Restore VIA Rail Lower St. Lawrence
Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to require VIA Rail to restore daily, reliable and accessible passenger service in the Lower St. Lawrence, revise station schedules to reasonable daytime hours, and improve punctuality and reliability.
Why we would sign this petition
- Restoring daily service would increase access for Lower St. Lawrence residents who now face limited overnight stops.
- Daytime schedules and better punctuality would make rail a more viable alternative to cars, supporting emission‑reduction and sustainable transit goals.
- A clear commitment to reliability could boost ridership and reconnect communities to intercity networks.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Passenger operations mainly on freight-owned tracks may make daily daytime service and punctuality difficult or costly to achieve.
- Past service reductions and noted ridership declines suggest demand might not support full daily restoration without further evidence or investment.
- Alternatives like improved bus links or targeted schedule changes could be more practical or cost‑effective than restoring full daily service.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to the Government of Canada VIA Rail is a federal Crown corporation funded by the Government of Canada and mandated to provide passenger rail service across the country; The federal government invested $1.337 billion in VIA Rail in 2025 for its long-distance fleet; There was daily passenger service for many years between Montreal and Halifax, serving several communities in the Lower St. Lawrence; In 2012, the frequency of this rail service was reduced from six round trips per week to three; Between 2012 and 2016, service revenues declined by 27.2% and ridership by 40.8%, demonstrating the negative impact of reduced service frequency on usage; Passenger trains currently pass through the Lower St. Lawrence overnight, limiting access to rail transportation for many residents; Passenger rail service operates primarily on tracks owned by freight railway companies, such as the Canadian National Railway (CN), which constrains the ability to provide frequent, reliable and punctual passenger rail service; and The shift of passengers to automobiles runs counter to Canada’s objectives of cutting greenhouse gas emissions and promoting sustainable public transit. We, the undersigned, citizens of Quebec, call upon the Government of Canada to take the necessary steps to ensure that VIA Rail commits to: 1. Restoring daily, reliable and accessible passenger rail service in the Lower St. Lawrence; 2. Adjusting the schedules at stations in the Lower St. Lawrence so that stops occur at reasonable hours for the public; and 3. Implementing measures to improve the punctuality and reliability of passenger rail service.
Government response
No government response is available yet.