The CEO of Via Rail reassured members of Parliament that a recent train delay over the Labour Day weekend was an isolated incident, despite a similar occurrence two years ago.
Mario PĂ©loquin appeared before a parliamentary committee on Thursday to address an incident between Montreal and Quebec City that left passengers stranded for 10 hours without food, water, or working toilets.
MPs questioned Via Rail executives about why the incident happened despite changes made following similar disruptions during the 2022 holiday season.
“Although we now know that it was not just one issue but a series of events, unfortunately, the breakdown two weeks ago reminds us of what occurred in December 2022,” Péloquin stated.
“While Via Rail successfully implemented the key learnings and recommendations from 2022, this recent incident revealed significant shortcomings that we are now addressing.”
“I want to emphasize that I am deeply sorry for what took place,” he added.
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PĂ©loquin explained that the delays in 2022 were caused by an ice storm that led to a tree falling on the railway, whereas the recent incident was a result of two separate mechanical failures.
The government has instructed Via Rail to make necessary changes and conduct an independent investigation into the incident.
PĂ©loquin mentioned that the company has implemented a new evacuation process, although it would not have been effective in the recent incident due to safety concerns in the area.
Conservative MP Philip Lawrence listed previous delays and asked PĂ©loquin if he could honestly claim that this incident was isolated.
PĂ©loquin stated that Via Rail operates 20,000 departures annually, with 80 percent arriving on time or within 30 minutes, and some delays are caused by external factors beyond the company’s control, such as security threats.
