Canada's VIA Rail to Purchase 313 Domestically Manufactured Passenger Cars

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 3, Canadian Prime Minister Carney announced in Thunder Bay, Ontario, an investment package exceeding C$4.7 billion for state-owned VIA Rail to purchase 313 new passenger cars and associated maintenance support from Alstom Canada. Alstom confirmed the same day that the two parties had signed an agreement. Under this arrangement, VIA Rail passenger cars will be manufactured and assembled in Canada for the first time in four decades.

The agreement includes 313 Adessia passenger cars valued at approximately C$4 billion, as well as technical support and spare parts supply services worth nearly C$700 million over a 15-year term. Alstom is responsible for vehicle design, engineering development, manufacturing, and ongoing support. Design and engineering work will be carried out in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec; car bodies will be manufactured at the La Pocatière plant; and final assembly will be completed at the Thunder Bay facility in Ontario.

The new fleet is intended for long-distance, regional, and remote routes outside the Québec City–Windsor corridor, serving eight routes across eight Canadian provinces. The procurement covers nine car configurations, including coach cars, sleeper cars, accessible sleeper cars, panoramic observation cars, dome observation cars, dining cars, and baggage cars, while retaining full dining services and public lounge spaces. Some equipment in the existing fleet has been in service for over 70 years, and these routes carried more than 216,000 passengers in 2025.

Alstom will leverage and expand its network of more than 900 suppliers in Canada, using Canadian steel wherever possible in structural components, support parts, and machined metal components. The company expects the contract to create or sustain up to 670 direct jobs, with production work distributed across Ontario and Quebec.

Canada's Minister of Transport, Steven MacKinnon, stated that the first new car is expected to be delivered in 2031. Carney's plan calls for the first vehicles to enter service in 2031, with the full new fleet renewal completed by the mid-2030s.