New VIA Rail Siemens Fleet More Than 50% Complete
Written by Stephen C. Host
VIA Rail reached a milestone June 26 as CN Train P276 headed east with a special delivery from the Siemens Mobility plant in Sacramento, Calif. CN, in conjunction with Union Pacific, delivered the 18th Siemens Venture trainset to VIA Rail’s maintenance center in Montreal.
Handed off to CN in Chicago by UP, the train operated as expedited freight and completed the journey in about five days. This delivery marks the halfway point of the 32-trainset, C$989 million order announced in December 2018. UP 6446 and CN 5764 teamed up for motive power, ensuring this special movement did every mile per hour of track speed on the journey in Canada.
The trainset includes locomotive SCV-42 2118; cars SIXX 2617, 2717, 2917, 2817; and cab control car SIXX 2317, in a unique yellow and black livery.
VIA Rail’s Karl Helou from the public affairs department noted that this will be the only trainet of 32 in this livery. Some enthusiasts are comparing the livery to that of the VIA Rail UAC (United Aircraft Corp.) Turbo Train, which operated into the early 1980s. The railway will officially unveil the trainset the weekend of July 11 in Montreal.
On June 27, VIA Rail announced in London, Ont., service expansion with the new Siemens trainsets in Southwestern Ontario, extending their current Toronto-Ottawa-Montreal-Quebec City runs to include the London and Windsor corridors and both Southwestern Ontario lines, the Brantford and Kitchener routes.
”The achievement of this major modernization milestone means that by the summer of 2025, the entire Québec City-Windsor corridor will be served by state-of-the-art, modern, accessible and environmentally friendly trains,” said Mario Péloquin, VIA Rail President and Chief Executive Officer. ”The new trains will progressively replace the old fleet starting this summer, completely transforming the quality of service on VIA Rail trains for the coming decades. Our teams have been focused on modernizing our operations in the most densely populated region in the country. With this important milestone, we are thrilled that Canadians throughout the entire Québec City-Windsor corridor will be able to enjoy an unparalleled and fully accessible travel experience. Our full roster of 32 new trains will be in service by the summer of 2025, which will mark the completion of this game-changing project for passenger rail in the Corridor.
“The arrival of these new, modern trains is also a great opportunity for businesses to integrate this mode of transport into their corporate practices for employee travel. It’s a simple and easy policy to put in place that can have a major impact on an organization’s environmental footprint. With improved ergonomics, greater stability, greater brightness and better connectivity, the train offers a high level of productivity on the move, as well as being the best choice for the environment.
“Since the spring, I have begun a tour of the country to present VIA Rail’s new strategic plan, VIAction 2030. It’s an opportunity to raise awareness among major decision makers. Their internal policies have a real impact, and encouraging their employees to take the train for business travel sends a strong signal that they are making a sustainable and responsible choice for future generations.”
