VIA Rail's transcontinental service, The Canadian, is now the most heavily subsidized route in the network, costing taxpayers $1,015 per passenger in 2023, according to the company’s Corporate Plan for 2024-2028. Blacklock's Reporter says despite the significant investment, the iconic Vancouver-to-Toronto train continues to face persistent delays described by management as “at times unacceptable.”The train lost $62.6 million last year, and on-time performance issues remain unresolved. “It is important to note performance issues are outside of VIA Rail’s control,” the report stated, attributing delays to increased freight traffic on Canadian National’s (CN) single-track network. Longer freight trains and the removal of sidings have forced passenger trains to frequently wait for freight traffic, with no incentive for CN to prioritize VIA’s schedule.Management acknowledged that previous attempts to address delays, including extending schedules in 2009, 2018, and 2019, have been ineffective. “The current scheduled travel time is now significantly longer, almost 24 hours, than it was prior to these extensions,” the report noted, citing reduced efficiency, increased costs, and equipment strain as a result.VIA Rail’s aging fleet compounds the problem. “The average age of the VIA Rail rolling stock is 77 years, one of the oldest in the world,” the report revealed, far exceeding the industry norm of 30 to 40 years.System-wide, VIA trains arrive late about half the time, with an average on-time performance of 54%. VIA’s definition of “on time” includes arrivals within 15 minutes of schedule, a looser standard compared to other countries like Switzerland, where trains are considered late if they arrive more than 3 minutes behind schedule.Highlighting the challenges across the network, Access to Information records showed one commuter train between Brockville, Ont., and Ottawa ran late for 173 consecutive business days.VIA’s overall operating deficit reached $380.2 million last year and is projected to grow to $450 million by 2028. “The economic environment is applying upward pressure on VIA Rail’s operating expenses,” wrote management, underscoring the financial challenges facing Canada’s passenger rail service.
