OTTAWA, Ontario — Canada’s transport minister has asked for an independent report on the VIA Rail Canada incident involving a significantly delayed Montreal-Quebec City train on Saturday, Aug. 31, the minister’s press secretary said Tuesday.
The Canadian Press reports that Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez has also asked the passenger operator to improve employee training and address its procedures in case a train breaks down, Press Secretary Laurent de Casanove said.
Rodriguez spoke with VIA officials on Tuesday to “tell them the way passengers were treated on Saturday was unacceptable,” according to de Casanove.
The trip from Montreal to Quebec City, which normally takes about 2½ hours, dragged out over 13 hours after a pair of mechanical failures, VIA confirmed following reports of the Saturday incident [see “Canada’s transport minister sets meeting with VIA …,” Trains News Wire, Sept. 3, 2024]. Passengers have said the train ran out of food and water, while VIA says an evening meal and water were delivered during the delay before those on board were eventually transferred to another train and continued their trip.
One passenger from Austin, Texas, Chip Malt, said his phone was taken from him by a VIA crew member as he and others recorded an incident involving another passenger. Malt, in a Monday interview, said passengers attempted to call Uber, taxis, or car services to leave the train, but its remote location left them no choice but to stay on board. He also said other passengers said the equipment was “brand new” — suggesting one of VIA’s Siemens Venture trainsets was involved, which photos from onboard appear to confirm.
CTV News reports about 20 passengers on the train were supposed to board a cruise ship in Quebec City that day for a seven-day trip ending in Boston. Having missed that departure, one couple from Las Vegas said they are out about $5,000 because cruise line Holland America considers them no-shows.
