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Increased
Revenues and Ridership for VIA Rail
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in
Second Quarter 2018
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Montreal,
CN – September 2018 / Newsmaker Alert / For
the second quarter of 2018, VIA Rail
Canada (VIA Rail) is reporting a ridership increase of 10.0%, while
its revenues improved by 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. In
the Québec City - Windsor corridor, ridership and revenues increased
by 11.5% and 13.6% respectively compared to 2017. Furthermore, over the
May long weekend VIA Rail saw an 8.4% growth in ridership and a 9.7% increase
in passenger revenue over 2017.
“Canadians
in record numbers are demonstrating their preference for train travel and
taking advantage of the easy, enjoyable and sustainable experience that
VIA Rail offers, declared Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, President and Chief
Executive Officer at VIA Rail. “Our continued growth over the last four
years, this being our 17th
consecutive quarter with revenue growth, and our 10th consecutive quarter
with ridership increases, is a direct result of the dedication and professionalism
of our employees who provide the best travel experience to Canadians.”
“As
we celebrate our 40th Anniversary, we are taking critical steps to improve
our customer experience,” added Mr. Desjardins-Siciliano. “During the quarter,
we awarded contracts for the refurbishment of our Heritage Fleet train
cars and announced the short list of potential manufacturers of a new fleet
of trains for the Quebec City-Windsor corridor. At the same time we have
modified the Canadian schedule as part of our commitment to provide passengers
with the highest quality of dependable service.”
Second
Quarter Report Highlights
New
Fleet for the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor
In
June, VIA Rail announced the trainset manufacturers participating in the
request for proposals to manufacture a new fleet of trains to replace the
current fleet serving the Québec City-Windsor corridor. Bids are
expected in October followed by a contract award by the end of the year.
Modernizing
Our Long Distance Fleet
Important
announcements were made this quarter as part of VIA Rail’s commitment to
leading Canadians towards a more sustainable future. VIA Rail awarded a
contract to Bombardier for the refurbishment of 17 Heritage Fleet train
cars to full accessibility, to be deployed over its long distance routes
by 2020. VIA Rail also awarded a contract to Cad Railway Industries for
the upgrade and refurbishment of 25 Heritage Fleet train cars, a project
that will extend their useful life by several decades.
These
two projects are in addition to the renovation of the 33 cars currently
underway at VIA Rail’s Montreal Maintenance Centre.
Putting
Our Passengers First
Over
the second quarter, VIA Rail continued its 40th anniversary celebrations
by launching a unique travel contest for Canadians. From May 17 to June
17, close to 275,000 people registered online for their chance to win one
of 40 commemorative steel anniversary tickets, forged from a retired train
part that had covered over 6,000,000 kilometers, the equivalent of 1,000
trips across the country.
As
well, in an effort to promote local products and offer passengers a variety
of different meals and beverages from across the country, VIA Rail routinely
refreshes its menu selection. Over the second quarter, wines from the Niagara
region were introduced along with beer options from Toronto-based Steam
Whistle Brewing.
New
Schedule for the Canadian
In
light of a series of delays and its commitment to provide passengers with
the highest quality of dependable service, VIA Rail cancelled two departures
on its Canadian train between Toronto and Vancouver in May.
In
order to provide passengers with the best possible customer experience,
VIA Rail worked with its infrastructure partner and adjusted the Canadian
schedule, effective on July 26.The new schedule is designed to offer passengers
a more predictable journey at both departure and arrival and now offers
a better view of the Canadian landscape as it travels through the Rocky
Mountains during daylight hours.
Providing
Greater Accessibility
This
quarter, VIA Rail completed platform renovations at Ottawa station to facilitate
travel for passengers with reduced mobility. In April, the station’s new
heated and elevated platform for level boarding was unveiled and put into
service.
VIA
Rail also partnered with the International Union of Railways in the design,
development and testing of two innovative projects in Ottawa with the goal
of increasing accessibility in-station for passengers that are blind and
partially sighted.
In
June, VIA Rail held a session with a working group of individuals from
different provinces representing people living with accessibility issues,
including individuals with physical, visual and hearing disabilities. Participants
were invited to make suggestions on potential improvements with regards
to the accessibility of VIA Rail’s services and amenities.
Managing
our Business Responsibly
At
the end of May, VIA Rail held its 2018 Annual Public Meeting by webcast
and Facebook Live to reach a greater audience and engage with the public.
A subtitled version of the Annual Public Meeting is available online on
VIA Rail’s YouTube channel This link open a window in French, English,
or the original bilingual version. This year we received almost 1,500 questions
from the public, the answers to which are being published in batches on
the Annual Public Meeting section of our website.
Promoting
Socio-economic Development
The
second quarter of 2018 was pivotal in establishing new connections between
VIA Rail and Canada’s Indigenous communities. Several meetings were held
with Chiefs and representatives of Mohawk Band Councils of Kahnawake, the
Huron-Wendat Nation, the Atikamekw Nation, and the Assembly of First Nations.
Additionally,
to highlight the contribution of the Canadian Armed Forces, VIA Rail partnered
and participated in the activities of many organizations including the
Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School, the Prince’s Operation Entrepreneur
program, the gala Hall of Femmes by La Force au Féminin and more.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, was also
appointed Chairman of the Canadian Forces Liaison Council for Québec.
Always
pursuing safety enhancements
In
a continuous effort to move people in a safe and efficient way, a program
was initiated over the quarter to improve the reliability of the crossing
warning system and centralized train control in case of extreme weather
conditions.
Being
an Attractive Employer
Our
employees are the foundation of our success. VIA Rail was honoured to hold
its first graduation ceremony for seventy-one managers who completed the
VIA Rail Leadership School program, designed to accelerate the growth of
our future leaders.
Five
International Marketing Awards
With
innovation at the heart of VIA Rail’s corporate values, over the second
quarter, the company was internationally recognized for its Anti-Traffic
Way to Travel campaign. VIA Rail won two prestigious silver and bronze
prizes at the Cannes Lions Festival in France and three gold awards at
the Festival of Media Global in Italy.
VIA
Rail’s second quarter report is available at: VIArail.ca/en/about-via-rail/governance-and-reports/quarterly-reports.
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 approximately 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.
Media
Contacts:
Mariam
Diaby / Mylene Belanger
VIA
Rail Canada
514-871-6010
877-393-8787 |