Via Rail plans to use refurbished cars to improve Halifax-Montreal service

Michael Tutton · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jul 15, 2025 6:11 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

Via Rail wants to usage refurbished railcars to amended work betwixt Halifax and Montreal, but the CEO of the Crown corp can't accidental whether doing truthful volition summation the frequence of trains connected the line.

Mario Peloquin made the comments successful an interrogation Tuesday aft a ceremonial celebrating the $27-million restoration of Via's Halifax station. He besides noted that past twelvemonth was the 120th day of The Ocean, the rider bid from Montreal to Halifax inaugurated successful July 1904.

Ottawa has committed to renewing Via Rail's full Canadian fleet wrong 10 years. However, successful the interim, Peloquin says determination are plans to refurbish stainless alloy cars that are being retired successful Central Canada for usage successful the Atlantic region. The railcars, primitively manufactured successful 1954 by the now-defunct Budd Company of Philadelphia, tin beryllium modernized and sent to Halifax arsenic they go available, helium said.

"As soon arsenic we escaped up 1 of those (Budd railcars), we'll repurpose it successful the segments of the long-distance runs wherever we tin champion payment from their use," said the main executive.

Some of the refurbished cars volition tally connected The Ocean line, and others, helium said, volition beryllium sent to The Churchill, which runs betwixt Winnipeg and Churchill, Man., oregon The Skeena, betwixt Jasper, Alta., and Prince Rupert, B.C.

Ted Bartlett, the erstwhile president of advocacy radical Transport Action Atlantic, said successful an email helium hopes determination volition beryllium capable refurbished cars to summation work connected The Ocean. The 1,340-kilometre way presently runs conscionable 3 times a week.

"It should not beryllium indispensable for The Ocean to hold agelong years for caller cars to beryllium designed and built to regain immoderate of its erstwhile glory," wrote Bartlett.

Meanwhile, Peloquin said Via would "love to" summation the frequence of the Halifax-Montreal line, but helium said helium doesn't cognize if that tin hap due to the fact that CN whitethorn not person openings connected its progressively engaged freight lines. Via Rail relies connected CN's obstruction web for astir each of its routes.

"The constraint is getting the further clip slots.… More freight postulation is leaving little clip for moving (passenger) trains. It's a changeless discussion. We're trying," said Peloquin.

A spokesperson for CN said successful an email that adding Via trains to its lines "would beryllium taxable to dialog betwixt Via and CN."

Bartlett said successful an interrogation that determination are besides problems with The Ocean's reliability, arsenic the work is dilatory and often late. Ottawa, helium said, indispensable instrumentality a enactment relation successful cutting a woody with CN to upgrade way and regenerate way sidings that person been removed implicit the years successful northeastern New Brunswick.

Peloquin acknowledged, "we are unluckily incurring delays beauteous regularly connected the long-distance runs, including The Ocean."

Upgrading the New Brunswick information of the route, the CEO said, would beryllium "a truly bully idea."

However, Peloquin said there's nary last terms tag for the improvements to the CN line. "It's astatine slightest hundreds of millions (of dollars), but I don't person a fig yet due to the fact that we're not acold capable precocious connected the discussions."

A spokeswoman for the national Transport Department noted that Ottawa has lone precocious committed to making large investments to renew Via Rail's fleet.

"With this large upgrade underway, the absorption remains connected maximizing the benefits of the caller fleet earlier considering further infrastructure investments oregon work changes," wrote Sau Sau Liu successful an email.

Peloquin said the announcements for the winning contracts for caller locomotives and cars volition beryllium announced aboriginal adjacent year.