Last year, VIA Rail's deficit was about $311 million or $314 million. If the project cannot proceed, in five or seven years, the annual deficit will be $450 million to $500 million. The ridership, which was about 3.9 million last year, will fall to about 3.4 million or 3.2 million. The number of passengers will decrease because the travel time will increase. Also, on-time performance will be negatively affected when freight trains start running more often than they do now.
In short, the service will become almost irrelevant, and the operating deficit will keep increasing. Significant investments must be made to renew the rest of the VIA Rail fleet. This means trains for the Quebec City-Windsor corridor. Also, some equipment in the Maritimes and western Canada has been in use for 45 years.
If the dedicated track project for the Quebec City-Windsor corridor is not carried out, VIA Rail's deficit will keep increasing and ridership will keep decreasing. A future government will then have to decide whether to get rid of VIA Rail or take other measures.
Thank you.