Canada’s labor minister to resign

Portrait photo of man in suit

OTTAWA, Ontario — Canada’s labor minister, Seamus O’Regan, announced today (Thursday, July 18) that he is stepping down from that position and will not seek reelection to parliament. His resignation from the cabinet position is effective Friday, but he will continue to serve as an MP from the St. John’s South-Mount Pearl riding in Newfoundland […]

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Port of Montreal completes C$62.4 million project to increase rail capacity

Locomotive posed on new track with concrete ties

MONTREAL — The Montreal Port Authority has completed a multi-year flagship project to improve its logistics services and increase rail capacity to “substantially contribute to the local and regional economy,” port leaders said. The $62.4 million project, which took three years to complete, extends from Bourbonnière Avenue to Panet Street, near the Jacques-Cartier Bridge. Officials […]

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VIA Rail Canada unveils specially painted corridor trainset

Yellow Siemens Charger locomotive in yard

MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada has introduced a special one-off paint scheme, which it is calling “Lumi,” for one of its new Siemens-built trainsets for use in the Québec City-Windsor corridor. Lumi, short for luminoscity, features the monochrome yellow that has long been a signature color for VIA.  The company says the Lumi trainset “acts […]

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Canada marks 11 years since Lac-Mégantic disaster

Flowers, guitar at stone memorial

LAC-MÉGANTIC, Quebec — Canada’s Transport Minister, Pablo Rodriguez, today released a statement as part of events marking the 11 years that have passed since Canada’s worst rail disaster, the derailment and fire in Lac-Megantic that killed 47 people and destroyed most of the community’s downtown. “Since the tragedy on July 6, 2013, 11 years ago […]

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VIA’s Venture fleet expanding to Windsor, Ont., this summer

Man in suit on station platform with train in background

WINDSOR, Ontario — Although no effective date has been announced, VIA Rail Canada CEO Mario Péloquin said last week at a public event that the new Siemens trainsets would begin migrating to Toronto-Windsor trains this summer. The Venture equipment debuted by replacing 1950s-vintage Budd stainless steel HEP-1 and HEP-2 coaches and 1980s Bombardier “Light Rapid […]

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Ten cars of CN train derail in remote Ontario location

Canadian National logo

JOGUES, Ontario — Ten cars of a Canadian National train derailed Monday, June 24,  in northeastern Ontario, leading to a precautionary evacuation because of a diesel fuel leak from one of the cars. CTV News reports the incident occurred about 2:45 p.m. in Jogues. The community of 214 is about 5 miles southwest of Hearst, […]

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Amtrak suggests Adirondack passengers take the bus: Analysis

Dark blue Amtrak locomotive on passenger train with city skyline in background

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — After more than a month with no mention in the “Passenger Advisories” section of Amtrak’s website that the New York-Montreal Adirondack wasn’t running north of Saratoga Springs, N.Y., the passenger operator has acknowledged that the summertime hiatus will extend until Sept. 9. The “Modified Adirondack Service” notice appeared a week after […]

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TSB statistics show rail accidents in Canada declined in 2023

Bar graph showing Canadian rail accidents each year since 2013

GATINEAU, Quebec — Rail accidents and incidents in Canada were down in 2023, although fatalities were up slightly, according to final statistics released last week by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. The board received 1,235 reports of rail “occurrences” — 914 accidents (which involve a fatality or serious injury, or a derailment, collision, or […]

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