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New VIA Rail schedule for Northern Manitoba

A new schedule is in place for travellers that use VIA Rail service in Northern Manitoba, including a twice-weekly round trip service between Winnipeg and Churchill and shuttle service once a week from Thompson to Thicket Portage, twice a week from T

A new schedule is in place for travellers that use VIA Rail service in Northern Manitoba, including a twice-weekly round trip service between Winnipeg and Churchill and shuttle service once a week from Thompson to Thicket Portage, twice a week from Thicket Portage to Thompson and once a week between Gillam and Thompson.

Catherine Kaloutsky, a representative with VIA Rail Canada, says the changes are a result of current operation requirements on the Hudson Bay Railway rail line.

"Over the seven to 10 years, VIA's regional team in Winnipeg has been meeting with members of the Northern Manitoba community and looking at what are the challenges of providing service up there and what people would like to see," she explains.

She says the new schedule will provide more service in the North, especially since road travel in the winter is difficult if not impossible. She says this is especially true for the new shuttle service VIA will be offering.

"With having to put in a new schedule for the Winnipeg to Churchill service, it left us with an opportunity to use the equipment that would have been there to provide a shuttle service to the communities," she says.

Kaloutsky adds that it's important VIA Rail patrons have service they can depend on.

"The schedule that they're depending on right now is actually the schedule between Winnipeg and Churchill, and that schedule is one that has some operational challenges where the train may be running late. That has a huge impact on smaller communities," she rationalizes. "So with being able to implement a shuttle service that is independent of the Winnipeg to Churchill schedule, we know that those communities will now have a service they can depend upon."

Under the new schedule, for travelling between Winnipeg and Churchill the northbound train 693 will leave Winnipeg every Sunday and Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. and arrive in Churchill every Tuesday and Friday at 8:30 a.m. The southbound train 692 will depart Churchill at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday and Saturday and arrive in Winnipeg the following Thursday and Monday afternoon at 4:40 p.m.

Service from Thicket Portage to Thompson runs from Thicket Portage at 8:30 a.m. and arrives in Thompson at 11 a.m. and also departs Thicket Portage at 7 p.m., arriving in Thompson at 9:30 p.m. Service running from Thompson back to Thicket Portage runs on Tuesdays, departing the city at 4 p.m. and arriving in Thicket Portage at 6:30 p.m.

The train running from Gillam to Thompson via Ilford and Pikwitonei departs from Gillam on Fridays at 5 a.m. and arrives in Thompson at 11 a.m. Service from Thompson to Gillam, again via Pikwitonei and Ilford, departs at 8 p.m. and arrives in Gillam at 2 a.m. on Saturdays.

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