VIA Rail Canada experienced a significant drop in on-time performance in Q1 2025, falling to 30% due to infrastructure restrictions imposed by CN Rail without prior consultation. This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

VIA Rail is currently hiring for multiple well-paid positions across Canada, offering salaries up to $32/hour.
VIA Rail train at a station.
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These restrictions impacted the busy Québec City–Windsor corridor, increasing delays and reducing service reliability. VIA Rail Canada filed a legal appeal and continues discussions with Transport Canada to seek a resolution.

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VIA Rail Canada Criticizes Infrastructure Restrictions

The imposed limitations disrupted scheduling and damaged public confidence in the service. Journey times increased sharply, and service punctuality deteriorated across major routes.

Passenger ridership also declined by 2.7% compared to Q1 2024. This marks the first drop in passenger numbers since ridership began rebounding after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite these setbacks, the railway operator reported an 8.3% increase in revenue year-over-year. The rise came from sustained demand on select routes and effective cost management elsewhere in the system.

VIA Rail Canada Pushes for Restoration of Reliable Service

President and CEO Mario Péloquin stressed that safety remains the top priority and that operations comply with all regulatory standards. He blamed CN Rail’s “arbitrary” restrictions for the current disruptions.

Board Chair Jonathan Goldbloom added that these measures undermine VIA Rail Canada’s public service mission. He stated that customer satisfaction and schedule reliability have suffered, but the company remains committed to resolving the issue.

The leadership emphasized the importance of collaboration with government agencies to restore confidence in national passenger rail service. The full Q1 2025 performance report is available to the public.

Source: railway-news.com

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