Via Rail officials to be questioned by MPs about holiday travel delays  – National

Via Rail executives are set to address a federal committee Thursday about the delays that plagued travellers over the holidays.

Earlier this month, the Crown corporation apologized for the widespread delays passengers saw between Dec. 23 and 26 as a winter storm swept across Ontario and Quebec.

The railway has said that the derailment of a CN Rail freight train caused further delays to trains on its east-west corridor between Quebec City and Windsor, Ont.

Some passengers found themselves stranded on trains for upwards of 20 hours.

Via Rail apologized for not being more forthcoming with its customers about the situation and providing timely updates on delays.

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VIA Rail apologizing for travel delays over holiday season

Its executives are appearing at the committee as Opposition members of Parliament argue it’s time to extend the country’s air passenger protection regulations to cover travel by train.

Transport Minister Omar Alghabra appeared at the committee earlier this month and vowed to toughen up existing rules, which critics argue lack the teeth to hold companies accountable for compensating air passengers.

But in a statement provided to The Canadian Press, Alghabra’s office did not address whether the minister supports calls to expand the existing passenger protection regime to cover those travelling by rail.

“The situation with Via Rail over the holiday season was unacceptable. Passengers deserve to be communicated with, especially during the unprecedented weather conditions Canadians were experiencing,” spokeswoman Nadine Ramadan said in an email.