VIA Rail's ridership, revenue grew in third quarter

VIA Rail Canada Inc. served 1.2 million passengers in the third quarter, a 12 percent increase compared with the same period in 2016.

The railroad's revenue in the quarter rose 14 percent to CA$113 million, while operating expenses increased 5 percent to CA$147 million.

"Over the past three months, we have witnessed several impressive achievements, including our 14th consecutive quarter of revenue growth and our 7th consecutive quarter of ridership growth," said VIA Rail President and Chief Executive Officer Yves Desjardins-Siciliano in a press release.

The railroad logged overall on-time performance (OTP) of 70 percent compared with 69 percent during 2016's third quarter.

OTP on the Quebec-Windsor corridor was 71 percent, marking the third consecutive decrease on that line. Service on its Toronto-Vancouver line was challenged by an uptick of freight traffic in western Canada, resulting in "very few trains meeting their scheduled arrival times," VIA officials said.

However, OTP on the railroad's Ocean line between Montreal and Halifax reached 86 percent.