CANADA: VIA Rail Canada has issued a requests for qualification for a contract to supply more than 40 locomotives and 313 coaches of nine types to replace its Long-Distance, Regional & Remote train fleet.
There would be a technical support and spares supply services agreement for an initial 20-year term and options of two additional 10-year terms, and options to order more vehicles.
The national passenger operator is seeking to provide a ‘modern, comfortable, accessible, and sustainable travel experience’, to ensure it can ‘maintain coast-to-coast services, continue to connect communities, and inspire more Canadians to choose passenger rail’, President & CEO Mario Péloquin said on December 9.
The 2024 federal budget included funding for VIA Rail to replace all the locomotives and coaches on routes outside the Québec City – Montréal – Toronto – Windsor corridor, as many of the current coaches are 70 years old and life-expired. With Siemens Mobility already supplying new push-pull trains for the Corridor route, this will mean the complete replacement of the VIA Rail fleet.
The replacement fleet, including sleeper, accessible sleeper, couchette, dining, panoramic and dome cars, would be built specifically to provide ‘unparalleled accessibility and comfort’. The rolling stock will need to withstand Canada’s cold winters, hot summers and vast distances, including the 4 466 km The Canadian route from Toronto to Vancouver.
The dining cars will have a full kitchen so chefs can prepare meals using fresh local ingredients, while the panorama cars and a new version of the famous dome cars would allow passengers to admire the scenery, flora and fauna from their seats.
The diesel locos will exceed EPA Tier 4 emission standards, and be designed with a view to transitioning to zero-emission technologies in the future.
