednesday, saying he was “frustrated and disappointed to learn of the way passengers on Train 622 were treated last Saturday.” He is demanding accountability from the Crown corporation, which reportedly assured the government it had learned its lesson from the 2022 incident.

“VIA Rail had stated that it had resolved the communication and operational issues as part of the review of this incident [in Cobourg in December 2022],” the minister wrote in the document obtained by Le Devoir.

The minister, who is also Justin Trudeau's lieutenant for Quebec and a potential candidate for the Liberal nomination on the provincial scene, is demanding that VIA Rail's senior management present him with a report within 30 days detailing its action plan in the event of an emergency. He also asked to ensure that adequate training is provided to employees.

“VIA Rail must also explain how it intends to provide basic services to passengers (for example: drinking water, food, working toilets) and other services, such as reliable access to telephone and Internet, by considering possible alternatives,” he wrote.

The Crown corporation confirmed to Devoirthat the incident “will be thoroughly investigated and appropriate action will be taken based on the findings of the review.” Passengers have all been refunded and given a travel credit equal to the cost of their ticket.

A Devoir analysis concluded this summer that VIA Rail passengers departing from Montreal are most at risk of being left stranded when their train is cancelled, and most often without a replacement option.