VIA Rail blames CN for falling OTP in Q1

VIA Rail Canada's on-time performance (OTP) fell to 30% in first-quarter 2025 compared to 72% in Q1 2024, the passenger railroad said Tuesday in its Q1 2025 financial report.

VIA Rail officials blamed the decline in OTP to ongoing CN-imposed speed restrictions on certain VIA trains in the Quebec City-Windsor corridor. 

"[The disruptions] are the direct result of infrastructure restrictions imposed by CN, restrictions that we believe are arbitrary and unnecessary," said VIA Rail President and CEO Mario Peloquin in a press release. VIA Rail has appealed the situation in court.

A CN spokesperson said the freight railroad is disappointed that VIA Rail "continues to refuse to assume responsibility" for purchasing equipment recognized to have shortcomings. 

"Ensuring proper train-to-signal interaction protects passengers, railway workers, pedestrians and motorists," said CN spokesperson Ashley Michnowski in an emailed statement. "VIA has been aware of the solution for a long time but has refused to make the necessary adjustments to their Venture fleet to ensure the safety of their passengers, employees, motorists and pedestrians, forcing CN to act. We will not compromise on safety, ever.”

The OTP decline coincided with a 2.7% dip in ridership, the largest decrease in ridership since the pandemic.

VIA Rail reported Q1 2025 total revenue rose 8.3% to C$96.2 million compared to a year ago. The railroad posted a C$5.4 million net loss in Q1 2025, compared to C$10.3 million in net income in Q1 2024.