Via Rail has enlisted the Toronto police canine unit to patrol Union Station, including train platforms, say GO Transit officials who handle Via security in downtown Toronto.

“It’s no different than what you would see in any airport in North America,” said Bill Grodzinski, GO director of safety and security, who accompanied the first patrol through Union on Wednesday morning.

“It’s just another way of making sure the public is safe,” he said, citing the use of dogs used to inspect luggage at airports for contraband and explosives.

Grodzinski said Via has similar arrangements in other cities, including Montreal and Ottawa.

He declined to say how frequently the patrols will take place, although it would be on a “regular” basis.

It’s not clear whether the stepped-up security at Union Station is in response to last year’s terror-related arrests of a Toronto and a Montreal man in an alleged plot to derail a Via passenger train travelling from New York. A third man in the U.S. was also arrested.

Via Rail officials did not respond to Star questions about the program on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Const. Victor Kwong, of the Toronto police, said Wednesday’s patrol was a “preventive sweep,” something that will be done increasingly in mass-transit hubs as the Pan Am Games approach in summer 2015.

Although Union Station users are asked not to pet working dogs, the first patrol on Wednesday by Toronto Const. Craig Tourangeau and springer spaniel Swinger was greeted with affectionate petting.

Labrador retrievers and German shepherds are also part of the canine unit.

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