Canadian Railroads > VIA is restricting bookings for all trains.

This notice appears on VIA's home page:"Important Advisory - Please note that it is currently not possible to make a booking to travel before February 18."

 This applies even on routes that have so far been operating without problems, such as Toronto - London/Windsor, Montreal-Québec and Montreal - Halifax. All trains are still listed on Reservia but everything is marked sold out.

CN is shutting down all VIA trains on its lines

Does not apply to CP between White River and Sudbury
Or the Hudson Bay Railway between The Pas and Churchill

https://media.viarail.ca/en/press-releases/2020/rail-cancels-most-its-services



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/13/20 17:08 by Marcus.

That is totally nuts! I feel bad for any travellers, let alone any tourists! Their train is to pull into the next station and unload passengers! That's quite a task to do even in the corridor!

Will the Sudbury-White River Service still run?

I am also surprised that CN hasn't pulled this card before on VIA........

EDIT - I think there were a few people travelling on VIA's Canadian from this forum this week too!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/13/20 14:50 by jp1822.

As reported in this earlier thread, pipeline protests have spread.  A blockade was set up west of Winnipeg yesterday, February 12.

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?15,4957310

This report from today says that the blockade has been removed but may be reinstated.

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/manitoba-rail-blockade-abandoned----for-now-567844542.html

According to Reservia, 2(10) has been sitting in Portage la Prairie since last night.

https://reservia.viarail.ca/tsi/GetTrainStatus.aspx?l=en&TsiCCode=VIA&TsiTrainNumber=2-&TrainInstanceDate=2020-02-13

jp1822 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That is totally nuts! I feel bad for any
> travellers, let alone any tourists! Their train is
> to pull into the next station and unload
> passengers! That's quite a task to do even in the
> corridor!
>
> Will the Sudbury-White River Service still run?
...
Yes it will.  VIA has changed their press release so the link above no longer works. This link does - as of now, anyway.

https://media.viarail.ca/en/press-releases/2020/rail-cancels-most-its-services
 

In Vancouver, West Coast Express cancelled all five homeward-bound commuter services on Thursday afternoon after protestors blocked the mainline at the east end of CP's Port Coquitlam Yard.

To do so, they would have had to climb an embankment (not difficult) beside a highway underpass beneath the tracks. News photos showed the two mainline tracks on the CP overpass blocked by protestors, but not a third track into the yard on a separate overpass.

I haven't seen any reports yet on how much CP freight traffic was affected. The blockade site would not have affected traffic already in the yard and headed westward to the south side of Vancouver's harbour.
 
 

Absolutely unreal. 

If you want to protest, fine, do a peaceful protest. But to block rail lines - businesses transporting goods and people - when I don't think they are even the targets, as was reported on another thread, this just seems wild!

What am I missing? 

And VIA will keep the Hudson Bay trains and the White River-Sudbury trains in service. Meanwhile, if you on the Ocean or Canadian - sorry, no trip for you, and the next stop is the end of the line. Wild! Trains #1 and #2 were approaching Winnipeg today, 2/13/2020. Does one take up residency in Winnipeg  and wait for VIA to re-instate service? If I was riding on any of these trains that had to "terminate at the next station" around 4 pm today, I'd not be a happy camper and probably not hold the protesters in a good light either. 

Agreed!  And what happened to those passengers finding their trips ending at WPG today??

jp1822 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> EDIT - I think there were a few people travelling
> on VIA's Canadian from this forum this week too!

My wife and I dodged a bullet as we rode #1 from Toronto to Winnipeg this past weekend.  We had heard of the protests and VIA cancellations east of Toronto last week and I suspected further such protests would infect the system.  Nevertheless, we boarded and ran a timely trip to Winnipeg and alighted the train on 2/10/20.  Fabulous trip.  When I get time, I suspect I'll upload a travelogue.  Most photos are on my phone - which I'll have to download to my PC for posting.  

Why does the Canadian government allow this to continue?  Give them fare warning. Then use force to remove, arrest, and hopefully jail time. That might make them think twice about staging such stunts again. 

Give them all work boots, hard hats and job application forms. They will soon move on.
Doug

andersonb109 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Why does the Canadian government allow this to
> continue?  Give them fare warning. Then use force
> to remove, arrest, and hopefully jail time. That
> might make them think twice about staging such
> stunts again. 

How in the Hudson Bay train getting in and out of Winnipeg, which is the CN, or aren't they ? 

Because that train is used by the local natives. They are not going to blockade a train they use and inconvenience themselves.
Doug

joemvcnj Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> How in the Hudson Bay train getting in and out of
> Winnipeg, which is the CN, or aren't they ? 

It is running because it is only running on the segment from The Pas to Churchill on Hudson Bay Railway, not CN.