Yesterday’s news out of Montreal was a stunner: VIA Rail Canada will re-equip its long-distance, regional, and remote-service trains with new single-level equipment — including dome cars for its flagship, the Vancouver-Toronto Canadian. VIA Rail’s 70-year-old Budd-built stainless steel fleet is a testament to durability and design. But nothing lasts forever, and despite all their […]
MONTREAL— VIA Rail Canada has issued a formal “Request for Qualification” for prospective carbuilders to replace long-distance, regional, and remote-service passenger cars that date from the mid-1950s. This follows a November RFQ for locomotives to power the new single-level equipment. The request issued today (Monday, Dec. 9) follows a commitment earlier this year by the […]
OTTAWA, Ontario — Canadian National, Genesee & Wyoming Canada, Metrolinx, and VIA Rail Canada are recipients of the Railway Association of Canada’s 2024 Safety Awards, which honor innovations and proactive measures by the nation’s railways to maintain and improve safety. “Safety is at the heart of everything we do,” Marc Brazeau, president and CEO of […]
MONTREAL — In a move similar to Amtrak’s efforts to address issues with host railroads with the Surface Transportation Board, VIA Rail Canada has asked the Canadian Transportation Agency to impose a new track access agreement with Canadian National Railway. But VIA’s filing, made in June 2023, has gone nowhere, the Canadian Press reports, in […]
LONGUEUIL, Quebec — The remaining portion of a shelter-in-place order following a Canadian National derailment has been lifted. The Canadian Press reports the lockdown area south of a Thursday morning derailment that led to a chemical spill was lifted at 4:30 a.m. today (Friday, Nov. 15). Eight cars of a CN train derailed in Longueuil, […]
LONGUEUIL, Quebec — Eight cars of a Canadian National train derailed today (Thursday, Nov. 14) in suburban Montreal, releasing a cloud of a potentially hazardous material and leading to a shelter-in-place order for nearby residents as well as area schools. The derailment occurred after 8 a.m. in the community of Longueuil, on Montreal’s south shore, […]
OTTAWA, Ontario — VIA Rail Canada is asking a Canadian court to review speed restrictions imposed on its Venture passenger equipment by Canadian National Railway, saying CN has not provided any evidence or valid reasoning for the move. The Canadian Press reports VIA said in a Federal Court filing that “there is no evidence to […]
SALFORD, Ontario — It was fitting that on Oct. 31, a ghost of VIA Rail Canada’s past was officially brought back to life. The VIA Historical Association completed a full restoration of FP9A No. 6539 back into its classic blue and yellow paint scheme. The unit debuted at the Ontario Southland Railway shops in Salford, […]
Peer in, as Trains.com staffer Lucas Iverson converses with Scott Griggs, Founder and Chief Engineer of Trainz.com. Scott was kind enough to carve time out of his frenetic fall 2024 calendar to drop into this exclusive Q&A interview via remote video feed. Throughout this extensive interview (edited), you’ll glean behind-the-scenes insights into the past, present, […]
MONTREAL — Despite speed restrictions abruptly imposed by host railroad Canadian National as a safety measure on Oct. 11, VIA Rail Canada is not adjusting schedules on trips involving Venture trainsets to reflect slower running times. Instead, passengers are being given a revised delay estimate. And beginning the week of Nov. 4, the carrier is […]
MONTREAL — Canadian union Unifor has opened contract negotiations with VIA Rail Canada, the union announced Monday, Oct. 28. The union’s Council 4000 represents 1,800 VIA employees in station services, headquarters, maintenance centers and onboard positions; Local 100 represents 700 employees working as diesel engine mechanics, electricians, railcar technicians, and general workers. “Our goal in […]
OTTAWA, Ontario — Unifor, Canadian’s largest private-sector union, is calling on Canadian National Railways to prioritize passenger operations — and for more government oversight of the relationship between freight and passenger service — in the wake of restrictions CN has placed on VIA Rail Canada corridor trains in Ontario and Quebec. “This is about CN […]
