VIA Rail’s plan to cut Guildwood, Malton service and reduce eastern Ontario trains sparks outcry - Toronto Star

The Crown corporation says the changes will roll out Oct. 25 and affect routes along the Ottawa-Toronto corridor. 

VIA Rail will be rolling out its new schedule on Oct. 25. 

Via Rail says it will no longer serve Toronto-area stations Guildwood and Malton later this fall as it rolls out multiple adjustments and reduced train service along select routes. 

The upcoming changes, announced Wednesday and set to begin Oct. 25, will also affect service along the Ottawa-Toronto corridor, including stops in Kingston and Cobourg, sparking sharp criticism from municipal leaders. 

The Crown corporation will also be cutting the 4:13 a.m. train from the nation’s capital to Toronto. 

“The revised schedule will better align service with passenger demand, strengthen network resilience and support more reliable and predictable service,” Via Rail wrote in a news release. 

Via Rail said the removal of stops at Guildwood in Scarborough and the Malton in Mississauga will “improve overall travel times,” citing the stations’ proximity to Union Station in downtown Toronto and the availability of GO Transit and other services. 

Scarborough councillor and Toronto deputy mayor Paul Ainslie slammed VIA’s decision, calling on the transit agency to reverse it. 

“Guildwood Station is not simply a train stop. It is an essential transportation asset that connects Scarborough residents to communities across Ontario and Canada,”  Ainslie wrote in a statement. “Removing service would make travel less convenient, increase travel times, and reduce transportation options for thousands of residents.”

Kingston Mayor Bryan Patterson also released a statement on Facebook criticizing the new schedule, saying the changes will result in eight fewer trains to his city. 

“We can’t continue to accept the erosion of rail service in our city,” Patterson wrote. 

In a joint letter addressed to VIA Rail, several mayors of municipalities in Northumberland County voiced their disappointment to the cancellation of the early morning commuter train — the 641 — that served residents along the Kingston-Toronto corridor.

The letter, also signed by MP Philip Lawrence and MPP David Piccini, demands that the crown corporation release the ridership numbers.

“We understand that your reasoning for this cancellation was low ridership,” reads the letter dated Thursday. “A disruption of this magnitude demands complete transparency and honesty.”

Brighton, Ont. Mayor Brian Ostrander told the Star that no one in the county was forewarned about the service cuts.

“Folks need to get into the city to work or to get to a specialist or to visit family,” said Ostrander. “You and I subsidize the railroad so that we can get people around the country. I think part of that subsidy needs to be considered when we’re moving people in and out of the largest city in the country.”

Cobourg Mayor Lucas Cleveland also posted on Facebook saying the cancellation of train 641 was very disappointing given it was something his town advocated to re-establish in May 2024. 

VIA Rail, in a statement to the Star, claimed local officials in eastern Ontario were informed about the changes ahead of the announcement earlier this week. “We continue to engage with them regarding their concerns,” it wrote.

Sergei Sivolobtchik takes the train to Toronto from Port Hope in the morning twice weekly for his job. The IT analyst said that service since the COVID-19 pandemic had already become less convenient, claiming commuters were getting into Toronto after most office start-times (after 9 a.m.).  

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Sivolobtchik said the train is always crowded when he rides it into the city from his small town. 

“Maybe they think that their business model is tourism and occasional travel,” said Sivolobtchik. “But they refuse to admit that they are very much serving a large commuter community.”

Samm Mohibuddin is a staff reporter with the Toronto Star. He can be reached at smohibuddin@thestar.ca 

Sheila Reid is a staff reporter with the Toronto Star. She can be reached at shreid@thestar.ca.