Letter to VIA Rail

Yves Desjardins-Siciliano,

President and Chief Executive Officer

VIA Rail Canada inc.
P.O. Box. 8116, Station "A"
Montréal (Québec) H3C 3N3

1019 - 2885 Boys Road

Duncan, B.C.

V9L 4Y9

June 18, 2017

Re: Train # 1 - departing Sudbury June 9, 2017

Sir

I have been riding trains in Canada for over 60 years. In fact some of my earliest memories are of travelling as a young child by train from Montreal to the Laurentians. As well, my family travelled by train to Old Orchard Beach in Maine for a number of our summer vacations, and while attending university in New Brunswick, I regularly travelled between that province and my home in Montreal. More recently, I have once or twice a year gone between Sudbury and Vancouver to visit family. I like trains.

However my most recent trip on VIA Rail to Winnipeg was not enjoyable.  The train left Sudbury Junction just over an hour late. That, in itself is not unusual as the train is almost never on time. However by the time we got to Winnipeg the train was nine (9) hours late. That is not acceptable. What is even more alarming is the fact that I overheard a VIA employee telling a passenger that nine hours was much later than usual on the trip west but that being six hours late coming east was not unusual. That too, unfortunately has been my experience. It is absurd that a national railroad accepts the fact that it will be chronically late. VIA rail, as demonstrated by the fine print on the boarding pass that says that VIA accepts that there will be "significant delays" and that passengers "do not arrange connecting transportation on the day of your arrival" has given up on trying to run a transportation system that works.

I understand that there are an ever increasing number of longer and longer freight trains and that these freight trains no longer can fit on the sidings; I also understand that VIA Rail does not own the tracks and therefore apparently feels subservient to the freight carrying trains. But I do not understand why VIA Rail has accepted the ever increasing deterioration of its trans-continental system. In a country as large as Canada, and in one that was shaped by the creation of a national railroad, it makes no sense that in 2017 we do not have one that can be anywhere near on time.

 I can think of no other public transportation system that would allow or be allowed to serve its passengers so poorly. It is embarrassing to hear visitors from other countries complain about the terrible service. It is frustrating when a number of passengers say that they would never travel by train again and there is no argument from anyone on the train.

VIA Rail needs to at least start a public discussion of how to fix this issue. I, as a long term customer, would like to be informed as to what steps VIA rail is taking to address the issue of chronic lateness.  I will expect to hear a response from you within the next 15 working days. If I don't, I will pursue the issue in a more public forum.

Thank you

John David Woodall