Passengers on several stopped Via Rail trains say they have been in the vehicles for up to 18 hours, with few updates on when they will move.
Darcy Pyrell told CP24 that he boarded the Via Rail train 55 from Ottawa to Toronto on Friday around 3:30 p.m. The train stopped on the tracks near Coburg around 10:30 p.m. last night, he said.
“Then they told us it would be an hour before we could start moving again,” Pyrell said.
It was still stationary at 8:30 a.m. Saturday.
“They told us it was from a fallen tree and that one of the two trains stuck behind us was going to merge with our train to take us away,” Pyrell said. But we haven’t seen that train coming. We haven’t moved and a lot of people think Via Rail is lying to them. And we’re really not sure what to do with ourselves right now.”
In a statement to CP24, Via Rail said that “due to extreme weather conditions” several trains on the Québec City-Windsor corridor have been immobilized or cancelled.
“From power outages to trees on the tracks and even a tree falling on a locomotive, conditions make it impossible to move some of our trains,” the company said. “Our first priority is the safety of our passengers and even though they are stopped, our trains are able to keep passengers warm and safe while on board.”
Canada’s Transport Minister Omar Alghabra has since taken to Twitter to call the situation with Via Rail “unacceptable” as many passengers report massive delays and canceled trips due to a major winter storm.
Alghabra says the unprecedented weather has caused delays in Canada’s transportation system and the safety of passengers and crew is the top priority.
Some Via Rail passengers stranded overnight en route to Toronto say they are being forced off trains in Oshawa before their final destinations. The long delays come amid a winter storm that has gripped much of Canada, bringing snow, strong winds and freezing temperatures.
Pyrell, a student at the University of Ottawa, said he now planned to be home in Guelph for the holidays with his family, but he’s not sure when he’ll get there.
“The plan was to be home for a week to see my parents and to see my family for the first time in a long time. Of course it’s going to be shortened a bit, unfortunately,” she said. “But what can you do, I guess.”
She said she made herself a thermos of macaroni and cheese that she ate for dinner last night, but hasn’t eaten since.
“People are also handing out water right now. I think that’s all we have left on the train.
He said attendees he’s seen walking up and down the aisles seem “stressed beyond belief” and his fellow travelers are frustrated and angry that they haven’t received any updates on the situation.
“Another passenger called the police and an ambulance and they said they can pick up anyone with immediate medical needs, like anxiety issues or anything else,” Pyrell said.
Via Rail said it has contacted the owner of the infrastructure and is “focused on keeping our customers as comfortable as possible under the current circumstances.”
The company could not provide an estimate for when the trains will start running, but said customers will be compensated.
“However, we deeply apologize for this situation and the impact to our passengers and we continue to work with our teams and the infrastructure owner to get those trains moving as quickly as possible or get them to their final destination with new equipment. Passengers traveling on these trains will receive a full refund,” the company told CP24.
With archives from The Canadian Press.