VIA joins Amtrak in attempting to replace aging passenger cars

Dome-lounge-observation car at rear of Canadian passenger train

MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada has issued a formal request for information from potential manufacturers of locomotives and passenger cars who might be interested in re-equipping the company’s long distance and regional remote passenger trains. VIA’s appeal comes as Amtrak is evaluating responses received from a similar invitation [see “Amtrak seeks carbuilder interest …,” Trains […]

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VIA corridor operations resume with modified schedule

VIA Rail Canada logo

MONTREAL — After two days of cancellations, VIA Rail Canada will resume service on the Toronto-Ottawa and Toronto-Montreal portions of its corridors today (Tuesday, Dec. 27), albeit with a modified schedule combining trains. All trains on those corridor routes were canceled both Dec. 25 and Dec. 26 because of the derailment of a Canadian National […]

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VIA Rail Canada again cancels corridor service

VIA Rail Canada logo

MONTREAL — For a second straight day, VIA Rail Canada has canceled all scheduled corridor service on its Toronto-Ottawa and Toronto-Montreal routes. An advisory on the VIA web page lists 29 trains as canceled today (Monday, Dec. 26) because of the “ongoing impact of the CN train derailment which occurred on Dec. 24.” The Toronto […]

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VIA Rail Canada cancels Christmas Day corridor trains

VIA Rail Canada logo

MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada has cancelled all 25 trains scheduled to operate on Christmas Day on its Toronto-Ottawa and Toronto-Montreal routes following a derailment earlier today (Dec. 24), the passenger operator has announced on its website. The derailment reportedly involved a Canadian National train, blocking all tracks in Kingston, Ontario, according to the Toronto […]

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Year in review: New Amtrak routes, VIA challenges

Passenger train at station next to body of water

Trains News Wire continues our review of the top stories of 2022. We’ll count down the Top 10 stories of the year, as voted on by Trains editors, columnists, and correspondents, beginning Dec. 26. As a prelude, we’ll be looking at major stories that didn’t make that list. Today: Passenger rail. Service expansion, VIA Rail […]

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Budd Rail Diesel Car DVD Trailer

Budd Rail Diesel Car DVD | 16124 From the publishers of Classic Trains magazine, this all-new, documentary-style DVD traces the history of the unique railroad passenger vehicles all the way through to today’s current operations. Watch a sneak peek of the footage included in the 75 minute DVD, and then head to the kalmbachhobbystore.com website […]

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Top 7 1/2 products of 2022

Black, red, and white diesel locomotive on a scenery base

As we enter the holidays and highball into 2023, the MR staff wanted to take a look back at our top model railroad products of 2022. Any of these would make great gifts for any modeler on your Christmas list or even for yourself. Athearn added the General Electric Dash 9-44CW to its Genesis 2.0 […]

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IT firm CGI to manage new VIA Rail Canada reservation system

VIA Rail Canada logo

MONTREAL — Information technology and business consulting firm CGI will manage a new online reservation system for VIA Rail Canada to be launched in 2023, the companies announced Wednesday. Under a long-term agreement, CGI will manage critical business applications, building on the business relationship that began in 2020 when CGI was selected to build VIA’s […]

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VIA Rail Canada to begin testing fuel-saving software in train operations

Passenger train on multi-track main line

MONTREAL — VIA Rail Canada will extend a pilot program using artificial intelligence to reduce fuel consumption, following a six-month trial that showed potential fuel savings of up to 15%. VIA, in a collaboration with Transport Canada and Innovative Solutions Canada Testing, originally started working with start-up company RailVision Analytics to test EcoRail software that […]

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VIA Rail awards contract to modernize maintenance centers

VIA yellow and silver train on track

MONTRÉAL – VIA Rail Canada is awarding two contracts for the modernization of its maintenance centers in Toronto and Montréal. VIA awarded the contract for construction at the Toronto Maintenance Center to Buttcon Limited, based in Concord, Ontario. Pomerleau Inc., based in Montréal has been awarded the contract for work at the Montréal Maintenance Center. […]

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