Trains to originate and terminate at suburban stations from June 24 thru 27 (inclusive)
TORONTO, June 3 - VIA Rail Canada wishes to advise travellers that to avoid congestion in the downtown Toronto area, it will move its operations from Toronto Union Station to suburban stations during the core G20 summit dates, from June 24 through 27. Additionally, due to extremely low advance ticket sales, VIA will also be operating a weekend schedule around the core summit dates.
"Due to the proximity of Union Station to the main meeting location," said VIA President and CEO Marc Laliberté, "we know that there will be major congestion, making access for our customers very difficult. We regret the inconvenience these changes may cause, but we believe that making them well in advance and communicating this information to travellers now will help minimize access issues for our customers and ensure the continuity of our operations."
The following changes will be in effect for the period of June 24-27, 2010.
All VIA trains between Toronto and Niagara Falls, Windsor, London and points enroute will originate/terminate in Oakville. The VIA/GO Transit station is located at 200 Cross Ave., Oakville.
All VIA trains between Toronto and Sarnia via Kitchener and London ("north main line") and points enroute will originate/terminate in Brampton. The VIA/GO Transit station is located at 31 Church St. West, Brampton.
All VIA trains between Toronto and Kingston, Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax, Gaspé and points enroute will originate/terminate in Oshawa. The VIA/GO Transit station is located at 915 Bloor St. West, Oshawa.
VIA's Toronto-Vancouver Canadian will originate/terminate at the Oriole GO Transit station, located at 3300 Leslie St., North York.
Passengers with VIA connections will be shuttled between suburban stations to their connecting trains.
For arriving passengers without connections. VIA will operate a shuttle serving Oshawa station, Scarborough Town Centre, Yorkdale Shopping Centre and Oakville station.
VIA will make every effort to minimize shuttle travel times, but advises that customers should expect delays.
Passengers starting their trips at one of the suburban stations will be responsible for their own local ground transportation. Customers are asked to call VIA at 1 888 VIA-RAIL (842-7245) to confirm their train's departure time.
For the period of June 24-27, passengers holding a valid VIA ticket will be able to board GO trains from Oshawa, Oakville or Brampton and Toronto's Union Station in both directions. Passengers should consult with their local transit operator for schedules serving Oakville, Oshawa and Brampton.
Customers holding bookings for travel during these dates may opt for a full refund or change of reservation for travel that commences no later than August 31, 2010, with no service charges, provided their original reservation has been cancelled or modified prior to the scheduled departure time of their train. Travellers who wish to take advantage of these options should visit viarail.ca for complete conditions and procedures.
VIA is encouraging customers who wish to change or cancel their reservation to advise VIA by June 22. Please note that tickets become non-refundable and non-exchangeable after the scheduled departure time of the train.
Any modifications to schedules or updates to information on suburban operations will be posted at viarail.ca. and available as of June 4 (p.m.) Reservations and information are also available by calling VIA toll-free, at 1 888 VIA-RAIL (842-7245) or 1 800 268-9503 (TTY for the hearing impaired).
VIA offers significant discounts on reservations for the next three days
Montreal – VIA Rail Canada has announced that, following the two-day strike which paralyzed the national passenger rail network, it will offer significant discounts on bookings over the next three days.
Starting today, all customers making reservations for trips to take place between July 26, 2009 and December 14, 2009 will receive a 60% discount on adult regular fares in Economy Class (all routes) and in Business Class (Windsor-Quebec City corridor). In order to be eligible for this discount, tickets must be purchased no later than 11:59PM (Pacific Time) on Wednesday, July 29, 2009.
MONTREAL - VIA Rail Canada has announced that its representatives are currently negotiating with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference union, which represents some 340 locomotive engineers. Earlier today, the union gave notice to the Corporation of its intent to go on strike on Friday, July 24, 2009 at noon Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).
A federal mediator has been appointed to assist the parties in the negotiation process.
VIA remains hopeful that an agreement will be reached before the set deadline. Unfortunately though, VIA has no choice but to begin to cancel certain departures of long-distance trains to ensure that passengers will not be stranded en-route in the event of a strike. In general, VIA will ensure that passengers departing prior to noon (EDT) this Friday are transported to destination, either by train or by alternate means.
After noon EDT this Friday, all VIA trains will be cancelled, until a settlement is reached. No alternate transportation will be provided. Trains on the Sudbury-White River and Victoria-Courtenay routes will remain in service, as they are operated by third parties on VIA’s behalf.
Customers with individual inquiries concerning their travel plans are urged to visit viarail.ca, where information, including specific affected trains and any exceptions, will be updated regularly. Customers may also contact VIA at 888 VIA-RAIL (842-7245) or 800 268-9503 (hearing impaired).
VIA sincerely regrets any inconvenience that this situation may cause its customers.
