Mr. Speaker, with regard to part (a), Via Rail only authorizes sports and recreational equipment with a linear dimension of 158 linear cm (61 linear inches). Linear dimensions are obtained by adding length, width and height.
With regard to part (b), Via Rail is continuing to replace its Québec City-Windsor corridor fleet with new and modern trains. As such, travel with bicycles as checked baggage will be progressively reintroduced as of spring 2025, and cyclists will be able to reserve and pay for their bicycle transport on trains where the service is available when they book their ticket on Via Rail's reservation system.
In the case of routes outside the Québec City-Windsor corridor, such as Toronto-Vancouver, Montreal-Halifax, Sudbury-White River, Senneterre, Jonquière, Winnipeg-Churchill and Jasper-Prince Rupert, for safety reasons, bicycles must be stored in our baggage cars, which can accommodate larger items and are equipped with bike racks. This is why a baggage car is required to authorize their transport.
With regard to part (c), this long-standing distinction in Via Rail's baggage policy is currently being re-evaluated and the policy will be adjusted to charge uniformly for sports and recreational equipment of comparable size and requiring the same handling effort.
With regard to part (d), rolling equipment and train sets, as well as passenger's needs, differ from country to country. As a result, passenger train operators’ baggage policies may vary. Via Rail cannot speak on behalf of other companies.
With regard to part (e), travel with bicycles will be progressively reintroduced in the Québec City-Windsor corridor as of spring 2025. By then, cyclists will be able to reserve and pay for their bicycle transport on trains where the service is available when they book their ticket on Via Rail's reservation system.