Canada puts $4.7 billion behind 313 Canadian-built Via Rail cars
Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon said the project will lead to 700 new jobs and that the first new car should be delivered in 2031, per The Canadian Press.
CBC News reported there is no timeline yet for construction of the cars.
The government announced $1.6bn in July to replace 45 Via Rail locomotives and a further $357m for a new assembly plant and maintenance facility, The Canadian Press reported, with the locomotive contract going to Swiss company Stadler, which will design and manufacture much of the fleet in Valencia, Spain.
The PMO puts total federal spending on renewing Via Rail’s long-distance, regional, and remote fleet at more than $6.6bn.
Canada’s auditor general found Via Rail’s on-time performance had dropped to 30 percent in the first three months of 2025, according to The Canadian Press.
