Canadian Railroads > Protest disrupting VIA between Toronto - Montreal/Ottawa

I offer this information without any comment.

The protest started Thursday. This is one of many Tweets VIA made in response to passengers stranded on trains:"Hello, unfortunately no alternative transportation is available. Passengers will be returned to their point of origin, or may leave the train at an earlier station. Everyone will receive a full refund to be processed immediately"
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This notice appears on VIA's home page this morning:
https://www.viarail.ca/webstatic/dist/generic/svg/icons/alert_icon.svg Travel AdvisoryFriday, February 7, 2020:Due to the protesters currently blocking tracks near Belleville, Ontario, train service between Montreal and Toronto and between Ottawa and Toronto could therefore be interrupted in both directions on Friday, February 7, 2020. We are asking passengers to check viarail.ca for departures and arrivals updates. 

• Trains 41 and 651 will be cancelled on Friday, February 7, 2020.
• Train 61 will leave Montreal at 8:55 am with train 63. Please consult Arrivals & Departures of train 63 for updates.
• While all other trains between Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto are prepared to leave on schedule should we achieve line clearance, your departure may be delayed or may not operate due to circumstances beyond our control. Please stay tuned for further updates or visit our website at viarail.ca
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https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/tyendinaga-wetsuweten-train-blockage-1.5455123

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/07/20 06:17 by DrawingroomA.

"Passengers will be returned to their point of origin, or may leave the train at an earlier station. Everyone will receive a full refund to be processed immediately" 
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Come fly with me, come fly, let's fly away!

not taking sides, but, what are the protests about? anything related to the railroads or are the protesters on the tracks and causing issues?

From a CN Customer Advisory received at 12:22 ET:

"We would like to inform you that in Tyendinaga, near Belleville (Ontario), a protest on CN railway lines has caused train movements to stop. A public statement from the individuals blocking the lines explained that the protest is in solidarity with the pipeline opposition movement. This is unrelated to CN's activities. 

The tracks have been closed since approximately 5 p.m. local time on Thursday, February 6, impacting mainline train movements between Toronto, ON and Montreal, QC. We are monitoring the situation closely.

We thank you for your patience while we work to address the situation.  

Should you require any immediate assistance or further information please contact your Account Manager or Customer Service Representative..."

Both KCSM and FXE lines in Mexico (usually in the states of Michoacan and Guanajuato, but have also happened elsewhere) are blocked from time to time by protests; but I do not know what the issues are behind those protests.

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/07/20 11:45 by zars.

National Post has some background.  Briefly, members of the Mohawk people are staging an action in support of First Nations people in northern British Columbia who object to a pipeline on their ancestral lands.

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/train-travel-between-toronto-montreal-and-ottawa-halted-by-protest-supporting-wetsuweten-anti-pipeline-activists

Streamliner Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "Passengers will be returned to their point of
> origin, or may leave the train at an earlier
> station. Everyone will receive a full refund to be
> processed immediately" 
> * * * * * * *
>
> Come fly with me, come fly, let's fly away!

Toronto has had moderate snow and Montreal has had a huge amount. Flying isn't a very good option today.  This is Air Canada's status for the first half of the day for flights from Toronto to Montreal :

AC8830  Scheduled - 00:30 Cancelled
#480  Scheduled - 06:20 Cancelled
 #400  Scheduled - 07:00 Cancelled
 #402  Scheduled - 08:00  Estimated - 08:22 Delayed  Arrived at Gate  Estimated - 09:53 Delayed
 #404  Scheduled - 09:00   Estimated - 09:23 Delayed   Arrived at Gate  Scheduled - 10:15  Estimated - 11:25 Delayed
 #406  Scheduled - 10:00   Cancelled
 # 408  Scheduled - 11:00   Estimated - 11:12  Arrived at gate - 12:50 Delayed
#410   Schedule 12:00  Estimated - 13:24 Delayed   Arrived at Gate  Scheduled - 13:15  Estimated - 15:09 Delayed
 #412  Scheduled - 13:00  Cancelled
 # 414  Scheduled - 14:00  Cancelled 
#416  Scheduled - 15:00  Cancelled



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/07/20 13:57 by DrawingroomA.

