Via Rail is introducing non-stop trains between Montreal and Toronto with the aim of providing faster transit, but some communities between Canada’s two largest cities feel left out.
A three-month trial starting Monday will offer direct service between the two cities with no intermediate station stops. Passengers at stations that have been removed from the schedule will be transferred to the next available train.
“This pilot is designed to test demand for faster, more efficient downtown-to-downtown travel, with some trips expected to arrive 30 to 40 minutes earlier than today’s schedule,” Via Rail said in an emailed statement Tuesday. “By testing faster travel times between Canada’s two largest cities, we aim to convince more travelers to choose the train as the smarter alternative to flying or driving.”
In Kingston, Ont., that means trains will stop five fewer times each day, a decision that Mayor Bryan Patterson said has caused frustration and was made without consultation.
“It does represent a reduction in service to our community,” he told CBC on Tuesday.
‘Moving in the wrong direction’
The reductions would contribute to lower ridership, which in turn could lead to further service reductions, he said: “It feels like we’re moving in the wrong direction.”
It was a mistake to overlook the 1 million people living along the route, he said.
“This doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game where in order to service Montreal and Toronto, you have to take something away from the communities in between.”
He called on Via Rail to co-ordinate with municipalities, and said he only heard about the change in the news.
“If they would step forward and work with us, we could find ways to actually grow ridership and make rail also an attractive option for Kingstonians.”
Via Rail said it understood the frustration, but said Kingston would remain the “most served” station in Canada, with 154 weekly departures or up to 25 trains a day.
The services that will run directly during the trial are currently used by 80 passengers in Kingston per day on average, Via Rail said.
“The trains selected for the pilot have fewer passengers than others on this route, and they already carry a high share of end-to-end travellers,” it said. “This makes them well suited for testing direct service while limiting the impact on communities.”
‘Extremely disappointed’
But Megan Knight, the CEO of Tourism Kingston, said her city needs more train service, not less.
“Sustainability is key to all of us,” she told CBC on Tuesday. “And being able to put more people on more modes of transportation is obviously really important to us.”
Liberal MP for Kingston and the Islands Mark Gerretsen said he was “extremely disappointed” by the decision and would raise the issue with Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon.
“It’s essential that regional access remains strong and reliable,” Gerretsen told CBC in an emailed statement Tuesday. “Communities like Kingston are not just stops along the way — they are vital hubs of economic, cultural, and social activity that deserve reliable and frequent service.”
