‘Surprised and disappointed’: Eastern Ontario politicians concerned Via Rail’s nonstop Montreal-Toronto service will skip local stops

Changes to Via Rail’s service see fewer travel options in eastern Ontario, causing concern among some regular passengers. CTV’s Kimberley Johnson reports.

Travellers and politicians are raising concerns about Via Rail’s plan to introduce nonstop service on some trains between Montréal–Toronto, skipping stops in eastern Ontario.

Starting Monday, Sept. 29, Via Rail will launch a three-month direct service pilot project on select trains between Montréal–Toronto to test demand for faster travel between the two major centres.

As part of the pilot project, Via Rail trains 60, 61, 68 and 69 will not stop in Cornwall, Brockville, Kingston and Belleville while travelling through eastern Ontario between Montréal and Toronto.

“They call it a pilot project. We should be concerned it could get worse and need to speak up about these cuts,” Brockville Mayor Matt Wren said on Facebook.

Wren says there will now only be one train a day to travel from Brockville to Montreal departing at 3 p.m., and “perhaps even worse, only one train a day departing Montreal at 8:30 a.m. that will stop to let you off in Brockville.”

MP Michael Barrett says there will be a bipartisan effort in Ottawa to “consider all options and discuss a plan to address Via Rail’s cuts.”

“VIA Rail’s decision to cut train services is unacceptable. Residents in our community, as well as those in other rural regions and along a major corridor in eastern Ontario, will be underserved,” Barrett said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa.

Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes MPP Steve Clark said he was “surprised and disappointed that Via Rail announced service cuts without consulting affected communities.”

“This decision directly impacts eastern Ontario, where many rely on this service for work, health care, education and for family,” Clark said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa.

“I have been in contact with MP Barrett to express my support for his bipartisan efforts to reverse the surprise service reduction from Via Rail. I strongly believe MPPs of all political stripes should support their federal colleagues.”

Via Rail passengers expressed disappointment with the service changes on Friday.

“I wish they wouldn’t,” Jill Clarke said, adding she commutes from Kingston to Toronto once a week for work.

“I think that the train is something we should encourage people to use. It’s an environmentally friendly option for people, keeps cars off the road. This particular train, that I am missing, is inconvenient for me if they do get rid of it because it means I have to get up very early in the morning to get to Toronto.”

St. Lawrence College student Renata Kopiac relies on Via Rail to travel home to Mississauga.

“I know a lot of students either at Queen’s or St. Lawrence are either from Toronto or Montreal. Those are just the big hubs, big cities,” Kopiac said.

“So it’s devastating, I think, to even the community here that they’re not going to be able to have as much access to these big cities.”

Kopiac is worried it will be more expensive to travel home for Thanksgiving.

“Obviously, it’s going to impact students and their ability to get places. I wouldn’t be surprised if some students had chosen to stay in Kingston, instead of going home if the prices did go up as a result of the decreased trains going through Kingston,” Kopiac said.

Via Rail said the non-stop direct service pilot project will run from Sept. 29 to Dec. 20/21.

“While ensuring that all communities continue to have access to Via Rail services on other trains, the direct trains will test passenger demand for faster, more efficient travel from downtown to downtown between Montréal and Toronto,” Via Rail said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa on Sept. 17.

“By testing faster travel times between the two largest cities in Canada, we hope to cement the train as the smarter choice over air and car travel.”

Here is a look at the train schedule for the trains involved in the pilot project, starting Sept. 29:

• Train 61 Montréal to Toronto : Depart Montréal at 6:45 a.m. (Train will no longer stop in Dorval, Cornwall, Kingston, Belleville, Oshawa, Guildwood)
• Train 69 Montréal to Toronto: Depart Montréal at 4:39 p.m. (Train will no longer stop in Cornwall, Brockville, Kingston, Oshawa, Guildwood).
• Train 60 Toronto to Montréal: Depart Toronto at 6:32 a.m. (Train will no longer stop in Oshawa, Cobourg, Belleville, Kingston, Cornwall, Dorval)
• Train 68 Toronto to Montréal: Depart Toronto at 5:08 p.m. (Train will no longer stop in Oshawa, Cobourg, Belleville, Kingston, Brockville, Cornwall, Dorval)

VIA Rail says the nonstop trains may arrive 30 to 40 minutes earlier at their destination than previously scheduled.

According to Via Rail’s schedule, there will be four trains a day travelling between Kingston and Montreal.

Train 50 to Ottawa

Starting Sept. 29, VIA Rail train 50 from Toronto to Ottawa will not stop in Belleville and Kingston.

According to VIA Rail, there will be “reduced station stops on route” and trains could arrive 30 to 40 minutes earlier than scheduled.

Under the current schedule, train 50 stops in Kingston at 9:02 a.m.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Kimberley Johnson