More than 70,000 passengers travelled with VIA Rail over Canada Day weekend

MONTREAL, July 4, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - This Canada Day weekend, 70,275 passengers travelled on some 450 VIA Rail (viarail.ca) trains that ran across the country between June 27^th and July 2^nd.

"Canada Day weekend is a time to celebrate the privilege of living in a vast and beautiful country. VIA Rail's mission is to help Canadians and tourists discover the many treasures of our land. Linking Halifax to Montréal, and Toronto to Vancouver, the long distance trains the Ocean and the Canadian allowed many VIA Rail passengers to experience Canada in all its splendor," said Marc Laliberté, President and CEO of VIA Rail.

On social media, VIA Rail customers sent many comments about the quality of customer service, the menu served aboard the Canadian and in Business Class, train punctuality and the fun they were having travelling on VIA Rail with their families. On Twitter, one follower expressed how there is "something a little patriotic about travelling on VIA Rail on Canada Day. The cross-country dream that founded the nation". A total of 1,069 messages were posted on VIA Rail's Twitter and Facebook pages over the weekend.

About VIA Rail Canada
As Canada's national rail passenger service, VIA Rail Canada's mandate is to provide safe, efficient and economical passenger transportation service, in both official languages of our country. VIA operates intercity, regional and transcontinental trains linking 450 communities across its 12,500-kilometre route network. Recipient of the Railway Association of Canada's Safety Award in 2011 for the 11^th time in 12 years, and of the 2013 Agent's Choice Award voted by Canadian travel agents and presented by Baxter Travel Media, VIA safely transports nearly four million passengers annually. Since 2007, the Government of Canada has invested almost a billion dollars in VIA Rail. Follow the progress of our transformation at viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail/capital-investment.

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SOURCE: VIA Rail Canada Inc.