Federal government spending $4.7 billion on 313 new Via Rail passenger cars built in Canada
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced the largest single investment in Via Rail's history. The passenger cars will be built at an Alstom plant in Thunder Bay—the first made in Canada in 40 years.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a $4.7 billion federal investment Thursday for 313 new Via Rail passenger cars to be built by Alstom Canada, marking the first passenger cars built in Canada for Via Rail in 40 years.
The announcement, made at the Alstom plant in Thunder Bay, represents what Transport Minister Steven McKinnon called the largest single investment in Via Rail's history. The project will create 700 new jobs.
This complements an earlier federal investment announced in July of nearly $2 billion for new Via Rail locomotives, which are expected to arrive in 2031.
The federal government has not disclosed a delivery schedule for the 313 new passenger cars or the total number of cars currently in Via Rail's active fleet, leaving questions about the scale of this expansion relative to existing capacity.
When will the first batch of passenger cars be delivered to Via Rail?
How many passenger cars does Via Rail currently have in active service?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
By the numbers
How much is the federal government spending on new Via Rail passenger cars?
$4.7 billion will fund the construction of 313 new passenger cars by Alstom Canada at its Thunder Bay plant.
How many jobs will this Via Rail project create?
The project will create 700 new jobs.
