{"id":72833,"date":"2025-03-25T08:30:34","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T12:30:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/?p=72833"},"modified":"2025-03-25T08:30:34","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T12:30:34","slug":"politicians-pencil-pushers-turning-a-blind-eye-to-travel-difficulties-in-the-north","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/25\/politicians-pencil-pushers-turning-a-blind-eye-to-travel-difficulties-in-the-north\/","title":{"rendered":"Politicians, pencil-pushers turning a blind eye to travel difficulties in the North"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_72834\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-25-at-8.29.45\u202fAM.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-72834\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-72834\" src=\"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-25-at-8.29.45\u202fAM-300x200.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-25-at-8.29.45\u202fAM-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-25-at-8.29.45\u202fAM-600x401.png 600w, https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-25-at-8.29.45\u202fAM-768x513.png 768w, https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Screenshot-2025-03-25-at-8.29.45\u202fAM.png 1224w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-72834\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>The Canadian at the Hornepayne Station.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Pop quiz:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><strong>Q.<\/strong> What do matchmaking websites, slot machines and Canadian passenger trains have in common?<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><strong>A.<\/strong> <em>There\u2019s an element of chance any time you go to use one.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The deck is seriously stacked against those who rely on public transportation to get around Northern Ontario \u2014 especially when things don\u2019t go as planned.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Ever wait an extra 12 hours for your train to arrive?<\/li>\n<li>Have you had to cancel your tickets because making a connection was no longer possible?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These are just some of the predicaments Northerners face when traveling with VIA Rail Canada.<\/p>\n<p>Sure, the company has no control over weather incidents, road-based collisions or traffic congestion on the railways it operates on. However, unlike airlines, which follow passenger protection regulations, there\u2019s little keeping VIA Rail accountable to its customers.<\/p>\n<p>Late train credits were eliminated outside of the Qu\u00e9bec-Windsor corridor, so there\u2019s no real incentive to make improvements.<\/p>\n<p>The so-called \u201cschedule\u201d aboard The Canadian \u2014 a train that serves three dozen communities in Northern Ontario \u2014 is as dependable as an umbrella in a hurricane.<\/p>\n<p>During lengthy service delays, VIA Rail puts passengers in an impossible position.<\/p>\n<p>On one hand, they recommend to <em>plan accordingly<\/em>. This includes arriving before the estimated departure time and not arranging connecting transportation on the day of arrival.<\/p>\n<p>Yet in the same breath, they caution <em>arrival and departure times are for information purposes only<\/em>, <em>are not guaranteed<\/em>, and <em>are subject to change without notice<\/em>. They add that the <em>train may catch up and depart from the affected station on time<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Be prepared to wait outdoors if you\u2019re boarding The Canadian or the Sudbury-White River train.<\/p>\n<p>Warm shelters that once provided refuge for passengers during cold winter months have all but disappeared in most northern communities with permanent populations. It doesn\u2019t help that VIA Rail\u2019s website contains conflicting information regarding which stops \u2014 Chelmsford, Hornepayne, Parry Sound, Sioux Lookout and White River \u2014 actually have waiting facilities. Heaven forbid your train gets cancelled, because the company won\u2019t provide alternate transportation either.<\/p>\n<p>I recently experienced first-hand the stresses of changing travel plans last minute.<\/p>\n<p>The only bus leaving Thunder Bay was delayed 90 minutes, which meant missing my morning VIA Rail connection in White River.<\/p>\n<p>The next scheduled train wasn\u2019t for another three days, so I booked a ticket to Sudbury aboard The Canadian instead.<\/p>\n<p>It was about two hours tardy when my ride dropped me off in Longlac.<\/p>\n<p>However as temperatures dropped and the estimated time of arrival increased, I realized it wasn\u2019t going to be safe waiting outside. Explaining my situation over the phone to the customer service department was an exercise in futility. Not only was I told nothing could be done for me (not even a motel room reimbursement), but that I should have considered <em>other options when planning a trip where\u2019s there no station<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Ironic coming from a taxpayer-funded corporation \u2014 mandated to provide <em>safe, secure, efficient, and reliable <\/em>rail service that <em>meets the needs of travelers<\/em> \u2014 which years ago closed said building.<\/p>\n<p>Public speaker Enrique Rubio says: \u201cPunctuality is a powerful way to show respect for others. And a by-product of punctuality is your reputation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>By the time I boarded at 2:25 am, The Canadian was half a day late\u2026<\/p>\n<p>With so many barriers, VIA Rail is arbitrarily denying Northerners access to public transportation.<\/p>\n<p>People often ask me: \u00c9ric, what\u2019s the big deal? Just drive or take the bus. Fly!<\/p>\n<p>Highways 11 &amp; 17 are mostly single-lane, have limited cellular service and next to no detours over a distance of 1 700 km. Politicians and bureaucrats don\u2019t realize how challenging it is to navigate through snowstorms, face oncoming transport trucks, and avoid encounters with wildlife and black ice.<\/p>\n<p>Flying within the region is also unaffordable. The province says <em>air service in the North has reduced greatly and may never return to pre-COVID service levels<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Whoever forms the next federal government should recognize that passenger trains help bind small and large Canadian communities together.<\/p>\n<p>To do it right, VIA Rail needs legislation to ensure it has priority on all the tracks it runs on.<\/p>\n<p>Rail travelers deserve the same protections as air passengers from undue hardship caused by lengthy delays.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u00c9ric Boutilier is a columnist for Northern Tracks, a self-published blog related to intercity transportation in Northern Ontario.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pop quiz: Q. What do matchmaking websites, slot machines and Canadian passenger trains have in common? A. There\u2019s an element of chance any time you go to use one. 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