CANADA: National passenger operator VIA Rail has awarded CAD Railway Industries a C$150m five-year contract to modernise its 56 Château and Manor class sleeping cars.
The coaches were originally built by Budd Car Co and AMF in the 1950s for Canadian Pacific Railway’s Canadian and Dominion trains, and are now used by VIA Rail on The Ocean between Montréal and Halifax and The Canadian between Toronto and Vancouver.
VIA Rail said the modernisation work to be undertaken by CAD Railway Industries, which is based at Lachine in Québec, would create more than 100 skilled jobs in engineering, project management and specialised trades, reinforcing Canada’s rail manufacturing and maintenance capabilities.
‘This investment is about delivering for Canadians today, while we build for the future’, said VIA Rail President & CEO Mathieu Paquette on April 2. ‘By modernising these sleeper cars here in Canada, we are enhancing comfort and reliability for our passengers, supporting skilled Canadian jobs, and ensuring our services continue to meet expectations as we renew our fleet over the coming decade.’
Long-distance fleet renewal
The modernisation is intended to see the coaches through until they are replaced as part of a progressive renewal of VIA Rail’s long-distance, regional and remote network fleet over the next decade.
The procurement process for the LDRR locomotives and coaches is now underway.
As part of renewal programme, VIA Rail is investing in the maintenance and modernisation of rolling stock within its own maintenance centres as well as externally, to support both in-house expertise and Canadian suppliers.
