A travel warning on Via Rail’s website now claims that all trains between Toronto-Ottawa and Toronto-Montreal were canceled on December 25.
Earlier today, Canadian Transport Minister Omar Al-Ghabra expressed his disappointment with the rail system, calling the delays “unacceptable.” Hundreds of Via Rail commuters traveling between Ontario and Quebec their shared stories were stranded on numerous trains between Friday and Saturday evening after a fierce winter storm.
Via Rail issued a statement saying that nine trains are operating between Quebec City and Windsor, Ontario. trapped.
One of those locomotives, Train 55, hit a fallen tree, forcing it to come to a complete stop. After more than 17 hours, the passengers had to be rescued by emergency responders who helped them onto another train.
Via Rail added that seven more trains were completely canceled on Saturday morning.
“From power outages, to trees on the tracks, to even a tree falling onto a locomotive, the conditions make it impossible to move some of our trains,” Via Rail said in a statement. “Our priority is the safety of our passengers, and even though our trains are stuck, they are able to keep passengers warm and safe while they are on board.”
Many passengers took to social media to vent their anger, with passengers of one train – Train 54 – stating that they had been stuck on board without food or water for 20 hours.
“Throughout the night, our efforts were focused on keeping our customers as comfortable as possible in the current conditions and getting them to their final destinations as quickly and safely as possible, while making every effort to find workarounds to get to the trains that were immobilized,” said Via Real.
“We continue to work with our teams and the infrastructure owner to either get these trains moving as quickly as possible, or get them to their final destination with new equipment.”
While some passengers have been rescued from their trains, others are still on board, waiting to reach their destinations.
The position comes after a severe storm Putting an end to many Canadians’ vacation plans, Environment Canada issued weather warnings for much of the country.
Amid the storm, dozens of flights were canceled at major airports in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia. Hundreds of thousands of people were also left without electricity in eastern Canada. The Ontario Provincial Police also noted this Hundreds of collisions occurred throughout the province after the storm.
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