‘New chapter’: tooting horn for Via revamp

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This article was published 27/09/2024 (404 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Mario Péloquin may have his work cut out for him.

The CEO of Via Rail Canada Inc. is on a mission to convert as many people as he can — especially the business community — to become champions of passenger rail.

On Friday, Péloquin spoke to the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, part of a cross-country barnstorming tour prior to an anticipated massive transformation of Canadian passenger rail service.

A request for proposal is expected to be issued in the next few weeks for the acquisition of 42 new locomotives and 316 passenger cars in nine different configurations.

The multibillion-dollar makeover was confirmed by the federal government earlier this summer. It has been in the works for several years and will effectively replace Via’s entire fleet.

(Replacements trains for the Quebec City to Windsor, Ont., corridor are already in service and scheduled to be completed by the summer of 2025.)

Péloquin could not say Friday what the time frame will be for the new equipment to arrive, but he’s keen to let the nation know how it will make rail travel in Canada that much more enjoyable.

“Via Rail has been very modest over the years,” he said.

“We have not been very visible. But we are increasing our visibility and explaining what we are doing. The more people know we are taking great steps to make it a much better company, the better it will be.”

He acknowledged Via Rail — an independent federal Crown corporation — is an essential service, providing transportation to remote regions such as the communities along the Bay Line in northern Manitoba, where rail is the only available land transportation.

However, he said, Via is not a money maker.

Among other things, Péloquin emphasized the special experience of train travel that can remove the passenger from the hectic pace of other transportation modes available. “The train is having a moment and seeing a new relevance. Today, we have the chance to build on that momentum and open a new chapter.”

But it will be a challenging undertaking, with air travel now the dominant choice for the public at large.

As a comparison, the Winnipeg Richardson International Airport logs more than four million passengers per year, while Via Rail Union Station in Winnipeg averages 14,000 passengers every year. (Via recorded more than four million passengers nationally in its 2023 ridership numbers.)

“Unfortunately, we had to reduce service starting 25 years ago, but we are seeing an uptick,” Péloquin said. “It is growing.”

Via’s service to Churchill, which it runs on Arctic Gateway Group’s rail line, is not going to make or break its national network, but Péloquin said there has been a marked improvement recently under AGG’s ownership.

“The new leadership at AGG is very keen on improving everything and collaborating, instead of having a confrontational relationship,” he said. “They are fantastic.”

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The $200 million of investment in Manitoba track and infrastructure repair has made a big difference in operating Via’s trains to Churchill (they run three times per week), he added.

Via is mindful of the critical role it plays as the sole ground transportation system for many communities in northern Manitoba, Péloquin said. However, there are times during particularly busy tourist seasons in Churchill, where the trains are full with no seats available for local travellers.

“That train is not full all the time, but sometimes tour operators sell the whole train,” he said.

“We need to see what we can do to make sure people in remote communities who need to travel for groceries or medical appointment can actually get there.”

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca