May 26, 2017

RECORD RIDERSHIP ON VIA RAIL TRAINS OVER MAY LONG WEEKEND

HIGHLIGHTS

For the period from Thursday, May 18 to Tuesday, May 23, 2017


VIA Rail cross-Canada network
- 73,500 passengers | 8% increase over 2016
- 27 million kilometers covered | increase of approximately 6.4% over 2016
- Passenger revenues up 10% over 2016
- Busiest day: Friday, May 19
- Most popular destinations: Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa

Quebec City-Windsor Corridor
- 68,700 passengers | 8.5% increase over 2016
- Passenger revenues up 13% over 2016

The Ocean: Montreal-Halifax
- 1,200 passengers | 20%increase over 2016

The Canadian: Toronto-Vancouver
- 2,300 passengers | 6%decrease over 2016
- Passenger revenues up 2% over 2016

Montreal, May 26, 2017 – In line with its significant growth over the past few months,VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) posted its best performance in eight years for the May long weekend. Close to 73,500 passengers chose one of the many departures available for their train travel – an 8% increase over 2016. Following a trend that began in 2014, passenger revenues rose by almost 10% compared to 2016.

Upsurge in popularity of train travel
The highest growth was seen in Eastern Canada, with the long-distance Ocean train between Montreal and Halifax posting a 20% increase in ridership and 15% higher revenues over the same period last year.

Trains in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor also posted strong growth, with an 8.5% increase in ridership and revenues up by approximately 13% over 2016.

Over the six days, VIA Rail’s trains travelled a total of 27 million kilometers – the equivalent of 680 times around the planet. More than half of the 73,500 passengers boarded the many trains in Ontario, and 31% of people travelled between Quebec and Ontario, making Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa the most popular destinations. The busiest day of the weekend was Friday, May 19.

“We are delighted with our results for this long weekend, which are the best we’ve seen in eight years. This demonstrates clearly that, year after year, more and more Canadians make the smart choice to leave their cars at home and take the train. I want to acknowledge the excellent work of our front-line employees, who provided service that meets our high standards across the country. This success once again demonstrates the need to shift to a transportation network that offers sustainable mobility options,” declared Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, President and Chief Executive Officer.

About VIA Rail Canada
As Canada's national rail passenger service, VIA Rail (viarail.ca) and its 2,700 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. For more information, visit: www.viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail.