July 11, 2014

VIA Rail to do Inspections on Railway Between Gillam and Churchill, Service Will Resume Once Track is Deemed Safe for Passenger Trains

Winnipeg, July 11, 2014 ‎– VIA Rail Canada (viarail.ca) will be conducting an inspection on the Hechmer subdivision, now that the line between Gillam and Churchill has been re-opened for freight service by OmniTRAX, the owners of the railway line in Northern Manitoba.

The inspection will occur on July 16^th. Once it is completed and the rail between Gillam and Churchill is confirmed to meet with VIA Rail’s rigorous safety requirements, the Corporation will resume its passenger train service in the area as soon as possible.

Passenger train service continues to be offered between Winnipeg and Gillamaccording to the normal schedule. Going south, departures of train #692 from Gillam are scheduled on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Wednesday departures of train #692 operate between Gillam and The Pas. Going north, Sunday and Tuesday departures of train #693 operate between Winnipeg and Gillam. Friday departures operate between The Pas and Gillam. No alternate transportation between Gillam and Churchill is being offered.

VIARail thanks its customers for theirunderstanding, and apologizes for any inconvenience caused by the suspension of service, which is beyond its control. The Corporation shall communicatefurther developments on an ongoing basis. Updates will be published on VIA Rail’s website at viarail.ca and can be obtained by contacting 1 888 VIA-RAIL (842-7245), 1 800 268-9503 (hearing impaired).

About VIA Rail Canada
As Canada's national rail passenger service, VIA Rail Canada's (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 operates intercity, regional and transcontinental trains linking 450 communities across its 12,500-kilometre route network, 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 is 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. Follow the progress of our transformation at viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail/capital-investment.