FOG BLOG CANADA LOG: VIA RAIL PASSENGERS STRANDED, DERAILMENT , 50 CAR PILE UP/ CHRISTMAS TRAVEL!

Hundreds of VIA rail passengers trapped on trains for nearly 24 hours due to storm A treacherous winter storm that hit southern Ontario hard on Friday — interrupting air travel and causing havoc on the highways — has significantly disrupted rail travel and stranded hundreds of train passengers.

CityNews received numerous reports of VIA rail passengers travelling from Ottawa and Montreal to Toronto on Friday afternoon who have been stuck in the Cobourg area for almost a full day.

VIA Rail confirms nine trains became trapped in the area after sustaining damage from falling trees. Another seven trains were forced to be cancelled altogether.

“From power outages to trees on the tracks and even a tree falling on a locomotive, conditions make it impossible to move some of our trains,” reads a statement from VIA. “Our first priority is the safety of our passengers and, although stopped, our trains are able to keep passengers warm and safe while on board.”

The company says any passengers travelling on the impacted trains will be offered a full refund.

Some passengers who have been stuck on the trains for nearly a full day say they are finally moving toward their destinations as of 1:30 p.m. Saturday, after being picked up by rescue trains from Toronto.

Federal transport minister Omar Alghabra is calling the situation “unacceptable” and says the government is in contact with VIA, a crown corporation, to resolve the problems “safely and efficiently.” Several passengers have complained of a lack of communication and reported paramedics and police finally arrived at the disabled trains just before 10 a.m. on Saturday to begin assisting the stranded riders. Hannah Sabuelba boarded a VIA train in Montreal around 4:45 p.m. on Friday — as of early Saturday morning she was still on board. Her trip to Toronto had been originally scheduled to depart at 3 p.m. the day before. Speaking to CityNews just after 8 a.m. Saturday, she says food was running out on board and the toilets on the train were not working. “There are families here, kids here, and everyone is kind of using their coats as blankets and trying to get some shut-eye,” Sabuelba says. The passengers started receiving announcements around the Kingston area that warned of possible delays ahead. “We heard multiple things like a loss of signal due to the weather, we also heard there was traffic,” she says. “Around 3 a.m. they said a tree had fallen on the tracks which needed to be inspected by a team of engineers.” Sabuelba says passengers received another update later in the morning that the current inspection crews needed to be replaced by a second team of engineers. “At this moment I don’t know entirely why there’s been such a delay,” she says. “Not much has been explained.” Several other passengers also complained about vague communication from VIA staff about why the delays were occurring. “Two CN freights need to pass before the train in front of us can move,” says Sebastian Becker in an email. “That train is supposed to be deboarded. Apparently OPP and first responders boarded to defuse the situation there.” “Washrooms are not functioning and I just saw a VIA employee for the first time in hours.” Mitchell Wright says the tree fell and smashed the windshield of his brother’s train forcing it to come to a halt. “VIA hasn’t done anything yet and people are running out of food and drink,” says Mitchell Wright in an email, saying his brother is still stuck on the train. “They won’t let people off the train due to the weather.” The reports have been corroborated by a number of Twitter posts and callers to the CityNews newsroom, with several people saying a number of other VIA trains are also stranded and waiting for the damaged train and trees to be cleared. “Train 55 has been stuck for over 15 hours, no food and water,” writes Twitter user Rob Tyrie. “Limited information to passengers. No apparent emergency footing. Where is the accountability?” Sabuelba says staff on board had been handing out any remaining food throughout the morning. “At one point they were distributing all the remaining sandwiches,” she says. “That was at 12 a.m. and I was under the impression we would be in Toronto by 1 a.m., so I declined that.” Passengers were told just after 8 a.m. Saturday that the train would be moving into Cobourg in the next half hour but would need to make frequent stops until arriving in Oshawa. They were told the train would be able to resume typical speed from Oshawa to Toronto. Winter storm persists after treacherous Friday The stranded rail passengers come a day after provincial police pleaded with motorists to stay off the roads with the winter storm causing numerous disruptions on Friday. OPP say up to 100 vehicles were involved in multiple collisions in the southwestern part of the province. A stretch of Highway 401 was closed in both directions between London and Tilbury, and Highway 402 was also closed between London and Sarnia after a multi-vehicle crash involving more than 50 vehicles in Middlesex County. The Greater Toronto Airports Authority says nearly 39 per cent of all departing flights from Toronto Pearson International Airport on Friday were cancelled as a result of the winter storm. It says just over 40 per cent of all arriving flights were also cancelled due to the storm. WestJet cancelled all flights in and out of Pearson from 9 a.m. Friday until the end of the day.