The Government of Canada and VIA Rail Canada announce major improvements

              

OTTAWA, July 31, 2015 /CNW/ - The Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport, and Mr. Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, President and Chief Executive Officer of VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail), announced today a significant investment to increase the safety and efficiency of VIA Rail's Ottawa-Montreal rail corridor for travelers.

The Government of Canada is investing $102 million over a two-year period to support several infrastructure projects. These projects aim to increase the reliability of the service by reducing delays for users while at the same time improving the safety and accessibility of VIA Rail's Ottawa-Montreal corridor service.

Quick Facts

• This funding follows Prime Minister Harper's $5.8 billion announcement for investments in infrastructure, in November 2014.
• Once the projects are completed, travel time between Ottawa and Montreal will improve as these infrastructure improvements will reduce delays.
• It is estimated that these infrastructure projects will create more than 2,000 jobs, over the next two years.
• VIA Rail´s mandate is to offer a national passenger rail transportation service that is safe, secure, efficient, reliable, and environmentally sustainable, and that meets the needs of travellers in Canada.
• The Government of Canada provides more than $300 million in annual funding to support VIA's operations.

Quotes

"The Government of Canada is pleased to provide VIA Rail with funding to improve its Ottawa-Montreal rail corridor infrastructure. This investment will keep our rail transportation system safe and efficient for VIA's Rail customers."

The Honourable Lisa Raitt
Minister of Transport

"Thanks to this new funding, VIA Rail will be able to provide a safer, more reliable and comfortable service between Ottawa and Montreal through upgraded infrastructure and enhanced facilities at our Ottawa station. In addition, we are pleased to be able to add four frequencies (2 return trips) between the two cities in 2017 as a result of the Government of Canada's investment."

Yves Desjardins-Siciliano
President and Chief Executive Officer, VIA Rail Canada

Associated links

News release – Federal Infrastructure – November 24, 2014

Backgrounder – VIA Rail's Federal Infrastructure Initiative – July 31, 2015

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About VIA Rail Canada

As Canada's national rail passenger service, VIA Rail Canada (viarail.ca) and its 2,500 employees are mandated to provide safe, efficient and economical passenger transportation service, in both official languages of our country. VIA Rail operates intercity, regional and transcontinental trains linking over 400 communities across Canada, and safely transports nearly four million passengers annually. The Corporation was awarded seven Safety Awards by the Railway Association of Canada over the last eight years, and was the recipient of the 2012 Agent's Choice Award voted by Canadian travel agents and presented by Baxter Travel Media. Since 2007, the Government of Canada has invested almost a billion dollars in VIA Rail. About VIA Rail: www.viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail

Stay connected with VIA Rail: Twitter @VIA_rail Facebook /viarailcanada Instagram @viarailcanada Blog Evolution

SOURCE Transport Canada

For further information: Zach Segal, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport, Ottawa, 613-991-0700; Media Relations, Transport Canada, Ottawa, 613-993-0055; Maxime Dupont-Demers, Senior Advisor, Corporate Communications, VIA Rail Canada, 514 871-6137, [email protected]