Transport minister asks for report, reforms after Via Rail passengers stranded

A Via Rail employee is seen taking a passenger's phone amid growing tensions during a 14-hour train delay between Montreal and Quebec City. (Credit: Rudy El Maghariki)

A tourist visiting Canada is questioning the safety of Via Rail after he says his phone was snatched from him by an employee when he was documenting a train delay that left passengers stranded as they ran out of food, water and working toilets.

Canada's transport minister has now asked Via Rail to provide an independent report, improve training and review procedures following the train delay over the weekend.

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Chip Malt was in Quebec over the long weekend to celebrate his father's 70th birthday in the province's capital, and said he boarded a Via Rail train from Montreal to Quebec City on Saturday.

But the expected three-hour ride ended up being a nearly 14-hour journey after passengers were stranded for 10 hours in the "middle of nowhere" following two train breakdowns, said Malt.

He said people were trying to find train exits and were calling Ubers, taxis and car services to get them out but they were so secluded they "were without options."

"It's my first experience on Via Rail, and will probably be my last experience on Via Rail," he said Monday in an interview from his home in Austin, Texas.

"It was like being in prison."

Canada's Transport Minister spoke with Via Rail executives on Tuesday "to tell them the way passengers were treated on Saturday was unacceptable," said Laurent de Casanove, spokesperson to the minister.

"To make sure this doesn’t happen again, VIA Rail has been asked to provide an independent report on what happened, improve training for their employees, and review their breakdown procedures," he said.

That includes keeping passengers "better informed" and making sure they have access to basic services and other options to reach their destination quickly if there’s a long delay.

"Canadians deserve to have reliable passenger rail that meets their needs," Rodriguez's office said.

On Sunday Via Rail issued a statement apologizing for the "inconvenience" to passengers. It confirmed they were stuck for 10 hours on Saturday when a train broke down between Montreal and Quebec City after experiencing two consecutive mechanical issues.

The company said no buses were available in the region to offer alternative transportation. Electricity, air conditioning and washrooms were shut down at times to allow for repairs and coupling with another train, the company said.

"We are committed to providing exceptional customer service and ensuring that all passengers are treated with respect and dignity," the company said.

Malt said snacks were delivered one hour and three hours into the train delay, but they eventually ran out of food and water.

"They came around with a jug of water and they're like 'Is anyone dehydrated? This is the last of our water.'"

At that point the washroom also broke, he said.

Around the eight-hour mark people were standing to stretch their legs, including Malt, who said he was giving his wife space because she was forced to do a scheduled job interview on the train.

Malt said that's when an employee "barged in" and "pushed a woman into the wall" as he went by demanding people to take their seats.

"He started screaming at this lady and that's when people started to film, including myself, and I was standing right next to him," he said. "As soon as he saw that I was filming he leaned over and snatched my phone."

Via Rail said it is investigating the exchange, and appropriate measures will be taken following a review.

With water gone, Malt said staff gave people beer and vodka. He said staff also tried to get passengers to participate in yoga breaths to get them to relax, which ended up frustrating the passengers.

At one point some of the passengers, including Malt, considered breaking windows to escape. But he said they were surrounded by a construction zone so even if they did get off the train they would have had to scale fences and cross concrete and tar just to get to a side of a highway, he said.

Malt said staff provided no information about why the train broke down or who was coming to help, and he said they kept repeating the same statement that they had "no further information at this time."

In a statement Monday, Via Rail vehemently denied giving people alcohol. It also insisted it provided updates every 30 minutes to passengers "even if the update was only to let people know there was no change to the situation or that the repairs continued."

"This is unfortunately often perceived as 'no updates,'" the company said Monday.

Via Rail eventually positioned another passenger train next to theirs on a parallel track. The fire department was called in to help passengers leap from one train to the other, Malt said, and pizza was brought in.

But because the second train had passengers on it, many people had to stand as the train finally reached Quebec City.

Malt said his American family eventually got to celebrate his dad's 70th birthday, and that Quebec City lives up to the hype.

But he noted many of the passengers on the train pointed out it was brand new, and he questions their safety based on his experience.

He also said the company is supposed to be trained to deal with delays, but it was the staff who was "aggressive and causing problems."

"We no longer felt safe on the train anymore," he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2024.