CANADA: The first of 32 inter-city trainsets being built for VIA Rail has been dispatched from the Siemens Mobility plant in Sacramento to the operator’s Montréal maintenance depot for testing and commissioning.
Following delivery, the first train is expected to be tested on a section of the Montréal – Ottawa route west of Coteau, Québec.
Ordered in December 2018 at a cost of C$989m, the trains are intended to operate services in the Québec City – Montréal – Toronto - Windsor corridor. The first sets are scheduled to enter revenue service in late 2022.
Each push-pull trainset is formed of an SC-44 Charger diesel locomotive and five coaches, including a driving trailer, offering around 285 seats per train in economy and business class.
According to the operator, the exterior livery will feature a ‘signature colour palette of yellow, charcoal, grey and black, ‘applied seamlessly and elegantly from front to back’, together with the ‘iconic’ VIA Rail logo and and prominent red maple leaf branding, ‘proudly displaying our Canadian heritage’.
