September 24, 2018

RAIL SAFETY: VIA Rail’s Employees Present In Over 25 Locations Across Canada This Week

MONTRÉAL, September 24, 2018 - From September 24 to 29, VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) invites the general public to join Operation Lifesaver in posting with the awareness campaign’s hashtag #STOPTrackTragedies during Rail Safety Week. In more than 25 cities around the country, including Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, London, Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal, Québec, Moncton and Halifax, and alongside Operation Lifesaver volunteers and industry partners, VIA Rail employees will man kiosks and run information sessions in stations, on board trains, near railway crossings and in schools to educate Canadians about railway hazards and raise awareness about precautions to take near tracks.

“2,100 North Americans are killed or seriously injured in rail incidents every year,” said Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, President and Chief Executive Officer of VIA Rail Canada. “In Canada, 233 incidents occurred in the last year. These types of incidents are avoidable, particularly those involving children exploring near tracks without realizing the risks. Like all of our partners, we believe that one incident is one too many. Rail safety is everyone’s business.”

Taking action from coast to coast
Following the example of other industry representatives, VIA Rail employees agreed to participate in a collaborative project to produce seven videos highlighting the risks of venturing near tracks. These videos will be released via social media in the coming days.

Over the past month, VIA Rail employees also organized or took part in awareness events in many locations across the country, including in Indigenous communities served by VIA Rail in northern British Columbia.

Yesterday at the Exporail museum in Saint-Constant, Quebec, members of the VIA Rail police service and Corporate Security department took part in the Steel Challenge organized by Canadian National as part of the museum’s Railroad Day activities. VIA Rail’s representatives competed in the train pull and used the opportunity to educate the public about rail safety.

 VIA Rail has been an Operation Lifesaver partner since the organization’s founding in 1981 and actively participates in all of its efforts to raise awareness and educate Canadians about precautions to take when walking or driving near rail facilities, railway crossings and tracks.

 

About VIA Rail Canada
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 4.4 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 www.viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail.