July 31, 2015 – Ottawa – Transport Canada
The Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport, and Mr. Yves Desjardins-Siciliano,President and Chief Executive Officer of VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail), announced today a significant investment to increase the safety and efficiency of VIA Rail’s Ottawa-Montreal rail corridor for travelers.
The Government of Canada is investing $102 million over a two-year period to support several infrastructure projects. These projects aim to increase the reliability of the service by reducing delays for users while at the same time improving the safety and accessibility of VIA Rail’s Ottawa-Montreal corridor service.
“Thanks to this new funding, VIA Rail will be able to provide a safer, more reliable and comfortable service between Ottawa and Montreal through upgraded infrastructure and enhanced facilities at our Ottawa station. In addition, we are pleased to be able to add four frequencies (2 return trips) between the two cities in 2017 as a result of the Government of Canada’s investment.”
Yves Desjardins-Siciliano
President and Chief Executive Officer, VIA Rail Canada
Zach Segal
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Lisa Raitt
Minister of Transport, Ottawa
613-991-0700
Media Relations
Transport Canada, Ottawa
613-993-0055
Maxime Dupont-Demers
Senior Advisor, Corporate Communications
VIA Rail Canada
514-871-6137
maxime_dupont-demers@viarail.ca
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As Canada's national rail passenger service, VIA Rail Canada (viarail.ca) and its 2,500 employees are mandated to provide safe, efficient and economical passenger transportation service, in both official languages of our country. VIA Rail operates intercity, regional and transcontinental trains linking over 400 communities across Canada, and safely transports nearly four million passengers annually. The Corporation was awarded seven Safety Awards by the Railway Association of Canada over the last eight years, and was the recipient of the 2012 Agent's Choice Award voted by Canadian travel agents and presented by Baxter Travel Media. Since 2007, the Government of Canada has invested almost a billion dollars in VIA Rail. About VIA Rail: www.viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail
