Travelling by Via Rail - why so expensive?

[andmalc]

I travel to Toronto every once in a while and l enjoy taking the train vs. driving. You don't get stuck on the DVP, you see more scenery like the lake then you do driving, and you can usually get into a good conversation with the other passengers.

I'd do it more often, or even go down to Kingston for something to do, but as someone who works in a call centre, it's too expensive, at $50 each way to Toronto, and I believe $24 to Kingston.

If it were cheaper, more people would travel up and down the line, even for the day, and this would probably be good for the Belleville economy. Sure, people might shop elsewhere, but lots of people would come here for the natural environment or to check out the County. If it were cheaper and ran more often and faster, lots of people could live here and commute to other cities.

So, why is it so expensive? Anybody know?