VIA Rail renews its partnership with Jour de la Terre for a 10th year

MONTRÉAL, April 4, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - For the 10^th consecutive year, VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) has renewed its partnership with Jour de la Terre Québec, and will be participating in its Urban Banquet benefit on April 6. This partnership is part of the Corporation's commitment to address climate change in Canada and to contribute to a more sustainable future for generations to come.

"VIA Rail's vision is to provide an alternative to cars, supporting the transition that we should all make to a more sustainable transportation system," said Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, President and Chief Executive Officer of VIA Rail. "We applaud the Jour de la Terre leadership for their ability to engage stakeholders and implement tangible initiatives that have a real impact on the environment. VIA Rail is committed to implementing concrete, affordable and accessible solutions that encourage travellers to leave their cars at home. Our inter-modal partnership strategy is a great example of this, as it has helped increase ridership by providing passengers with a simplified and integrated travel experience that makes taking the train even easier. As the greenest mode of transportation, VIA Rail aims to be Canadians' preferred choice for inter-city travel."

On April 6, Jour de la Terre will hold its traditional Urban Banquet to raise funds for the 375,000 trees program. Over the years, the funds collected by Jour de la Terre have also financed Jour de la Terre's environmental activities, like tree planting or workshops for citizens.

Reduce our impact on the environment
As a member of the International Union of Railways, VIA Rail made important progress in 2016 on the global commitments made at the COP 21 conference in November 2015 to reduce its carbon footprint and support the shift towards more sustainable transportation. The company has already reduced its energy consumption by 38% and its greenhouse gas emissions by 39% compared to 1990, putting it on track to achieve its respective targets of 40% by 2030 and 50% by 2050. VIA Rail's proposed High Frequency Rail project has the potential to triple ridership in the Québec City – Windsor corridor, which could eliminate the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to removing 2.3 million cars from the road for a year.

As part of its environmental policy, VIA Rail has established an ISO 14001 Environmental Management System (EMS) to provide the framework for tracking, evaluating and communicating its environmental performance. In 2016, the company successfully maintained its ISO 14001 EMS certification at three maintenance centres in Montréal, Toronto and Winnipeg.

About VIA Rail Canada
As Canada's national rail passenger service, VIA Rail (viarail.ca) and its 2,600 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 many more communities through intermodal partnerships, and safely transports nearly four million passengers annually. The Corporation was awarded seven Safety Awards by the Railway Association of Canada over the last eight years. For more information, visit: www.viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail.

Stay connected with VIA Rail
Twitter VIA_Rail
Facebook viarailcanada
Instagram @viarailcanada
VIA: The Blog

SOURCE VIA Rail Canada Inc.