VIA Rail Canada Inc. has named 2023 as a 'pivotal year' for the agency's ridership and service reach. The company marked its highest ridership numbers since 2019 with more than 4 million passengers choosing to travel by train in 2023 with VIA Rail. Year over year, ridership was up 24.7 percent and the corporation achieved important milestones in its modernization projects.
“2023 was a pivotal year for VIA Rail as we introduced new equipment, launched a modern new reservation system, restored several key train frequencies in the Québec City–Windsor corridor and achieved a significant increase in revenues,” said Françoise Bertrand, VIA Rail Canada’s chairperson of the board of directors. “The end result is that we were able to better serve our customers and build the foundation for our future growth.”
During the past year, VIA Rail Canada named its new president and CEO, Mario Péloquin, who joined the corporation in June.
“It has been an exciting journey to be jumping aboard at a time when VIA Rail and passenger rail worldwide are in the midst of a profound and far-reaching transformation,” Péloquin said. “VIA Rail has already made substantive progress towards shaping the future of rail travel in Canada and in 2023, we took significant steps forward, reflecting our commitment to modernization and a better travel experience for our passengers.”
New fleet
The progressive entry into service of the new Corridor fleet continued in 2023, allowing VIA Rail Canada to offer a more comfortable, fully accessible and more sustainable experience to more Canadians along the Québec City – Windsor corridor.
In October 2023, VIA Rail Canada officially launched the commercial service of the new fleet on the Ottawa – Toronto route. As a result, the four major cities in the Corridor (Québec City, Montréal, Ottawa and Toronto) and all communities in between are now connected by the new trains. As of December 31, 2023, 12 of the 32 new train sets had been received.
A new reservation system
In November 2023, VIA Rail Canada launched its new reservation system, offering a simplified, more convenient, accessible and autonomous experience for our customers. The modernization project overhauled all related infrastructure and systems (such as the loyalty program and point-of-sale system).
The new reservation system allowed customers to enjoy new features, such as autonomous seat selection, as well as a simplified process to book online for a wider variety of needs.
Service recognition
VIA Rail Canada was recognized in Léger’s 2023 Reputation Study, earning the title of most reputable company in the transportation sector. VIA Rail Canada increased its point total in the survey by four points from the year prior and bypassed all other transportation companies for the first time since the launch of the study.
The study also recognized the efforts made by VIA Rail Canada to foster a positive and inclusive company culture, by ranking VIA Rail Canada as Canada’s first employer of choice among transportation companies.
