Pop quiz: What do matchmaking websites, slot machines and Canadian passenger trains have in common?
There’s an element of chance any time you go to use one.
The deck is seriously stacked against those who rely on public transportation to get around Northern Ontario — especially when things don’t go as planned.
Ever wait an extra 12 hours for your train to arrive?
Have you had to cancel your tickets because making a connection was no longer possible?
These are just some of the predicaments Northerners face when traveling with VIA Rail Canada.
Sure, the company has no control over weather incidents, road-based collisions or traffic congestion on railways it operates on.
However unlike airlines, which follow passenger protection regulations, there’s little keeping VIA Rail accountable to its customers.
Late train credits were eliminated outside of the Québec-Windsor corridor, so there’s no real incentive to make improvements.
The so-called “schedule” aboard The Canadian — a train that serves three dozen communities in Northern Ontario—is as dependable as an umbrella in a hurricane.
During lengthy service delays, VIA Rail puts passengers in an impossible position.
On one hand, they recommend to plan accordingly. This includes arriving before the estimated departure time and not arranging connecting transportation on the day of arrival.
Yet in the same breath, they caution arrival and departure times are for information purposes only, are not guaranteed, and are subject to change without notice. They add the train may catch up and depart from the affected station on time.
Be prepared to wait outdoors if you’re boarding The Canadian or the Sudbury-White River train.
Warm shelters that once provided refuge for passengers during cold winter months have all but disappeared in most northern communities with permanent populations.
It doesn’t help that VIA Rail’s website contains conflicting information regarding which stops — Chelmsford, Hornepayne, Parry Sound, Sioux Lookout and White River — actually have waiting facilities.
Heaven forbid your train gets cancelled, because the company won’t provide alternate transportation either.
I recently experienced first-hand the stresses of changing travel plans last minute.
The only bus leaving Thunder Bay was delayed 90 minutes, which meant missing my morning VIA Rail connection in White River.
The next scheduled train wasn’t for another three days, so I booked a ticket to Sudbury aboard The Canadian instead.
It was about two hours tardy when my ride dropped me off in Longlac.
However as temperatures dropped and the estimated time of arrival increased, I realized it wasn’t going to be safe waiting outside.
Explaining my situation over the phone to the customer service department was an exercise in futility.
Not only was I told nothing could be done for me (not even a motel room reimbursement), but that I should have considered other options when planning a trip where there’s no station.
Ironic, coming from a taxpayer-funded corporation — mandated to provide safe, secure, efficient, and reliable rail service that meets the needs of travelers — which years ago closed the said building.
Public speaker Enrique Rubio says: “Punctuality is a powerful way to show respect for others. And a by-product of punctuality is your reputation.”
By the time I boarded at 2:25 am, The Canadian was half a day late…
With so many barriers, VIA Rail is arbitrarily denying Northerners access to public transportation.
People often ask me: Éric, what’s the big deal? Just drive or take the bus. Fly!
Highways 11 & 17 are mostly single-lane, have limited cellular service, and next to no detours over a distance of 1,700 km.
Politicians and bureaucrats don’t realize how challenging it is to navigate through snowstorms, face oncoming transport trucks, and avoid encounters with wildlife and black ice.
Flying within the region is also unaffordable.
The province says air service in the North has reduced greatly and may never return to pre-COVID service levels.
Whoever forms the next federal government should recognize that passenger trains help bind small and large Canadian communities together.
To do it right, VIA Rail needs legislation to ensure it has priority on all the tracks it runs on.
Rail travelers deserve the same protections as air passengers from undue hardship caused by lengthy delays.
Éric Boutilier is a columnist for Northern Tracks, a self-published blog related to intercity transportation in Northern Ontario.
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Merci, Éric. Your caring and watchdogging of the next-to-impossible practicality of public transit North is appreciated. I can say from experience that standing in the cold October wind at the tracks (no shelter) in Longlac takes a certain effort that is not going to be found in competition with the private automobile. Still going to seek out the train, but I don’t have to count on it for work, appointments or family. Hoping for better. Make rail travel great again!