Letter regarding Via Rail’s lack of bicycle carriage on corridor trains

December 02, 2023

Letter regarding Via Rail’s lack of bicycle carriage on corridor trains

To:     The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez
   Minister of Transport
   Ottawa, ON

Subject: Via Rail’s lack of bicycle carriage on corridor trains

We feel that Via Rail’s quick removal of baggage cars during COVID and their hesitancy to implement bicycle carriage on their new corridor trains shows that they are not a serious partner in providing transportation alternatives.

Dear Minister Rodriguez,

We write to you as a bicycle club concerned that Via Rail does not enable passengers to take their bicycles on trains in the Windsor to Quebec City corridor, despite past promises. This limitation is a problem not only for cyclists seeking recreational opportunities but also for local communities in the region that are investing in cycle infrastructure and the promotion of cyclo-tourism. The limitation on bicycle transport on Via Rail trains is also inconsistent with Canada’s climate commitments and the need to shift from cars to public transport. We are looking to you to ensure that Via Rail does its best to respond to these concerns.

The Montreal Bicycle Club is a social, recreational group of cyclists based primarily in Montreal. We have regular rides around the greater Montreal region along with excursions to the different regions of Quebec, Ontario, and points farther afield. The members of our club are interested in a variety of environmental and urban design issues. Many of our rides near the Island of Montreal combine cycling with commuter Metro-Exo-REM trains avoiding car travel completely.

Unlike these commuter trains, intra-city Via Rail trains out of Montreal have many restrictions making it difficult for cyclists. Before COVID, only a few of the Windsor/Toronto/Ottawa/Montreal/Quebec City corridor Via trains had a baggage car that allowed bicycle carriage. There was only one such train per day between Canada’s two largest cities. However we did manage to use this handful of baggage trains to take our bikes on excursions to Quebec City, Kingston, Ottawa and Toronto. After the start of COVID, Via Rail quickly removed all corridor baggage cars using health reasons as an excuse. It is no longer possible to transport a bicycle by train from Montreal to any of these cities. Indeed the Halifax and Jonquière/Senneterre are the only two Via Rail trains entering Montreal that allow bicycles.

The corridor regions of Ontario and Quebec are heavily promoted for cyclo-tourism. One needs only to visit transportationoptions.org, Velo.qc.ca, Ontariobybike.ca, biketrain.ca to see this region’s effort to promote bicycle tourism. In fact, many of these websites incorrectly state that corridor travel for cyclists is available by Via Rail (https://www.londontourism.ca/guides/cycling-in-london-ontario-discover-our-bike-friendly-city/https://www.mtl.org/en/plan/getting-here/montreal-by-train/https://www.destinationtoronto.com/things-to-do/outdoors-and-recreation/biking/). As well, workers commuting between cities would also like to take their bikes.

When our members wrote to Via Rail last year querying their decision to remove corridor baggage cars, they were told that a new fleet of trains was about to be launched, equipped with bicycle racks. We anxiously awaited combining train and bicycle travel again within the corridor. Finally, in October 2023, on an outing to Ottawa, we returned to Montreal on one of these new trains and saw the new, but as yet unusable, bike racks in place. We asked the Via Rail employee when the racks could be reserved for bicycles, rather than luggage. We were told that there would be no bicycles on board until ALL the new trains are in service, as it may not be possible for Via Rail to ensure the two-way passage of bikes between cities.

On this new train running between Ottawa and Montreal, we saw that Via Rail has allocated spaces for only 4 bikes, not enough capacity for a mid-size outing by our club alone. We fear that once this carriage service becomes available it will be difficult to make reservations even for small groups of cyclists as these few racks become oversubscribed.

Later Via Rail said to other members that bicycles cannot be taken on their new trains because their reservation software is not yet programmed for booking of bicycle spaces.

Via Rail, with much fanfare, announced the launch of a new reservation service effective November 18, 2023. However the new reservation software makes no mention of bicycle racks. Again, we will have to wait for a future revision to the reservation software before bicycle carriage is resumed in the corridor.

Canada is committed to addressing the climate crisis. An effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to promote active and public transportation as an alternative to car usage. We feel that Via Rail’s quick removal of baggage cars during COVID and their hesitancy to implement bicycle carriage on their new corridor trains shows that they are not a serious partner in providing transportation alternatives. Their actions demonstrate a lack of vision on the part of Via Rail.

Via Rail, as a true partner to the cities and regions that have invested in infrastructure and promotion of cyclo-tourism, should be anxious to restart bicycle carriage on corridor trains ASAP.

Via Rail is a Crown Corporation serving the public good. It has an essential role in helping to create a system of eco-tourism and in helping to reduce GHG emissions by providing true transportation alternatives. As the minister in charge of transportation you should ensure that Via Rail is fulfilling its duty by providing adequate transport of bicycles on its trains in the Windsor to Quebec City corridor. Lack of bike storage space on Via trains has a negative domino effect with far reaching

consequences.

Sincerely,

Malcolm McRae, President of the Montreal Bicycle Club

Via Rail (https://www.viarail.ca/en/plan/baggages/sports-equipment)

Steven Guilbeaut, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada

Caroline Proulx, Minister of Tourism, Quebec

Neil Lumsden, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Ontario

Transportation Options (https://www.transportationoptions.org/partners-and-supporters.html)

Velo Quebec (https://www.routeverte.com/en/ride/transportation/)

Centre Infotouriste de Quebec (https://www.quebec-cite.com/en/what-to-do-quebec-city/bike-paths?list=mixed)

Bureau d’information Touristique de Drummondville (https://tourismedrummondville.com/attrait/reseau-cyclable-mrc-de-drummond/#map)

Tourisme Montreal (https://www.mtl.org/en/plan/getting-here/montreal-by-train)