The Canadian resumes transcontinental schedule
Written by David Thomas, Canadian Contributing EditorSomewhere near the photo-worn steel trestle at Miniota, Manitoba, Via Rail’s eastbound and westbound Canadians will meet Sunday, April 12, 2015 for the first time since a pair of mid-winter oil train explosions closed CN’s transcontinental main line through northern Ontario.
Via suspended The Canadian between Winnipeg and Toronto March 11 as CN struggled to repair track and bridgeworks near the Ojibway village of Gogama. With the line reopened, Via announced that the last remaining North American stainless-steel streamliner would resume normal service, with the eastbound Canadian leaving Vancouver’s Pacific Central Station March 10, and its westbound sibling from Union Station, Toronto, a day later.
The twice-weekly winter schedule will be in effect until May 1 when a third consist will be added each way to accommodate the train’s summer clientele of domestic and international tourists.
“CN has improved the situation to the point where we feel confident that we can provide good performance for our customers,” said Via spokesman Maxime Dupont-Demers.
Even before the oil train mishaps, Via struggled to honor schedules as the shorter Canadian was forced to step aside for CN’s fast freights, which routinely exceed the lengths of available sidings.
