Hundreds of travellers were reportedly left stranded for over 18 hours due to about a dozen VIA trains being cancelled or immobilized.

According to a statement by VIA Rail, seven trains were cancelled while nine others were immobilized due to the winter storm, with VIA rail citing power outages and downed trees as causes of the cancellations.

“From power outages to trees on the tracks and even a tree falling on a locomotive, conditions make it impossible to move some of our trains…Our first priority is the safety of our passengers and, although stopped, our trains are able to keep passengers warm and safe while on board,” VIA rails stated, according to media reports.

A passenger, while speaking to media outlets, stated that he had boarded Via Rail train 55 from Ottawa to Toronto on Friday at around 3:30 p.m. The train stopped on the tracks near Coburg at around 10:30 p.m. Friday night.

“We were told then that it would be an hour before we might be able to start moving again,” he said, stating that as of 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, the train was still stationary.

VIA rail has since reportedly stated that stranded passengers will receive a full refund.

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