VIA Rail Canada’s progress towards a zero-waste experience

MONTRÉAL — Since announcing its sustainability plan in April 2022, VIA Rail Canada has made progress towards its objective to offer a zero-waste experience on its new Corridor fleet by 2025 by focusing on the reduction of packaging and materials in Business and Economy classes and the improvement of waste collection on board its trains and in its facilities.

Changes recently implemented as part of its journey towards offering a zero-waste experience on its new Corridor fleet, VIA Rail, include:

• Changed plastic cups, resulting in a 25 per cent decrease in plastic use;
• Reduced sandwich packaging, saving the equivalent of over six tons of waste annually in Economy class;
• Completed in-class training of over 70 per cent of employees working on board trains to improve recycling and prepare for zero-waste objective.

“The key changes recently implemented are just the beginning of our zero-waste journey and we are pleased that our customers are already able to see improvements on our current fleet as we progress towards our objective of offering a zero-waste experience on our new Corridor fleet by 2025,” says Rita Toporowski, Chief Customer Officer. “Determined to embed sustainability in every aspect of our operations, our zero-waste initiative exemplifies the vision we have for VIA Rail as a sustainable, modern and accessible mode of transportation.”

VIA Rail will also use reusable glassware and water pitchers instead of plastic as each new Corridor train enters service. This change which is enabled by the configuration of the new fleet, will allow for a reduction of plastic bottles used in Business class of over two tons annually.