Also as stated, I am not taking sides and everyone has their "freedoms"........ but I find it interesting that protestors can still effectively halt corridor trains in Canada - be it on the Corridor or even on the line to Halifax (as has been done too). The blockage of rail lines by protestors in Canada seems to get people's attention (let alone the media) despite a smaller network and frequency plan than even Amtrak operates. Just an observation, not one to judge or take sides in a country that I am not even a citizen of. Certainly a delight to visit Canada though and enjoy all that it has to offer, especially Nova Scotia and British Columbia!

I will take sides here.  The frustrating part of these protests is that the band's counceil involved voted FOR the pipeline and only heriditary chiefs  of the band disagreed and have taken it to supreme court twice and been turned down . . . . so now all the protests start and inconvenience the public dramatically.  And now there has also been acts of sabotage overnight at the site.  The project has received approval from 20 Indigenous nations along the pipeline. 

spcascade

spdaylight Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I will take sides here.  The frustrating part of
> these protests is that the band's counceil
> involved voted FOR the pipeline and only
> heriditary chiefs  of the band disagreed and have
> taken it to supreme court twice and been turned
> down . . . . so now all the protests start and
> inconvenience the public dramatically.  And now
> there has also been acts of sabotage overnight at
> the site.  The project has received approval from
> 20 Indigenous nations along the pipeline. 
>
> spcascade

But - out of curiousity - why the blocking of rail lines for the protest? I know that this sometimes spills over the the adjacent highway with bonfires (or has in the past)..... Yes, disrupt ground transportation, make a statement. Just not sure if that becomes the best "venue" - for lack of better term - to make a protest. VIA has a very limited passenger rail network. 

jp1822 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> spdaylight Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I will take sides here.  The frustrating part
> of
> > these protests is that the band's counceil
> > involved voted FOR the pipeline and only
> > heriditary chiefs  of the band disagreed and
> have
> > taken it to supreme court twice and been turned
> > down . . . . so now all the protests start and
> > inconvenience the public dramatically.  And
> now
> > there has also been acts of sabotage overnight
> at
> > the site.  The project has received approval
> from
> > 20 Indigenous nations along the pipeline. 
> >
> > spcascade
>
> But - out of curiousity - why the blocking of rail
> lines for the protest? I know that this sometimes
> spills over the the adjacent highway with bonfires
> (or has in the past)..... Yes, disrupt ground
> transportation, make a statement. Just not sure if
> that becomes the best "venue" - for lack of better
> term - to make a protest. VIA has a very limited
> passenger rail network. 

They blocked access to part of the Port of Vancouver yesterday too.
They figure blocking transportation will get our attention.

spdaylight Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I will take sides here.  The frustrating part of
> these protests is that the band's counceil
> involved voted FOR the pipeline and only
> heriditary chiefs  of the band disagreed and have
> taken it to supreme court twice and been turned
> down . . . . so now all the protests start and
> inconvenience the public dramatically.  And now
> there has also been acts of sabotage overnight at
> the site.  The project has received approval from
> 20 Indigenous nations along the pipeline. 
>
> spcascade

I don't see this as taking sides. It is merely stating facts, which have occasionally been mentioned by some media. The CBC did so yesterday. The Toronto Star did not tell the whole story, and gave a rather false impression.

CN obtained an injunction Friday which was served on the protesters Saturday. It has not been obeyed and there is another full day of VIA cancellations today. Obtaining a court injunction is the easy part. Getting it enforced is the tricky part.

Belleville is west of Kingston. I don't get it. Why can't they run Montreal - Kingston via both Cornwall and Ottawa ?