VIA Rail announced late Tuesday night that, because of an impending engineers strike set to begin Friday at noon, it has begun cancelling train departures. Like, all of them.
Read the rewritten press release story through your favourite corporate filter:
Note that of the above, only CBC provides a working direct link to VIA’s list of cancelled trains (PDF). Essentially, any train which does not reach its destination before the strike begins Friday at noon will either be cut short or cancelled entirely. These cancellations are happening whether or not there is actually a strike. All trains after Friday will be cancelled unless the strike is averted or ends.
Specifically, for trains in and out of Montreal, the following are the final departures that VIA is maintaining. Those booked for later trains can get full refunds or (for departures before noon only) use alternative transportation (buses) that VIA is setting up:
- Montreal-Toronto: 6:30am Friday
- Toronto-Montreal: All Friday departures cancelled
- Montreal-Ottawa: All Friday departures cancelled
- Ottawa-Montreal: 9:03am Friday
- Montreal-Quebec: All Friday departures cancelled
- Quebec-Montreal: 7:50am Friday
- Montreal-Jonquière: Friday departure cancelled
- Montreal-Senneterre: Friday departure cancelled
- Montreal-Gaspé: Friday departure cancelled
- Montreal-Halifax: Friday and Thursday departures cancelled
- Halifax-Montreal: Friday departure cancelled
Note the cancellation of the Thursday evening departure from Montreal to Halifax, which would have arrived at its destination past the noon Friday deadline. Thursday’s train from Halifax to Montreal arrives Friday morning and would not be affected.
Are you saying that commuters aren’t noisy?
Well, there will be fewer announcements anyway.