OTTAWA — The 8:56 a.m. train from Barrhaven to Toronto on Oct. 27 will mark the start of improved rail service and sharpen competition between trains and planes, the Ottawa Citizen reports.
VIA Rail’s new Fallowfield station, beside a cornfield on the edge of the Greenbelt, will cut at least 30 minutes off travel time to and from Toronto for people living in western and southern Ottawa.
VIA announced its Fallowfield schedule yesterday. Toronto-bound trains will leave Fallowfield 16 minutes after their departure from downtown Ottawa. The trip in either direction between Fallowfield and Toronto is scheduled to take as little as three hours and 38 minutes and as much as four hours, depending on the time of day.
In addition to a reduction of 16 minutes in rail travel time, people living in western and southern suburbs will save at least as long in not having to drive or take a bus downtown to board the train at Ottawa’s main station.
VIA Rail spent $1.2 million building the no-frills station as part of efforts to make train travel more attractive, and cut into the business of airlines.
Starting Oct. 27, all trains between Ottawa and Toronto will stop at Fallowfield. The 8:40 a.m. train is the first from Ottawa that day, a Sunday. On weekdays, the first Toronto train will leave Ottawa at 6 a.m. and Fallowfield at 6:16 a.m.
Fares to Toronto are the same whether a passenger boards in Ottawa or at Fallowfield. VIA yesterday quoted an adult round-trip fare of $139.10, taxes included, with departure Nov. 4 and return Nov. 11.
Air Canada quoted a round-trip fare of $360.52, taxes included, for travel on the same dates.
VIA now operates five round trips a day on weekdays on its Ottawa-Toronto and Ottawa-Montreal runs.
VIA says it plans to increase frequency of service next year. VIA also plans to reintroduce overnight trains between Ottawa and Toronto. The overnight service was due to begin Oct. 27, but VIA said yesterday it has been postponed indefinitely, due to delays in delivery of sleeping cars.
From the end of this month, VIA is cutting journey time between Ottawa and Montreal. The fastest trains will take only one hour and 39 minutes. At present, the fastest time is one hour and 58 minutes between Ottawa and Montreal, or about the same time as a non-stop bus.
VIA plans, perhaps next year, to introduce service between Fallowfield and Montreal. Some trains to and from Montreal would extend their run to provide service to Fallowfield.