Via Rail says its passenger trains are past their prime, calls on Ottawa to replace the fleet
Via Rail says its long-distance trains are now well past their prime and is waiting for funding from Ottawa to replace the fleet.
But it warns the process has to start this year, otherwise service could end up being reduced.
When Via Rail's long-distance trains need major repairs, they're taken off the tracks and are serviced here at Via's maintenance centre in Montreal.
The Crown corporation says replacing this fleet is urgently needed. The trains are regularly inspected but it takes a specialized crew to keep them running smoothly.
"A major problem or a technical problem that can't be solved on a daily basis, these cars are brought back here in the shop to repair and go back on service," explained Andre Bouchard, vice-president of mechanical services.
Jamie Orchard, senior advisor of public affairs, said the overnight passenger trains — ones that run between Montreal and Halifax, as well as between Toronto and Vancouver — serve Indigenous communities.
"These trains are their lifeline. Some of the communities, for example, Churchill, Manitoba, they have no road that gets there, so they get their groceries on these trains," she said.
Orchard said the trains are so old that most have travelled the equivalent of 10 roundtrips between Earth and the moon.
"They're ready to retire. They're more than 70 years old in some cases and on average, trains run for about 25 years," she said.
In the last few years, 25 out of 200 trains were taken out of service. Many parts are no longer sold and have to be made from scratch.
"We extend at least three times — mostly three times — the expected life of this type of equipment," says Bouchard.
Via says talks with Transport Canada are going well but it's still waiting for the green light from Ottawa to start the procurement process.
In a written statement on Thursday, the federal transport agency said, "The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of passenger rail service beyond the Québec City – Windsor Corridor and will continue to work to ensure its sustainability."
It will likely cost several billion dollars and Via says the process needs to start this year. The trains won't last past 2035.
"We know that if we don't start in 2024," Orchard said, "that gradual decline in service will begin."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Large numbers of New York City police officers begin entering Columbia University campus
Large numbers of New York City police officers began entering the Columbia University late Tuesday as dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters remained on the campus.
Poilievre kicked out of Commons after calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko'
Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday -- and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Freeland leaves capital gains tax change out of coming budget implementation bill, here's why
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring 4 others
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a northeast London suburb Tuesday, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring four other people, British authorities said.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
CSE says it shared information on Chinese hacking of parliamentarians in 2022
While several MPs and senators say they were only recently made aware of China-backed hackers targeting them, the Communications Security Establishment, one of Canada's intelligence agencies, says it shared information about the incident with parliamentary officials in June of 2022.
WATCH Arnold Schwarzenegger spotted filming in Elora, Ont.
The name of the project has not been officially released although it’s widely believed to be the Netflix series FUBAR.
Eviction for landlord's use was legitimate, despite owners' partial move, B.C. court rules
A B.C. judge has upheld the eviction of a family from their North Vancouver townhouse, finding that the landlords did not take an unreasonable amount of time to move into the home after the tenants vacated it.