The Government of Canada will provide funding for VIA Rail to replace its fleet in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor, which accounts for 94% of VIA Rail’s ridership. Budget 2018 proposes funding to replace VIA Rail’s cars and locomotives with 32 new, bi-directional trains, maintaining current seating capacity. VIA Rail will soon launch a request for qualifications followed by a request for proposals.
The new fleet will reduce environmental impacts as engines with the latest technology will be more fuel-efficient, resulting in air quality improvements. The new trains will include visual communication media for hearing-impaired passengers; purpose-built accessible washrooms; on-board wheelchair lift, and a minimum of three wheelchair tie-downs per train, with two in the same car, an increase from the current one tie-down per train.
Budget 2018 also proposes CAD 8 million (EUR 4.96 million) for Transport Canada to undertake foundational work to advance VIA Rail’s proposal for high frequency rail in the Quebec City-Toronto Corridor. This phase of the project would support further economic analysis of key issues associated with a project of this size, such as revenue and ridership projections, as well as estimates for capital and operating costs. This funding will also go towards exploring opportunities to leverage private investment or a potential role for the Canada Infrastructure Bank, and open and transparent engagement with potentially affected communities, including indigenous peoples.
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