Holiday passenger numbers up

Truro station numbers increase by 24 per cent for VIA trains

The total number of passengers travelling to or from Truro by train was up 24 per cent to 580 this past Christmas.

Nationally, VIA Rail recorded a busy holiday season with 282,000 passengers riding the rails on 1,300 trains between Dec. 19 and Jan. 8 – a 16 per cent increase over the same period last year.

According to a VIA Rail press release, the national passenger revenue was also up 20 per cent.

“We are thrilled to see that the growth in our traffic and revenues, which started in 2014, held steady during this key time of year ,” said Yves Des jard ins Sic ilia no, president and chief executive officer of VIA Rail. “It’s a great way to start off 2017 – the year of Canada’s 150th birthday.”

Desjardins-Siciliano commended the dedication and professionalism of VIA employees.

“They offer outstanding customer service that, combined with extra departures, made train travel a more compelling option to a greater number of travellers,” he said.

The Ocean route, between Montreal and Halifax, carried 7,600 passengers for a modest increase of 2.7 per cent.

For the Christmas season, VIA Rail added six stops to the Ocean route, which serves communities in eastern Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

The average occupancy rate for the 24 Ocean trains running between Dec. 18 and Jan. 6 reached 71 per cent.

VIA Rail employees 2,600 people nationally and two in Truro.

VIA Rail stops in 400 communities across Canada, and connects to more communities through intermodal partnerships, safely transporting nearly four million passengers annually.

A total of 12,600 people travelled from coast-to-coast onboard trains between Toronto and Vancouver and Montreal and Halifax.

Most of these passengers travelled to the popular tourist destinations of Halifax, Jasper and Vancouver.