A Via Rail train sits in the yard in Halifax on June 13, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan
March 22, 2014 - 9:44 AM
HALIFAX - Several NDP politicians are boarding a train to Ottawa from Halifax this weekend to promote passenger rail service in the Maritimes.
MPs Robert Chisholm, Megan Leslie, Peter Stoffer and Philip Toone will start their journey at the Via Rail station in Halifax on Sunday morning, with stops in New Brunswick and Quebec.
They're making the trip after CN Rail announced it plans to abandon a 70-kilometre stretch of track between Miramichi and Bathurst in New Brunswick because it no longer carries freight on the line.
Chisholm says without federal help, he's worried communities east of Quebec will lose the already reduced service Via Rail provides in the Maritimes.
He says $10 million is needed to maintain the vital New Brunswick rail line, and Ottawa should provide the funding.
Chisholm says rail is an efficient way to travel and many people in region rely on the service.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2014