Lack of food, water and toilets: Via Rail passengers fume after being stranded 10 hours in Quebec

Via Rail passengers are speaking out after their train from Montreal to Quebec City broke down, leaving them stranded for about 10 hours over the long weekend with a lack of food, water and access to a toilet for prolonged intervals. 

Rudy El Maghariki says what he expected to be a three-and-a-half-hour trip on Saturday became a 14-hour ordeal.

"We were just tired, we were hungry, we were thirsty. We couldn't go out," he said, saying it became almost impossible to breathe after so many hours without fresh air. 

Like many others on train 622, El Maghariki expected to arrive in Quebec City around noon for a weekend visit. But he says the train came to a stop about 45 minutes away from the destination. 

He said staff members initially told passengers the train was having some mechanical and technical issues, but he said after hours, there was still no update — and people were getting upset and restless. 

"There was no communication … nobody was telling us anything," El Maghariki said.

Via Rail confirmed that passengers were stuck for 10 hours on Saturday when a train broke after experiencing two consecutive mechanical issues. The company said no buses were available in the region to offer alternative transportation.

Electricity, air conditioning and washrooms were shut down at times to allow for repairs and coupling with another train, the company said.

But it insisted that passengers were offered beverages and snacks throughout the day, and that a meal was delivered on board with additional water in the evening.

El Maghariki, however, said five hours into the delay, he still had to pay $6.50 for a bagel for his sister. 

"It's not about the value, it's about the principle," he said. 

Eventually, staff began handing out free snacks and water — but supplies quickly ran out. 

Vancouver resident Carmel Tanaka, who was on board the train to Quebec City to meet a cousin for the first time, says at one point, a staff member came around showing passengers a jug with a limited amount of water. 

"'I have this much water left. Are you really dehydrated? If so, I can give this to you,'" she recalls them saying. "That's how dire the situation was."