VIA Rail Canada Inc. recorded 5 million riders in 2019, the railroad’s highest annual ridership in 30 years and a 5.5 percent increase compared with 2018. 

Of the 5 million riders, 96 percent used VIA Rail for inter-city travel, 3 percent for long-distance travel and 1 percent for regional travel, according to VIA Rail’s 2019 Annual Report, which was released yesterday.

On the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor, VIA Rail logged 4.7 million riders, a 5.5 percent year-over-year increase. 

Revenue for 2019 totaled CA$411.1 million, an increase of CA$18.5 million compared with 2018. Total operating expenses reached CA$691.8 million, a nearly CA$27 million increase.

In 2020, VIA Rail ridership has dropped significantly so far due the COVID-19 pandemic and protest blockades in Canada that forced some service suspensions earlier in the year.

“Our immediate challenge … is to convince Canadians that we are the safe way to travel as our response to the COVID-19 virus evolves,” VIA Rail President and Chief Executive Officer Cynthia Garneau said in a press release.