Via Rail locomotive fleet to be replaced, new facility in works: MacKinnon

The federal government says it plans to spend $1.6 billion to replace 45 of Via Rail’s aging locomotives.

Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon is making the announcement today in Montreal, where the federal government is spending another $357 million to build a new assembly plant and maintenance facility.

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Ottawa says the trains will be built by Switzerland-based Stadler, with the first nine built in Spain and the remaining 36 built in Canada — after Canadian workers learn from the Spaniards how to build them.

The trains will replace Via Rail’s fleet across the country, except for the Windsor-Quebec City corridor, where the federal government is planning a new high-speed rail line.

MacKinnon says the deal will create 1,200 new full-time jobs and the hybrid trains will be built with Canadian-made batteries.

The first trains are expected to be delivered by 2031.