Temporary Modified Schedule for VIA Rail Train Service Between Montréal and Senneterre and Montréal and Jonquière on July 24 and 26, 2020

MONTRÉAL, July 23, 2020 /CNW Telbec/ - Due to operational constraints imposed on the infrastructure by CN, the owner, concerning the reduced speed of trains running during the day, VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) will run only in the evening and at night in order to be able to have an adequate travel time for its passengers and employees.

Unfortunately, VIA Rail therefore needs to temporarily modifies the schedule of certain services as follows:

Friday, July 24
Trains 601 and 603 to Jonquière and Senneterre will leave Montréal at 5:15 p.m.
Subsequent stops for this service will therefore be delayed by 9 hours.

Sunday, July 26
Train 606 will leave Senneterre at 10 p.m.
Subsequent stops of this service will therefore be delayed by 13 hours 15 minutes.

Train 602 will leave Jonquière at 12:30 a.m.
Subsequent stops for this service will therefore be delayed by 13 hours 20 minutes.

We are sorry for any inconvenience this situation beyond our control may cause and will reassess the for the next weeks according to the orders in place, as we continue to work with the infrastructure's owner to minimize the impacts on our passengers.

VIA Rail will contact all passengers whose reservations are affected by this new schedule.

Alternatively, customers may contact the VIA Customer Centre by email at service@viarail.ca or by phone at 1-888-VIA-RAIL (1-888-842-7245), TTY 1-800-268-9503 (hearing impaired). Due to the current situation related to COVID-19, the VIA Customer Centre is open daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and it may take some time to speak with an agent due to a reduction in staff.

REMINDER 

Wearing a mask is required at all times in our stations and on board VIA Rail trains.

Wearing a mask over the nose and mouth is one more way we can protect one another and will help us safeguard the travel experience of our customers and employees. As we start to ramp up service levels in response to the growth in demand, all enhanced health safety measures introduced during the pandemic will be maintained, including enhanced cleaning, pre-boarding screening of travellers, modified onboard services, and reduced capacity in each car to allow for greater physical distancing and minimize the risks.

VIA Rail continues to adjust its operations and deploys a strict protocol of sanitary measures on board its trains, in its stations, maintenance centres and call centres in response to the pandemic and in order to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

Furthermore, we constantly remind our passengers and employees of the importance of following the recommendations of public health authorities, to avoid non-essential travel, practice physical distancing as much as possible, and to rigorously follow good hygiene practices (wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, cough or sneeze into a tissue or the bend of their arm, avoid touching their eyes, nose or mouth without first washing their hands).

Passengers will be denied boarding our trains if they are experiencing symptoms similar to a cold or flu (fever, cough, difficulty breathing) or if they have been denied boarding for travel in the last 14 days due to medical reasons related to COVID-19.

We continue to monitor the developments of COVID-19 and we remain in close contact with public health agencies and the federal and provincial governments.

The most recent updates are available on our website.  

About VIA Rail

As Canada's national rail passenger service, VIA Rail (viarail.ca) and all its 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 about 180 more communities through intermodal partnerships, and safely transported over 5 million passengers in 2019. The Corporation has been awarded five Safety Awards and three Environment Awards by the Railway Association of Canada since 2007. Visit the "About VIA Rail" section at https://www.viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail.

VIA RAIL CANADA WILL BE PUBLISHING REGULAR MEDIA UPDATES TO KEEP ITS CUSTOMERS AS WELL AS THE GENERAL PUBLIC INFORMED ABOUT ITS RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. PLEASE VISIT OUR MEDIA CENTRE TO GET THE LATEST INFORMATION. 

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SOURCE VIA Rail Canada Inc.