UP Express and VIA Rail Announce a More Connected Network

TORONTO, May 5, 2015 – Union Pearson Express (UP Express) and VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) today announced a partnership that will see VIA Rail passengers purchase UP Express tickets when booking VIA Rail itineraries online at viarail.ca.

This intermodal agreement with UP Express enables travellers to book a trip between Toronto Pearson International Airport and Toronto’s Union Station as a connecting trip with VIA in a single transaction. Passengers will book their tickets online at viarail.ca and receive a combined itinerary including an UP Express ticket between Union Station and Toronto Pearson. 

 “We are excited to be able to provide this rail to rail ticketing solution at what will be the two busiest transportations hubs in Canada,” says Kathy Haley, President of UP Express. “With this partnership, we are certain that guests of UP Express and VIA will benefit from a seamless journey from points leading into and out of Union Station through to Toronto Pearson.”

The partnership with UP Express brings the number of VIA Rail intermodal partners to 22 across Canada, making travel on a connected network more seamless, convenient and attractive to their customers. It will enable residents from communities across southern Ontario and Quebec to connect to Canada’s busiest airport.

“The launch of this new service marks an extremely important step for passenger transport in our country’s largest metropolitan area. With this partnership, all travellers along VIA Rail’s routes can now seamlessly link to Canada’s busiest airport, Toronto Pearson – which is a big plus for those of us who don’t want to drive”, says Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, President and CEO of VIA Rail.“The moretravellers leave their cars at home, the better it will be for both the environment and the economy considering that traffic congestion in Toronto alone cost up to 6 billion dollars annually to the economy[i].” VIA customers will be able to purchase tickets online at viarail.ca starting May 11, 2015 for trips starting June 6, 2015, the date of UP Express’s service launch.

“As a division of Metrolinx, our goal is to improve the transportation and transit network in our region, specifically by creating a faster, more convenient and reliable choice for getting to the airport from downtown. The involvement of VIA Rail with UP Express provides even more connectivity through Union Station to Toronto Pearson.” said Haley.

About VIA Rail
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 more than 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. Read more about our transformation at viarail.ca/CapitalInvestmentProjects. Follow us on our Evolution Blog at viaevolution.ca - On Twitter @VIA_rail, @VIARailPrez - On Facebook - On Instagram.

About UP Express
Launching service on June 6, 2015, Union Pearson Express is a division of Metrolinx, an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one project among $16 billion of transportation improvements Metrolinx is bringing to the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. UP Express is a dedicated express air-rail service connecting Union Station in downtown Toronto and Toronto Pearson International Airport in just 25 minutes. For more information, visit www.upexpress.com.