General

Ottawa may privatize part of VIA Rail

Company registered $261 million in operating losses in 2010

Ottawa is mulling selling off parts of VIA Rail or cutting routes in attempt to cut costs, Bloomberg reports. According to a a briefing note prepared for Transport Minister Denis Lebel, the ministry is “assessing several options for future support for passenger-rail services,” including service reductions, writes Bloomberg, which obtained the documents through a freedom of information request. The government-owned passenger rail “regularly requires additional funding to cover operating shortfalls,” the briefing notes. The document added that “Privatization and public sector partnerships in the Quebec City-Windsor corridor are being assessed.” In 2010 VIA recorded operating losses of $261 million, according to the latest available annual report.

Bloomberg

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