Via Rail to add more southwestern Ontario trains, CEO says

Via Rail will add more trips in and out of southwestern Ontario, says the company's CEO .

Yves Desjardins-Siciliano was in Windsor, Ont., on Wednesday to meet with the local chamber of commerce to talk about long- and short-term goals of Via Rail.

While speaking with CBC's Afternoon Drive host Bob Steele, Desjardins-Siciliano said another trip between London and Windsor will be added by early next year, though the schedule has not yet been decided.

Desjardins-Siciliano said an early morning trip out of Windsor to Toronto, which currently leaves at 5:30 a.m., could also be moved to leave later in the morning.

He also said a Friday evening train departing Toronto to Windsor will also be reintroduced, while two more trips are also being planned between Toronto and London.

"We're looking at making these changes for the first quarter of 2016," Desjardins-Siciliano said. "What we're trying to do is meet the growing demand for passenger rail here in Ontario but also across the Quebec-Ontario corridor," he said.

He said Via is looking build passenger rail infrastructure between Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, which would allow trains to run at their full speed.

Via trains travel an average of 112 km/h (70 mph). Desjardins-Siciliano said with upgraded infrastructure, the trains could travel closer to their top speed of 177 km/h (110 mph).