On 31AUG, VIA Rail Canada released its Q2 report. One of its brightest points was the company's achievement of a critical service resumption milestone with the return of almost all of its services across the country by the end of JUN. VIA Rail says it is "delighted" to have welcomed passengers back on board its trains, and recorded 594,000 more passengers in the second quarter this year compared to the same period last year, which resulted in an increase in revenues of CAD $62.6 million.
"Based on our performance during the second quarter, there has been an increased appetite for travel, and we couldn't be happier about this as we had dearly missed our passengers," said Martin R Landry, President and Chief Executive Officer.
"This crucial milestone reached in June represents the culmination of two challenging years, and we are pleased with the results of this quarter and especially proud of how nimble our teams have been during this recovery. We are definitely back on track to doing what we do best: providing a safe, accessible, comfortable and sustainable travel experience to Canadians across the country."
Pandemic Impact on VIA's Finances: More Remote Work
As VIA Rail recovers from the pandemic, the company says it will continue to employ a balanced approach in order to fulfill its important public service mandate and manage the financial impacts of the consequences of the health crisis including the fact that more and more Canadians are working remotely.
Contributing to a More Sustainable Future
In APR, VIA Rail was pleased to reach key milestones in its sustainability journey with the unveiling of its sustainability plan and its participation in the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative, the United Nations Global Compact. VIA Rail's future-oriented five-year sustainability plan is intended to allow it to reduce its environmental footprint, enhance its role as a responsible transportation provider and create lasting value for present and future generations.
New President and CEO
In JUN, Martin R. Landry became VIA Rail's President and Chief Executive Officer.
Landry joined VIA Rail in 2014 as Chief Commercial Officer charged with overseeing all activities relating to business development, including revenue management, sales and strategic partnerships, commercial planning, marketing and communications, customer experience (including the VIA Customer Centre), as well as product and service design.
In this role, he was the architect of the customer-centric model that led to an increase in ridership of 32 per cent between 2014 and 2019, which was a record year in three decades with over five million passengers.
For VIA Rail's full Q2 report, click here.
