More Canadians took the train during the Holiday season by 2017

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QMI agency

Tuesday, 9 January 2018 14:50

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Tuesday, 9 January 2018 14:50

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MONTREAL – VIA Rail has transported 308 000 passengers during the Holiday period, an increase of almost 10% compared to last year.

The company made the announcement Tuesday, stating that it is a record number since it began to measure the traffic of its network for this period in 2009.

This record number was achieved in spite of the frigid weather and snow. The trains have been more delays and cancellations than in previous years, according to VIA Rail.

“Our operations have been strained by cold waves and extreme storms. I thank our customers for their understanding”, pointed out by press release Yves Desjardins-Siliciano, president and chief executive officer of VIA Rail.

The Quebec city-Windsor corridor, which connects Montreal and Quebec city to several major towns and cities in ontario, has experienced the largest increase in the number of passengers, or 10.7 %. The most popular route of the network has been the one connecting Toronto and Ottawa, with a total of 35 800 passengers.

The regional services and sections of the western part of the country have, for their part, registered a decrease of ridership of 13.6 % and 8.2 %, respectively. VIA Rail has collected these data over the period from December 18, 2017 January 7, 2018.