The CEO of Via Rail informs lawmakers that the Labour Day train delay was a unique event

The head of Via Rail, Mario Péloquin, told MPs that a train delay over the Labour Day weekend was an isolated event, even though a similar incident had occurred two years prior.

Péloquin testified before a parliamentary committee on Thursday regarding a 10-hour delay on a train between Montreal and Quebec City, during which passengers ran out of food, water, and functioning toilets.

MPs questioned Via Rail executives on how the incident happened, despite the company implementing changes after similar disruptions during the 2022 holiday season.

“Although we now understand it wasn’t a single failure but a series of events, the breakdown two weeks ago is unfortunately reminiscent of December 2022,” Péloquin said.

“While Via Rail implemented the key lessons and recommendations from 2022, this recent incident exposed significant shortcomings, which we are working to address.”

“I want to again express my deep regret for what occurred,” he added.

Péloquin explained that the delays in 2022 were caused by an ice storm that brought a tree down on the railway, while the recent delay resulted from two mechanical failures.

The federal government has already directed Via Rail to make changes and has requested an independent investigation into the matter.

Péloquin mentioned that the company has since introduced a new evacuation protocol, but it wouldn’t have been effective in this case, as the train was in an unsafe location for evacuation.

Conservative MP Philip Lawrence pointed to a history of delays and asked if Péloquin could “honestly say this was an isolated incident.”

In response, Péloquin noted that Via Rail operates 20,000 departures annually, with 80 percent arriving on time or within 30 minutes, and highlighted that some delays were caused by factors beyond Via Rail’s control, such as suspicious packages.