VIA Rail train stuck | ‘It was like being in prison,’ says passenger

(Ottawa) A tourist visiting Canada is questioning the safety of VIA Rail trains after being on board the train that was immobilized for 10 hours this weekend between Montreal and Quebec City due to mechanical problems.

Chip Malt was visiting Quebec over the long weekend to celebrate the 70th^e his father’s birthday. From Montreal, he chose to take the train to Quebec City on Saturday.

But the journey, which was supposed to take three hours, ended up taking almost 14 hours. Due to two mechanical problems with the train, passengers were stuck for 10 hours in the “middle of nowhere.”

Mr Malt said passengers tried to get off the train and call taxis or other transport services, but the train was in such an isolated location that there were “no options”.

“This was my first experience with VIA Rail, and it will probably be my last,” he said in a telephone interview from his home in Austin, Texas.

“It was like being in prison.”

On Sunday, VIA Rail issued a statement apologizing for the “inconvenience” caused to passengers. The carrier confirmed that the train had to be immobilized for 10 hours between Montreal and Quebec City after experiencing two consecutive mechanical problems.

The company said no buses were available in the area to pick up passengers. Power, air conditioning and toilets were cut off at times to allow for repairs and reconnection with another train, the company said.

“We are committed to providing exceptional customer service and ensuring that all passengers are treated with respect and dignity,” the statement read.

Snacks were offered one hour and three hours after the outage began, but passengers eventually ran out of food and water, Malt said.

” [Les employés] They came with a jug of water and said, ‘Is anyone dehydrated? This is what we have left,'” he said.

At the same time, the toilets stopped working, he added.

Cell phone confiscated

After eight hours, people were getting up to stretch their legs, including Mr Malt, who wanted to give more space to his wife who had to do a job interview from the train.

At that point, an employee allegedly “pushed a woman against the wall” as he walked past, asking people to sit down, according to Mr. Malt.

“He started yelling at this lady. Then people started filming, and so did I. I was right next to him,” he said.

“As soon as he saw I was filming, he leaned over and snatched my phone.”

VIA Rail said an investigation has been opened into the exchange and assured that appropriate action will be taken following the review, if necessary.

Contradictory versions

With no more water to distribute, employees reportedly began giving people beer and vodka, Malt said. Staff also tried to engage passengers in yoga exercises to help them relax, which ultimately frustrated the passengers, the American tourist said.

At one point, some passengers, including Mr. Malt, considered breaking the windows to escape. But Mr. Malt said even if they had managed to get out, the train was surrounded by a construction zone, so they would have had to climb fences and cross concrete and tarmac to reach the edge of a highway, he said.

Mr Malt claimed that staff provided no information about the reason for the outage or what help was available. He said employees kept repeating the same statement that they had “no further information at this time”.

In a statement released Monday, VIA Rail vehemently denied giving people alcohol. The carrier also insisted it provided updates every 30 minutes to passengers “even if the update was only to inform people that the situation had not changed or that repairs were continuing.”

“This is unfortunately often perceived as ‘no update,’” the company said.

Minister Rodriguez wants explanations

VIA Rail eventually placed another passenger train next to the disabled train on a parallel track. Firefighters were called to the scene to help passengers transfer from one train to the other, Malt said, and pizza was brought out.

But because the second train was already carrying passengers, many people had to stand when the train finally reached Quebec.

Federal Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez promised Sunday to get to the bottom of the incident, saying he would meet with VIA Rail management this week. He also wrote on social media site X that “passengers deserve better.”

Mr. Malt was finally able to celebrate the 70th^e his father’s birthday – and Quebec lived up to his expectations.

But he noted that many passengers have argued that the train is brand new. He questions the safety of the new trains.

He also said the company should be prepared to handle delays, but that staff were “aggressive and causing problems”.

“We no longer felt safe on the train,” he said.