VIA unveils new, accessible trains, but civic leaders call for more service

VIA Rail unveiled the first cars in its new fleet of state of the art passenger trains Thursday in London, Ont.

The new trains are designed with all the modern amenities to make the ride along the Windsor to Quebec corridor comfortable and accessible.

“This milestone symbolizes a new era and paves the way for the next steps in VIA Rail’s transformation,” said Mario Péloquin, VIA Rail’s president and chief executive officer.

Dozens of area mayors, federal and provincial representatives, along with business and tourism officials boarded the inaugural ride between London and Windsor. The train is the first of 32 new trains that will make up the Windsor-Quebec corridor fleet by the end of next summer.

Nearly two thirds are expected to be on track by the end of this summer.

“Investments like this will bring our communities together and make our local economies flourish,” said Niagara Centre MP, Vance Badeway to the group on hand. Badeway serves as the Liberal government’s parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Transporation.

Area mayors look forward to new business opportunities.

The interior of a new, accessible Via Rail train. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)

“We talk about connectivity between communities. This is important for the regional economy,” said Strathroy-Caradoc Mayor Colin Grantham.

VIA boasts that it now has the most accessible trains anywhere.

“There is not one segment of the population that is not accommodated on this train. That’s why I’m very comfortable saying it’s the most accessible trains in the world,” said Péloquin.

He said the trains are barrier free and provide a fully accessible travel experience.

“Each train set has spaces for mobility aids, wheelchair lifts, braille and raised displays, and fully accessible washrooms, ensuring everyone can travel comfortably,” he said.

Missing from the official announcement was any mention of expanded routes in the region.

New Via Rail train at London station on June 27, 2024. (Bryan Bicknell/CTV News London)

VIA says it’s negotiating with CN Rail for more track access.

Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley said service in his city was cut to one train a day from two a dozen years ago. He wants the second train back.

“We’ve got one train a day, how is that going to disrupt CN? They have been very difficult to deal with in the past. They want a lot of money for access to those tracks. What I believe the federal government has to do is give opportunity for passenger traffic to be on the tracks, and not be put on the side-rails for hours,” he exclaimed.

“Certainly this infrastructure needs to happen, but we also need more frequency, and doing something to make the trains a little more high speed would be great,” remarked London city Coun. Sam Trosow. “But I think the frequency of the schedule is going to be what’s crucial in terms of whether people think they can conduct just regular business.”

Péloquin said southwestern Ontario is positioned for more trains in the future, but couldn’t commit to a timeline.

“There are challenges which we are working at every day, which is getting access to the track, and so on. But our plan is to continuously provide more,” he explained.

Péloquin also said there are no plans to increase passenger fares as the new trains come on-stream.