VIA Rail President and CEO Yves Desjardins-Sicilano is making a stop in Sarnia next month to provide an update on possible improvements to local service.
Right now, Sarnia has just one passenger train arriving after 10pm daily and one departing each morning just after 6am.
Southwestern Ontario Transportation Alliance President Terry Johnson says there were once four trains coming through Sarnia daily. That was a time when the area had the highest rate of cost recovery along the line.
He says there's been productive talks regarding improvements to reliability, frequency and travel times.
Johnson says the provincial and federal governments need to step up funding so that VIA can replace 60-year-old equipment with modern, fully accessible technology.
He sees London becoming a regional hub under an integrated transportation system.
Earlier this week, Desjardins-Siciliano said there would be seven daily trains between London and Toronto by 2016. He also says the Sarnia to Toronto service would be rerouted through Brantford and an afternoon train would be added in each direction between London and Toronto.
Desjardins-Siciliano will be in town June 17 for a presentation to the Sarnia-Lambton Chamber of Commerce.
