Spy Hill, Sask., flips for Via Rail riders

SPY HILL, SASK. — A small Saskatchewan town opened its doors on Christmas morning to a Via Rail train with almost 100 passengers that suffered mechanical problems due to extremely cold weather.

Company spokesperson Mariam Diaby said that the train travelling between Vancouver and Toronto had to stop at Spy Hill, and the passengers were sheltered in the local community centre where they received food, drinks and warmth.

Calvin Petracek, Spy Hill’s deputy fire chief, said he was doing chores on his farm when texts went out to local firefighters asking volunteers to help.

Petracek said there’s no railway station in Spy Hill, which has a population of about 300 people, so the train was stopped at a siding in the community.

He said it’s only about 100 metres from the train to the hall and most passengers walked, but the wind chill was -43 C.

Petracek said the stranded passengers were served pancakes cooked by people in the town, with help from the cooks on the train.

“The population of Spy Hill increased 25 per cent through Christmas due to this,” Petracek said.

Diaby said the passengers — 98 in total — were to be taken to Winnipeg by bus later in the day. She said Via was looking at alternative transportation for the passengers from Winnipeg onward.

“The safety and well-being of our passengers is our priority and we will continue to monitor the situation closely,” Diaby said.

Fire Chief Jim Larocque said RCMP phoned him on Christmas morning asking for help. He said the passengers were guided from the train cars, off the siding and through a ditch toward the community hall.

Larocque said the hall was already decorated for Christmas by a local family that had booked it for a large holiday celebration. A musical duo that had been performing on the train led everyone in Christmas carols, after local townspeople helped to hook up the sound system.

Extra supplies were rustled up from some local businesses, he said.

“It was a really joyous Christmas,” Larocque said.

Diaby said she couldn’t confirm details about what happened to the train, other than that the malfunction had occurred due to the cold. She said some of the cars still had heat.

Diaby noted Via has an “Artists On Board” program, which offers complimentary or reduced fares for registered artists that perform on Montreal-Halifax and Toronto-Vancouver trains.