Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I am pleased to have this opportunity to address you on behalf of Via Rail. With me is my colleague Ms. Rita Toporowski, Chief Service Delivery Officer.
As you know, I started as CEO in June. It is an honour to join Via Rail at such an extraordinary time.
Passenger rail in Canada started about 200 years ago. It had a very humble beginning. Since then, of course, the industry has progressed in leaps and bounds. Today, people are recognizing train travel's vast potential. It is sustainable, it connects communities, and it benefits both the economy and the planet.
Via Rail was created as a Crown corporation in the 1970s. Today, it is an innovative and efficient leader in passenger transportation. We've been connecting Canadians for over 45 years.
At Via Rail, we put the customer first and connect communities across Canada. Our people and corporate culture prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion in everything we do. We are an environmentally responsible mode of transportation, and we continue to innovate to become even better. Our approach promotes sustainability, both strategically and financially. And, of course, our focus is always on safety and security.
Via Rail is not only an expert in passenger rail transport in Canada, but also an innovative, environmentally responsible company committed to connecting communities. Our services are also often crucial for indigenous communities, where travel without trains is sometimes very difficult, if not impossible.
As I'm sure you know, we are currently receiving state-of-the-art trains for our corridor operations. These modern, accessible and even more environmentally friendly trains are bringing Via Rail into the 21st century, putting us on par with passenger rail transporters all over the world.
Since Via Rail owns only 3% of the tracks we use, our trains often have to wait behind freight and commuter trains, which unfortunately makes them chronically late. For example, on the Montreal-Ottawa line, where we have complete control of the tracks, our trains are on time more than 90% of the time, while on the rest of the network, where we run trains on other host railroads, we struggle to achieve 60% punctuality. This is very frustrating for passengers and for our company.
The dramatic increase in freight transport is great for the country's economy, but it's quite literally pushing passenger rail to the sidelines as the increase in traffic is easier to handle than the mix of trains of different speeds.
With all that in mind, of course Via Rail will always support better, faster, more efficient passenger rail service to connect more Canadians and give priority to passenger service. The impact will be dramatic.
In fact, the current high-frequency rail project in the Quebec City to Windsor corridor was conceived and planned by Via Rail. Higher speeds and more frequent passenger train service in the Quebec City-Toronto and the Edmonton, Calgary and Banff regions would be of great benefit economically and socially to a larger segment of our population.
That is a vision Via Rail supports and can be a key partner in creating.
All Canadians deserve a modern passenger rail service that is comfortable, efficient, accessible, safe, and environmentally friendly. For Via Rail, this must start with the renewal of Canada's long-distance and regional trains, since the eventual arrival of a new service in the corridor does not affect the fact that we must continue to serve off-corridor routes, including northern regions, and our current rolling stock is very old by any standards.
Our 45 years of experience and expertise should assure you that our team has the skills to support any expansion of HFR and HSR services. As we have the most experience in the field of passenger rail transportation over long distances, we must be a key partner in passenger rail projects across Canada so that we continue to connect Canadians in every region of the country and offer them the passenger rail service they deserve.
We're happy to take your questions now.