Via Rail says partial passenger train service will not resume this week — as was previously announced — while the company moves to temporarily lay off nearly 1,000 people.
In a statement Wednesday afternoon, Via says it “has no choice but to continue the cancellation of its services on a large part of its network” while CN Rail lines in other parts of the country remain closed.
As a result, Via says roughly 1,000 of its employees’ jobs will be temporarily suspended.
The news comes one day after CN Rail granted Via permission to resume service on a total of four corridors between southwestern Ontario and Quebec. The routes were due to open Feb. 20.
Sudbury-White River and Churchill-The Pas are the only exceptions at this time, the company says. More than 530 passenger trains have been canceled since the blockades began on Feb. 6
Rachael D’Amore – Global News – February 19, 2020.