MONTREAL, Dec. 29, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - At approximately 5 a.m. this morning, train 2 which was travelling between Vancouver and Toronto was delayed several hours near Parry Sound, Ontario, due to a medical emergency onboard the train. Four passengers were showing signs of flu-like symptoms. Local emergency services were dispatched and when they arrived on-site they confirmed an elderly woman had passed away. The other three passengers were detrained and transported to the hospital to be treated.

Additional information:

• Train 2 departed Vancouver on December 25th, at 20:30 and was scheduled to arrive in Toronto this morning at 9:30. As of 12:05, train 2 was on the move from Parry Sound and arrived in Toronto at 15:53 this afternoon, with a six hour delay.
• Train 2 had 200 passengers and 13 crew members onboard.
• In 2011, 109,000 passengers traveled on The Canadian.

The decision was made to quarantine the two rooms they were occupying. This is a standard procedure in events such as these and all VIA Rail employees implicated in this situation are fully cooperating with local authorities and are keeping passengers onboard the train informed.

First and foremost, safety and security is VIA Rail's priority for its passengers and personnel.

For any inquiries regarding the medical situation, please contact the media the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care media line at 1-416-314-6197.

For any questions related to OPP's involvement, please contact West Parry Sound OPP at 1-888-310-1122.

About VIA Rail Canada

As Canada's national rail passenger service, VIA Rail Canada's (www.viarail.ca) mandate is to provide safe, efficient, cost-effective passenger transportation in the country's two official languages. VIA operates intercity, regional and transcontinental trains linking 450 communities across its 12,500-kilometer route network. Recipient of the RAC's Safety Award in 2012 for the 11^th time in 12 years, and of the 2012 Agent's Choice Award voted on by Canadian travel agents and presented by Baxter Travel Media, VIA safely transports over four million passengers annually. Since 2007, the Government of Canada has provided VIA Rail with nearly one billion dollars in capital investment funding. Follow the evolution of current projects at viarail.ca/TransformerVIA.

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SOURCE VIA RAIL CANADA INC.