Government of Canada and VIA Rail Unveil New Belleville Station Design

New Belleville Station Design: http://files.newswire.ca/907/Belleville.jpg

BELLEVILLE, ON, Nov. 10 /CNW Telbec/ - Today, Daryl Kramp, Member of Parliament for Prince Edward-Hastings,  Neil Ellis, Mayor of Belleville, and Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, General Counsel and Secretary of VIA Rail Canada, unveiled the design plans for VIA's new Belleville passenger rail station.

Representing an estimated investment of $14 million, the project will receive  $2.5 million from the Government of Canada's Economic Action Plan.  This investment will provide modern, attractive facilities to passengers with capacity to meet potential future growth.  "By investing in rail services and facilities such as those here in Belleville, our government is helping to stimulate economic activity and job creation and improving Canada's passenger rail system for years to come," MP Kramp said.

"This station will enhance the quality of rail service to our community as well as bringing immediate benefits of jobs and economic stimulus," Mayor Ellis added, "That means better access to and from Belleville, with service that is both efficient and environmentally sustainable for the future."

The new station design will enhance and complement the existing heritage station, which dates back to 1856 and will be preserved.  Mr. Desjardins-Siciliano pointed out that the Belleville station is one of the top fifteen in Canada in terms of passenger volumes today.  "It serves far more travellers than the builders of the original station ever imagined possible.  And that volume will keep growing as VIA continues to add faster, more efficient, more reliable and frequent train services in the Ontario-Quebec corridor."

With construction scheduled to begin next year, the new station will incorporate an island boarding platform and overhead bridge to accommodate the addition of two main rail lines.  The additional lines are part of a $300 million project to expand and improve track between Montreal and Toronto.

"The station design reflects VIA's commitment to deliver the best possible travel experience for our customers," Mr. Desjardins-Siciliano said. "That is critical as we continue to enhance our service to meet the needs of people who look to passenger rail for transportation that is safe, convenient, reliable, and environmentally sustainable."

The Ontario-Quebec corridor is important to VIA's success.  As a result of the capital investment by the Government of Canada, VIA is revamping its services while becoming more efficient and improving its environmental footprint and operational performance.

Station and infrastructure improvements have been made possible by an unprecedented $923 million capital investment in passenger rail by the Government of Canada.  This investment is stimulating job creation, skills development and private sector activity. Additional infrastructure projects are aimed at improving service quality and cost efficiency at points across VIA's network.

Station Design Highlights

• A fully accessible and welcoming environment with comfortable, relaxing waiting areas.
• Large, ample windows to allow plenty of light and views outside, including views of train arrivals and departures.
• Wider boarding platforms.
• Parking and drop-off facilities, designed for the convenience of customers.
• Landscaping that preserves and reinforces the natural environment.

About VIA Rail Canada

As Canada's national rail passenger service, VIA Rail Canada's mandate is to provide efficient and cost-effective passenger transportation to Canadian travellers - in both official languages.  Every week VIA operates 503 intercity, transcontinental and regional trains linking 450 communities across its 12,500-kilometre route network. The demand for VIA services is growing as travelers increasingly turn to train travel as a safe and reliable alternative to congested roads and airports. VIA safely transports over four million passengers annually.

Backgrounders:

To learn more about VIA's Capital Investment Program please visit http://www.viarail.ca/en/about-via-rail/our-company/capital-investment

For further information:

Media Contacts:
Catherine Kaloutsky VIA Rail Canada [phone]		Robert Lynch Office of the Minister of State (Transport) [phone]