Via Rail says trips in Ontario, Quebec may take longer after CN rule change

CN last Friday said Via's recently arrived Siemens trainsets running between Montreal and Windsor, Ont., must lower their speed at public crossings.

Passengers riding on Via Rail’s most heavily travelled corridor may endure a slower trip after Canadian National Railway Co. imposed restrictions on Via’s new trains.

CN last Friday said Via’s recently arrived Siemens trainsets running between Montreal and Windsor, Ont., must lower their speed at public crossings.

The rule — previously in effect only at certain crossings between Montreal and Quebec City — is causing delays of about 30 minutes per train on average, Via said.

The requirement came “without prior notice” on the eve of the high-volume Thanksgiving long weekend, said spokesman Karl Helou in an emailed statement.

No incidents at level crossings have been reported since the 16 Venture trains now in operation first hit the rails two years ago, he said.

CN, which owns most of the tracks used by Via in Central Canada, says it made the decision when it learned the new trains were traversing routes they had previously steered clear of.

However, an Aug. 26 CN bulletin obtained by The Canadian Press shows that the company was aware Venture trainsets were already running in Ontario.

The new trains have been shuttling between Montreal and Ottawa since November 2022 and between Montreal and Toronto since last October, all “with CN’s collaboration and approval” and no new requirements imposed, Helou said.