A train breakdown that stranded passengers for about ten hours between Montreal and Quebec City last week reveals that VIA Rail has not learned any lessons from a similar incident that occurred two years ago, say federal elected officials from all parties.
“It’s unacceptable that we’re experiencing this in 2024. It shouldn’t have happened, given what already happened in 2022,” Conservative MP Luc Berthold told a parliamentary committee on Friday.
This observation is shared by elected officials of all stripes sitting on the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in Ottawa. They easily agreed on Friday to launch an inquiry into this matter in mid-September. Representatives from VIA Rail, the federal Minister of Transport and passengers will be invited to testify.
On August 31, in the middle of Labour Day weekend, passengers on train 622 from Montreal to Quebec City were stuck on a stationary train for about 10 hours. Some of them took to social media to complain about the lack of information they were being given and the behavior of crew members, among other issues.
Passengers were left “without food, without water, with periods without electricity, toilets or air conditioning,” read the motion by Conservative MP Philip Lawrence, summarizing other passenger allegations. VIA Rail qualifies some of its claims, saying it offered snacks, handed out pizzas and that water was available for most of the day.
History repeats itself
However, a similar incident occurred during the 2022 holiday season. For approximately 18 hours, 228 passengers were trapped on a train that struck a tree near Cobourg, Ontario. Following the incident, VIA Rail conducted an investigation, after which the Crown corporation assured the federal government that it had established a communications protocol in the event of a similar incident.
“We were told that there would be fixes, that the situation was acknowledged,” Bloc Québécois MP Xavier Barsalou-Duval lamented Friday. “I find it completely unacceptable that people were stuck on a train for 10 hours, especially since this is not the first time this has happened.”
New Democratic Party (NDP) MP Taylor Bachrach added that then-Transport Minister Omar Alghabra used strong words to demand explanations from VIA Rail shortly after the 2022 incident. “I wonder what changes the government has made.”
The Liberal Party of Canada amended the Conservative motion to hear direct testimony from passengers before the committee. “I myself have [déjà] “I was stuck on a train for eight hours,” Liberal MP Francis Drouin shared with his colleagues.
Conservative lawmakers have argued that the story is part of a larger narrative of “nine years of transportation chaos” since Justin Trudeau came to power.
Rodriguez demands explanations
Canada’s Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez sent a letter to VIA Rail’s senior management on Wednesday, in which he said he was “frustrated and disappointed to learn of the way passengers on train 622 were treated last Saturday.” He is demanding accountability from the Crown corporation, which reportedly assured the government that it had learned its lesson from the 2022 incident.
“VIA Rail had stated that it had resolved the communication and operational issues as part of its review of this incident. [de Cobourg en décembre 2022] “, writes the minister in the document obtained by The Duty.
The minister, who is also Justin Trudeau’s lieutenant for Quebec and a potential candidate for the Liberal nomination on the provincial scene, is demanding that VIA Rail’s senior management present him with a report within 30 days detailing its action plan in the event of an emergency. He is also asking that employees be provided with adequate training.
“VIA Rail must also explain how it intends to provide basic services to passengers (for example: drinking water, food, working toilets) and other services, such as reliable telephone and Internet access, while considering possible alternatives,” he wrote.
The state-owned company confirmed to Duty that the incident “will be thoroughly investigated and appropriate action will be taken based on the findings of the review.” Passengers have all been refunded and given travel credits equivalent to the cost of their tickets.
An analysis of the Duty concluded this summer that VIA Rail passengers departing from Montreal are most at risk of being left to fend for themselves when their train is cancelled, and most often without any replacement options.