Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and honourable members.
The Gaspésie passenger train is a lifeline. Since 1902, the passenger train connecting Gaspésie to the rest of Canada has been an essential form of public transportation for the region and enjoys a fine reputation in Canada and abroad.
The service deteriorated continuously from the 1980s onwards and was finally discontinued in 2013.
The Coalition pour le retour des services d'un train de passagers en Gaspésie is calling on the committee and the Minister of Transport to take action to end the lack of consideration that travellers have experienced since the 1980s. The coalition has some potential solutions to improve service across eastern Canada.
The closure of train stations started in 1982. Although 80,500 passengers took the Gaspésie train in 1984‑85, seven stations closed without due regard to their social role. For example, the Maria train station closed down, even though it was serving the only hospital in the entire Baie‑des‑Chaleurs. Other closures followed in 1986, 2000 and 2013, leaving only five train stations.
In 1990, VIA Rail reduced its round trips from seven to three per week. Ridership dropped by half to 42,000 passengers.
February 2009 was a deeply challenging month, with only 5 out of 12 trains serving Gaspé. The other trains were forced to turn around at New Carlisle, 175 kilometres from the terminus. On February 23, Gaspesians were forced to give up all their carriages to theOcean train connecting Montreal to Halifax when they were 56 kilometres from Montreal, and travel 862 kilometres by bus in the middle of the night.
In 2013, the Gaspésie train known as the Chaleur had fewer sleeper cabins, no dining cars, and no panoramic dome cars, even though it carried approximately 28,000 more passengers than in 2011. Passengers felt humiliated and poorly treated.
On December 10, 2011, service between New Carlisle and Gaspé was suspended due to the poor state of a bridge. On December 23, upon receipt of a status report on structures, VIA Rail commissioned another report and discontinued service from Matapédia. Partial service was restored after five months.
In 2013, service was halted east of Matapedia due to problems at level crossings. The Chaleur train was placed on the siding on arrival in Matapedia and passengers were forced to retrieve their luggage on their own and to walk on the tracks to the train station. They had to fend for themselves and felt disrespected. There were about 20 people, including children.
On August 23, VIA Rail stated that service between Matapedia and New Carlisle would resume as soon as the company was assured that the tracks were safe again. Even though safety reports were conclusive, VIA Rail kept asking for more reports. Requirements seem to be higher for Gaspésie than any other part of Canada.
In 2016, the Quebec government proposed a plan to repair the tracks at New Carlisle, and VIA Rail committed to resuming operations as soon as the work was completed.
In 2017, despite its commitments, VIA Rail refused to resume services gradually due to a lack of resources.
Right now, eastern Canada does not have a train to Gaspésie. The train goes through the Lower St. Lawrence in the middle of the night and frequently arrives in Halifax late.
In 2025, all elected officials in Gaspésie expressed support for a gradual resumption of service.
In January, an access to information request from VIA Rail revealed that in 2024, at least 2,643 passengers from Gaspésie travelled hundreds of kilometres to get to a train station. A report from the Integrated Health and Social Services Centre shows that in 2024, over 10,000 people had to travel outside the region to seek specialized health care and that the train was the preferred mode of travel on these trips.
Following a $335‑million investment, the tracks are now ready up to Port-Daniel—Gascons. Many of the questions that came up during the 2025 annual general meeting touched on the gradual return of the Gaspésie train. Unfortunately, the president responded that this was a logistical issue and that he did not want to or could not reverse course on the train.
We presented a petition to the House of Commons that had gathered 3,437 signatures in three months from people in 9 Canadian provinces and 46 living outside Canada.
For the past 40 years, passengers to and from Gaspésie have been fighting for decent service. Despite significant mobilization, there has been no commitment to a gradual return, even though VIA Rail offered this service to New Carlisle in 2012 and 2013.
On January 7, 2026, the freight train operated up to Port‑Daniel—Gascons for the first time since 2011. However, where is the passenger train?
Gaspésie needs a passenger train that addresses regional needs. We want a train, and we want a Montreal-Port‑Daniel—Gascons route now and a Montreal-Gaspé route as soon as possible. We want a daily, daytime train with few stops between Montreal and Rivière‑du‑Loup to serve the Lower St. Lawrence and Gaspésie and allow the Ocean train to make fewer stops in the municipalities it passes in the middle of the night.
If VIA Rail can't offer this service for logistical reasons, we want a protected budget and a pilot project starting this fall, because the Société du chemin de fer de la Gaspésie can manage the project.
Thank you for your attention.
