Via customers praise company's handling of derailment

Via Rail passengers who arrived in Windsor by bus after a train derailment killed three Sunday in Burlington and caused delays elsewhere told CBC News they are happy with the way the rail company has handled the situation. 

Three people interviewed said they arrived pretty much on time — albeit by bus — and will receive 50 per cent off their next trip with Via Rail.

Meanwhile, Via Rail  passengers leaving Windsor, Ont., from the train station on Walker Road put on a brave face Monday.

A Via train derailment in Burlington left three people dead Sunday.

The derailment in Burlington unnerved traveler Mo Haidar.

"It's pretty scary going back knowing what happened [Sunday]. But you got to do what you got to do, I guess," he said.

Susan Sverdrup-Philipps commutes by train three times a week from Windsor to London. She said she is not concerned for her safety in the wake of the crash.

"I think it's unfortunate that three people died, but if we compare how many people have died on [Highway] 401 in the last 10 years and how many people have died due to train travel in the last 10 years, I think we see which is the safest way to travel," she said.

Local trains affected

A Via Rail spokesperson said passengers should expect delays today.

Michelle Lamarche said the company is still dealing with the the derailment that killed the three Via Rail employees on Sunday.

A locomotive and one passenger car of a train heading from Niagara Falls to Toronto flipped onto their sides and crashed into a small trackside building in Burlington.

Lamarche says passengers traveling today will have to be patient.  

"The tracks are still blocked. The train will be detoured over alternate tracks or we will provide bus transportation. We will be able to accommodate all passengers," Lamarche said.

Via Rail employees in Windsor told CBC News that passengers scheduled to ride the 1:45 p.m. out of Windsor on Monday will instead be taken by bus.

However, Monday's 5:30 a.m. train left as scheduled and the 9:05 a.m. and 5:45 p.m. trains were to do the same.

Lamarche said passengers can call the Via Rail line or consult the company's website with their train number to get more specific information on their travels.