CEO of Via Rail Tells MPs that Labour Day Train Delay was an Isolated Incident
The head of Via Rail repeatedly assured MPs that a train delay over the Labour Day long weekend was an isolated incident, despite a similar event two years ago.
Mario Péloquin testified in front of a parliamentary committee on Thursday regarding an incident between Montreal and Quebec City that left passengers stranded for 10 hours without food, water, or functioning toilets.
MPs questioned Via Rail executives about why the incident occurred despite changes made following similar disruptions during the 2022 holiday season.
“Although we now know that it was not a singular failure but a series of events, unfortunately, the breakdown two weeks ago reminded us of what occurred in December 2022,” Péloquin stated.
“While Via Rail successfully implemented key learnings and recommendations from 2022, this recent incident unveiled significant shortcomings that we are addressing.”
“I want to emphasize that I am deeply apologetic for what transpired,” he added.
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Péloquin explained that the delays in 2022 were due to an ice storm causing a tree to fall on the railway, while the most recent incident resulted from two separate mechanical failures.
Ottawa has instructed Via Rail to make changes and conduct an independent investigation into the incident.
Péloquin mentioned that the company has instituted a new evacuation process, although it would not have been effective in the latest incident due to unsafe evacuation conditions where the train was positioned.
Conservative MP Philip Lawrence listed previous delays and questioned Péloquin about the isolated nature of the recent incident.
Péloquin stated that Via Rail has 20,000 departures annually, with 80% arriving on time or within 30 minutes, and that some incidents were caused by external factors beyond the company’s control, such as suspicious packages.
