Via Rail on-time performance plunges in Canada [Video]

Via Rail’s on-time performance hit new lows in recent months, internal documents show, a decline the Crown corporation blames largely on Canadian National Railway Co.

Files obtained through an access to information request show that Via trains, which run mostly on CN tracks, arrived late along its Windsor-Quebec City corridor 80 per cent of the time in February and two-thirds in January.

That’s a significant leap from late-arrival numbers below 30 per cent during the same two months last year.

In court filings in November, Via said that recently imposed speed restrictions on its Venture passenger trains were causing delays along its busiest corridor, affecting thousands of passengers daily. It is seeking an injunction to have the restrictions lifted.

CN responded that it implemented the …