Via Rail has announced it’s postponing a pilot project that would have seen trains travel directly between Montreal and Toronto, skipping several eastern Ontario stops along the way.
The plan was for direct service between Canada’s two largest cities to begin Sept. 29, offering riders “downtown-to downtown travel” and shaving 30-40 minutes off some trips.
But in a statement Monday, Via said the pilot, which had been criticized by elected officials along the route, is on hold because of “operational constraints with our rail partner, CN.”
Via said it plans to continue to work with CN “to explore solutions” that would allow it to test and launch direct service in the future.
Officials in Kingston, Ont., where trains would have stopped five fewer times a day, were among those who spoke out against the plan.
“This doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game, where in order to service Montreal and Toronto, you have to take something away from the communities in between,” Mayor Bryan Paterson previously told CBC, adding there are around a million people living along the rail corridor between those two cities.
“I think it’s important not to disrespect that market or take it for granted,” he said.
Megan Knott, CEO of Tourism Kingston, said the community needs more rail, not less, and called the proposed cuts “devastating.”
The Liberal MP for Kingston and the Islands, Mark Gerretsen, said he was “extremely disappointed” by the decision and would raise the issue with Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon.
Via said despite the opposition it plans to continue pursuing direct service between Montreal and Toronto.
“We remain confident that this … service, requested by 70% of our passengers, represents an important step toward delivering more efficient passenger rail in Canada,” read its statement.
The corporation apologized to passengers who were “unnecessarily re-accommodated” by the pilot and said they can change their booking at no cost by contacting Via’s customer service team.
