Kingston City Council pushes back against VIA Rail Eastern Ontario service cuts

By Christena Lawrie, CFRC's Broadcast Journalist and Local Journalism Initiative Reporter.

Council is pushing back against VIA Rail’s latest service changes, unanimously supporting a motion calling for the Crown corporation to reverse changes affecting Kingston and communities across Eastern Ontario.

The changes, taking effect Oct. 25, will impact service along the Québec City-Windsor corridor. Overall, Kingston is expected to see eight fewer VIA trains each week, dropping from 187 to 179.

“I think this is at least the fourth motion that we’ve put forward about Via Rail, like at least once a year we’re having to weigh in,” Mayor Bryan Paterson, who put forward the motion, stated before Council. “I think to say that I’m exasperated with Via Rail would be an enormous understatement and I think that most of you around the table would agree with that.”

The motion also asks VIA Rail to provide the ridership data and analysis that informed the changes and calls on the federal Minister of Transport to make intercity passenger rail a priority.

The City will also be reaching out to other Eastern Ontario municipalities to develop a coordinated advocacy strategy.

Listen to the full story here.