VANCOUVER, B.C. — VIA Rail Chairman Jean Pelletier joined CBC Chair Carole Taylor today to launch the CBC-TV VIA Rail Train, which will bring the celebration of 50 years of Canadian television to communities across Canada, the railway said in a press release.
CBC will broadcast live from a specially prepared VIA train as it travels from Vancouver to Halifax, stopping for special events at VIA Rail’s stations along the way. VIA Rail’s trains connect some 450 Canadian communities across a 14,000 kilometre national passenger rail network.
“VIA is delighted to help the CBC make this celebration a truly national event, and bring it to the people VIA serves throughout Canada,” Mr. Pelletier said. “VIA Rail and CBC both provide a vital, national public service, connecting Canadians from all walks of life, coast to coast – from small maritime towns to the northern wilderness, from rural farmland to some of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world.”
“I am especially pleased that we are launching this train from Vancouver, the starting point for the Canadian, VIA’s legendary transcontinental train,” Mr. Pelletier added. “In Western Canada, VIA has been very successful in bringing people from around the world to experience the arts, culture and natural beauty of this country.”
VIA’s western rail services are among the most popular in the country – including the Canadian, the popular Snow Train to Jasper, the Skeena to Prince Rupert, and the Hudson Bay service to Churchill.
VIA plays an especially important role in promoting and supporting tourism in the West. All Western operations are directed by VIA’s Western Service team based in Vancouver. The team works closely with local and provincial tourism councils, the Canadian Tourism Commission, and more than 150 tour operators around the world to promote western tourism.
VIA Rail employs over 700 people directly in Western Canada; its operations also contribute an estimated $250 million annually to the combined GDP of the four Western provinces.
“As this unique CBC-VIA train begins its journey from Vancouver, both VIA Rail and the CBC are entering the future stronger than ever,” Mr. Pelletier said. “We are both committed to delivering the service Canadians need, and demand, more efficiently than ever before.”