CANADA: Montréal regional transport authority Exo has awarded Siemens Mobility a C$132m contract to supply 10 Charger diesel locomotives for use on its commuter services.
The Chargers will be delivered from 2025 to replace F59PH locomotives which Exo acquired in 2011 from GO Transit in Toronto, where they had been in service since 1989.
Exo said modern locomotives would increase reliability, enable it to lengthen trains from eight to 10 cars, and would be more environmentally friendly, complying with Tier 4 emissions standards and being quieter as well as giving the operator the ability to use biodiesel fuel.
The contract announced on January 28 is being funded by the province of Québec, and includes an option for the supply of spare parts.
It is the second Canadian order for Siemens Mobility’s Charger design, after VIA Rail ordered 32 Charger-hauled push-pull trainsets for its Québec City – Montréal – Toronto – Windsor services. The latest contract takes the total number of Chargers ordered in North America to more than 300, of which 95 are currently in service.
