VIA Rail is offering complimentary train travel to Ottawa’s children’s hospital and five other children’s hospitals along the Quebec City-Windsor corridor to ease the financial burden for families.
The Crown corporation and Canada’s Children’s Hospital Foundations launched a new three-year partnership on Tuesday to assist with travel for children requiring specialized medical treatment.
The plan will see VIA Rail offer complimentary train travel to CHEO, CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal Children’s Hospital, SickKids in Toronto, McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton and the Children’s Hospital in London.
“Connecting people and communities across Canada is at the heart of VIA Rail’s mandate,” Mathieu Paquette, president and CEO of VIA Rail, said in a statement.
“For families seeking specialized medical care, and for people with disabilities or those who have limited transportation options, accessible passenger rail can be a vital link. Through our partnership with Canada’s Children’s Hospital Foundations, we are proud to help reduce barriers to care and make the journey a little easier for children and their families.”
VIA Rail and the Children’s Health Foundation in London partnered to assist patients travelling to the Children’s Hospital at the London Health Sciences Centre for treatment. Since April 2026, the program has helped families book more than 250 complimentary journeys on the train to and from the hospital for specialized care.
VIA Rail also announced it will assist the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation, Children’s Hospital of Manitoba, IWK Foundation and the Janeway Children’s Hospital Foundation to enhance fundraising efforts and make an “even greater difference for patients and families in their local communities.”
