Caption: VIA Rail's eastbound Canadian at Jasper, AB. VIA Rail rebuilt F40PH #6406 and Coors Light "Silver Bullet Express" unit #6408 on the point. According to VIA Rail’s web page at www.viarail.ca/en , VIA is continuing the service cancellation of the Canadian between Toronto & Winnipeg as a result of the freight train derailment in northern Ontario, with no word as to when the service will be restored. While the train is still running between Winnipeg & Vancouver, and Amtrak provides service between Toronto & Vancouver through the United States (see my page on Amtrak’s Empire Builder at http://northamericabyrail.info/usa-west/the-empire-builder/ ), from Toronto it is no longer possible to get to Winnipeg by rail. This news is completely unacceptable & comes at a time when it was just announced that forward-thinking politicians in the U.S. have worked together at the state and federal levels to secure funding to repair the rail line through Albuquerque, NM thus preserving Amtrak’s Southwest Chief Chicago to LA passenger rail service: http://krqe.com/2015/03/29/amtrak-says-southwest-chiefs-new-mexico-route-will-remain/ It is to the eternal shame of the Federal Government that they show no interest in providing the meager investment needed to maintain the operation of a viable & important transcontinental rail service, being far more interested with pouring vast amounts of tax dollars into the road & air transport industries. VIA provides an essential year-round transportation link to towns & cities across Canada, providing a valuable service to the millions of people who use it every year at a fraction of the government spending given to roads, and with the ability to serve far more city pairs than air ever could. I would invite those reading this to contact your local political representative or the representatives below urging them to restore the service as soon as possible. For convenience, you can forward the info I’ve provided on my ‘Why Choose the Train’ page at http://northamericabyrail.info/why-choose-the-train/ to the following recipients: VIA Rail CEO, Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, yves_desjardins-siciliano@viarail.ca The Hon. Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, pm@pm.gc.ca The Hon. Justin Trudeau, Leader-Liberal Party of Canada, justin.trudeau@parl.gc.ca The Hon. Thomas Mulcair, Leader-NDP, thomas.mulcair@parl.gc.ca