Cookie Policy

This Cookie Policy (the "Cookie Policy") is intended to inform you of how VIA Rail Canada ("VIA") uses cookie and related technologies (pixel, tags or beacons) (together “cookies” or “cookie”), on https://www.viarail.ca/ (the "Website") or within its electronic communications.

Please take a minute to read and understand this Cookie Policy. It should be read in conjunction with our Privacy Policy.

By using VIA’s Website without deleting or disabling cookie files or preventing them from being recorded, you implicitly consent to the collection, use and communication of the information required to implement these functionalities.

What are cookies?

A cookie is a very small text file automatically stored on your computer/other device (and maintained by your browser), and often includes a randomized unique identifier so that our Website can recognize this cookie later. Cookies guarantee the proper functioning of VIA’s Website, improve your browsing and supply certain information to VIA, such as audience measurement.

Cookies simplify your browsing by remembering your preferences, pre-filling certain fields and adapting the content of the services. They allow the enhancement of your customer experience on our Website and on other media by offering you relevant ads according to your interests, by collecting traffic statistics, behaviour on our Website, other websites and social medias, and by facilitating the sharing of information on social networks.

What kind of cookies does VIA use and how does VIA use them?

Information collected through cookies help VIA analyze the use of our Website and enables VIA to offer you a better online experience. VIA will only keep cookies for as long as necessary to achieve the relevant purposes set out in this Cookie Policy, notably for marketing and statistical purposes.

VIA uses 1st and 3rd-party session and persistent cookies. The cookies set by VIA are called "1st-party cookies" and cookies set by our third-party partners and service providers are called "3rd-party cookies." For example, we may partner with advertising agencies to place cookies and/or related technologies to measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns by gaining insights on your behaviour. As part of the process, VIA may share common information about your browsing session with those third-party websites.

VIA uses two types of cookie files: "session cookie files" and "persistent cookie files".

Session cookies are temporary files that are automatically deleted when you close your browser. They are neither kept by VIA nor communicated to third parties. Session cookie files are designed to make our Website generally more user-friendly and easier to navigate.

Persistent cookies remain on your device after you close your browser or until you manually delete them (for the former, how long the cookie remains on your device will depend on the duration or "lifetime" of the specific cookie and your browser settings). Persistent cookies are convenient for you as they enable VIA to recognize you as an existing user and simplify your browsing when you return on our Website. Also, they collect statistical information on the use of our Website, enable us to display promotions on other websites and remember when you view a resource belonging to our Website from another website or app (such as an advertisement) and help us record information about your web browsing habits during the lifetime of the persistent cookie.

Google Analytics

The Site also uses Google Analytics to collect information, in non-identifiable form, about the use of the Site once you are logged in (login and password) to your VIA Profile.

VIA uses this unique identifier to be able to measure visitor activity across the different devices and/or browsers they use to visit in order to improve the customer experience. By visiting the Site, you consent to this use of Google Analytics.

If you prefer to prevent this transfer of information to Google Analytics, you can install an opt-out module. You can download this module here: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout/?hl=en

What categories of cookies are used?

Necessary cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary for VIA’s Website to function properly and ensure our services are accessible to you (e.g., log-in functionality, load balancing, navigation, filling in forms). VIA’s Website cannot function properly without them.

Preference cookies

They enable VIA’s Website to provide enhanced features or settings based on your previous visits and selections, such as language preferences, log-in details, past travel searches, non-finalized bookings and filter settings, and other conveniences.

Statistic cookies

They enable VIA to understand how you interact with our Website by collecting and reporting information anonymously.

Social Media Cookies

They are used to allow you to share or like VIA’s pages and content through third-party social media websites.

Marketing Cookies

These cookies are used to understand your path through VIA’s Website and follow your media journey. The first intention is to display ads that are relevant and engaging for you. These cookies also allow us to understand and analyze the efficiency of a marketing campaign by matching your media journey and your preferred channels of communication with your customer profile.

Can I manage my preferences on cookies?

Most Web browsers allow you to disable or delete some or all cookies from your computer or device, to prevent cookies from being recorded, or to receive a warning before they are recorded. If you delete or disable cookie files or prevent them from being recorded, your use of or ability to access certain functionalities on our Website may be affected.

Please see the instructions concerning your browser or its “help” section for further information on how to delete or disable cookie files or prevent their recording:

For any other browser not mentioned above, you should not hesitate to consult the cookie management help information available on the Website. You can also visit the below link for an overview of how to block or delete cookies on the most common browsers: http://allaboutcookies.org

Contact us

If you have any questions or suggestions concerning this policy, please contact us at the following address: ATIP@viarail.ca

Last update: November 18, 2023