VIA Rail recruits on-train service attendants, station attendants and counter agents, customer care agents, railcar technicians and general workers. Its postings offer $28.91/hr on board and $27.48-$31.80/hr at Toronto’s Union Station.
Openings are tied to a home station or maintenance centre, mostly in Ontario and Quebec. Long-distance crews also work out of Winnipeg, Vancouver and Halifax.
🎫 All aboard: what’s covered
- Five VIA jobs and the pay attached
- Which roles mean days away from home
- How to count your customer service years
- VIA’s official careers portal
Five VIA Rail positions worth applying for
On-Train Service Attendant
TravelsWelcome passengers aboard, serve meals and drinks from the trolley, make up berths and help people with their luggage.
🧳 Ideal if you: speak English and French and enjoy life on the rails
Station Service Attendant and Counter Sales Agent
Home every nightSell and change tickets, tag checked bags and walk travellers who need help to their platform.
🧳 Ideal if you: enjoy busy crowds but want to sleep in your own bed
Customer Care Agent
Phone and chatBook and rebook trips, explain fares and seat classes, and sort out delays or refunds with callers.
🧳 Ideal if you: type fast and explain things clearly in two languages
Railcar Technician
Trade skillsInspect brakes, doors and couplers, fix heating and lighting in the cars, and sign off each car before it returns to service.
🧳 Ideal if you: have mechanical training or years of hands-on repair work
General Worker
No trade ticketClean and restock cars between runs, move supplies around the shop and help technicians with heavy parts.
🧳 Ideal if you: want a way into railway work without a trade ticket
Travel and language needs of each VIA role
Two things decide most VIA applications: whether you can be away for days and whether you speak French. This table sums up both for each job.
💡 Add up all your service jobs: the one year of customer service VIA asks for can come from shops, restaurants, hotels or phone support. List each one with its dates so recruiters see the full year.
Submitting your VIA Rail application
Browse VIA’s careers portal by city or job family, then complete the online form for each posting. An email confirms that VIA received it, and some postings close on a fixed date.
See VIA Rail’s open positions on trains, in stations and in the shops.
Applications are made on VIA’s own recruitment site.
Apply at VIA RailRates for the attendant and station roles were published in VIA Rail job postings. The other jobs are paid on the scales in VIA’s collective agreements with Unifor.