HIGHLIGHTS
Thursday June 27, 2019 – Wednesday July 3, 2019
VIA Rail network
- Busiest day: Friday, June 28
- Most popular destinations: Toronto, Montréal and Ottawa
- Overall ridership increased by 9.4% compared to the same period in 2018
Québec City – Windsor corridor
- 99,984 passengers: increase of 9.9% compared to 2018
- Passenger revenue increased by 7.5% compared to 2018
MONTRÉAL, July 9, 2019 /CNW Telbec/ - VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) reports an increase in its number of passengers for Canada Day long weekend, as more than 106,700 passengers chose VIA Rail to get around. This represents a 9.4% increase when compared to the same period last year and the fifth consecutive year of ridership increase for this national holiday weekend. This is also the first time in the last ten years that the number of VIA Rail passengers exceeds six figures for Canada Day long weekend.
"We are delighted that Canadians chose the easy, sustainable, safe and enjoyable experience provided by VIA Rail to travel and celebrate Canada Day with family and friends across the country," said VIA Rail President and Chief Executive Officer, Cynthia Garneau. "Every time we offer a service, be it at our stations, call centres, maintenance centres or on board our trains, we keep moving towards a common objective: to lead Canadians towards a more sustainable future. As VIA Rail is in a period of transformation, our employees, without whom all this would not be possible, never lose sight of that goal. I would like to recognize their utmost dedication, expertise, and professionalism, which allow for an unparalleled customer service."
Friday, June 28, was the busiest day of the weekend with more than 19,200 passengers travelling across our network. VIA Rail also saw a significant growth in the number of kids aboard its trains, up 16.5% compared to the same period last year. In fact some passengers got to take advantage of the still-ongoing promotion allowing children to travel across the network for $15*. Over seven days, passengers aboard VIA Rail trains covered a total distance of 38.9 million kilometres.
A popular weekend for Ottawa and the Corridor
For this Canada Day long weekend, VIA Rail recorded an increase in the number of passengers travelling to the capital, up 17.8% compared to 2018. Moreover, ridership in the Québec City – Windsor corridor was 10% higher than the same period last year with passenger revenue rising by 7.5% compared to the same long weekend in 2018. Both-way ridership between Montréal and Ottawa, and Ottawa and Toronto, also saw significant growth of 23% and 18%, respectively, compared to the same period in 2018.
*Certain conditions may apply. For more details, visit our website.
About VIA Rail
As Canada's national rail passenger service, VIA Rail (viarail.ca) and all its 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 about 180 more communities through intermodal partnerships, and safely transports nearly 4.8 million passengers annually. The Corporation has been awarded five Safety Awards and three Environment Awards by the Railway Association of Canada since 2007. Visit the "About VIA Rail" section at https://www.viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail.
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SOURCE VIA Rail Canada Inc.
Information: Marie-Anna Murat, Media Relations, VIA Rail Canada, 1 877 393-8787, [email protected]
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