‘You never know’: Via Rail’s on-time performance lacking in North

Rhoda de Meulles arrived late to her doctor’s appointment in Thompson with a reason: the train was delayed.

The Via Rail locomotive had pulled into the northern Manitoba city roughly 31/2 hours later than expected.

De Meulles had come from her home community of Churchill. The ride is often problem-free, however, passengers can wait for several hours, she said. “You never know. You’ve gotta play it by ear around here.”

Trains travelling between Churchill and Winnipeg are Via Rail’s most commonly late, according to documents obtained by the Investigative Journalism Foundation.

More than 41 per cent of Via Rail trains along the line were at least two hours late in 2025, the news outlet reported Wednesday. It cited data released under access-to-information laws. The Free Press hasn’t reviewed the numbers.

Via Rail didn’t respond to questions by end of day Thursday.

Passenger trains travel weekly to Churchill from Winnipeg; the town located some 1,000 kilometres north of the capital isn’t accessible by car.

Such railways are a “lifeline” for isolated communities, said Harry Gow, a Transport Action Canada board member.

He encouraged First Nations and mayors along the rail line to join together and ask for meetings with Via and infrastructure owners to address persistent delays.

Part of the Churchill-Winnipeg connection — Hudson Bay Railway, from The Pas heading north — is owned by Arctic Gateway Group, a conglomerate of 41 First Nations and communities.

The entity took ownership in 2018. It’s spent years revitalizing the rail line. The track was washed out in 2017, while under the purview of Denver-based Omnitrax.

Mechanical issues, staffing, extreme weather and infrastructure outages are among the reasons for train delays, said Brad Hartle, an Arctic Gateway Group spokesperson.

Beyond the Hudson Bay Railway, recent washouts in western Manitoba and earlier flooding in Saskatchewan have affected rail traffic, Hartle wrote in a statement. “Whenever issues arise, we work with our rail partners to resolve them as quickly as possible while maintaining safety as our highest priority.”

John Gunter, who co-owns Churchill tour operator Frontiers North Adventures, said passenger trains to the North have become faster and more reliable since renovations. The line also appears “as popular as it’s ever been” with tourism customers, Gunter said.

The Hudson Bay Railway is also more reliable for freight, said de Meulles, who owns Churchill Home Building Centre and ships hardware and lumber from Winnipeg weekly.

Via Rail’s on-time performance has suffered nationally. At one point in 2025, 70 per cent of its trains were late, Canada’s auditor general wrote in a 2026 report.

The report noted passenger trains don’t have priority over freight traffic “under applicable Canadian law.” Via Rail owns little of the railways it uses.

Barry Prentice, a University of Manitoba supply chain management professor, called Via Rail’s 59 per cent on-time rate from Churchill to Winnipeg “remarkable in its own right.”

“It is a long trip,” he said.

A full commute lasts roughly two days.

The longer the trip, the more opportunity for slowdown — from permafrost, waiting for freight trains and dealing with other obstacles, said Paul Larson, a University of Manitoba supply chain management professor.

Via Rail tracked 500 passengers weekly on the line last year. The route generated $3.7 million in revenue and cost $28.5 million.

Some Churchill locals learn of train delays and cancellations through word of mouth, de Meulles said: “(Via Rail needs) a better way to let people in Churchill know what they’re doing.”

Via Rail has a real-time train tracker online. Internet access is limited in parts of the North, a 2024 federal evaluation of Churchill’s rail service restoration report says.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com