September 3, 2026
\nThunder Bay, Ontario<\/p>\n
In a rapidly changing world, Canada is setting a new course. We are building our strength at home, diversifying our trading relationships abroad, and investing in the infrastructure that will secure our future. We are moving fast, seizing new opportunities, and reducing our dependence on any single partner.<\/p>\n
Through our\u00a0Buy Canadian Policy, we are becoming our own best customer \u2013 contracting Canadian companies, hiring Canadian workers, and using Canadian steel, aluminum, and lumber. For too long, Canada has relied on other countries to build what we have the talent, expertise, and capacity to build ourselves. Much of VIA Rail\u2019s existing fleet, for example, was built in the United States. Today, we are changing that.<\/p>\n
The Prime Minister, Mark Carney, announced that, for the first time in four decades, VIA Rail passenger cars will be built in Canada. The federal government is investing more than $4.7\u00a0billion for VIA Rail to acquire and maintain 313 new passenger rail cars from Alstom Canada.\u00a0The cars will be manufactured and assembled in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and La Pocati\u00e8re, Qu\u00e9bec, with design and engineering work taking place in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Qu\u00e9bec.<\/p>\n
This is the largest investment in VIA Rail\u2019s history and in Canadian intercity passenger rail in a generation. It will support nearly 700 good jobs in Ontario and Qu\u00e9bec, and generate more than $1.6\u00a0billion in economic benefits.\u00a0In line with the Buy Canadian Policy, Alstom will leverage and expand its extensive network of more than 900 Canadian suppliers in delivering the new fleet, while maximising the use of Canadian steel in structural assemblies, supports, and fabricated metal elements.<\/p>\n
This investment comes at a critical time for Canada\u2019s passenger rail network. In a country as vast as ours, reliable passenger rail is essential to keeping communities connected. Yet VIA Rail\u2019s long-distance, regional, and remote fleet is approaching the end of its useful life, with some equipment more than 70 years old.\u00a0Replacing that aging fleet will deliver safer, more reliable, and more modern service for Canadians \u2013 while creating good jobs and building more of what Canada needs at home.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s announcement, combined with the federal government\u2019s recent $1.95\u00a0billion\u00a0investment in 45 new passenger rail locomotives and a new assembly and maintenance facility in Montr\u00e9al, brings the federal government\u2019s investment in renewing VIA Rail\u2019s long-distance, regional, and remote fleet to more than $6.6\u00a0billion. Together, these investments will replace aging equipment and help ensure Canadians can rely on modern and reliable passenger rail service for decades to come.<\/p>\n
In the face of global uncertainty, Canada is strengthening the industries, infrastructure, and supply chains that make our economy more resilient. By building these rail cars in Canada, we are investing in the transportation Canadians rely on, supporting Canadian workers and businesses, and building a stronger, more connected country.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the face of strong headwinds, a confident Canada is choosing to build. For the first time in four decades, VIA\u2019s passenger cars will be built in Canada. Cars once made in the United States, now made here at home. This means new contracts for Canadian suppliers, good jobs for Canadian workers, and paycheques that stay in Canadian cities and towns. That\u2019s how we build Canada strong.\u201d The Rt. Hon. Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada<\/p>\n
\u201cCanadians deserve a passenger rail system that is modern, reliable, and built to serve them for generations to come. This investment delivers exactly that while supporting good-paying Canadian jobs and strengthening our domestic rail manufacturing sector. By assembling these rail cars in Thunder Bay and La Pocati\u00e8re, supported by Canadian design and engineering expertise in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, we are investing in Canadian workers, Canadian innovation, and a stronger, more resilient economy.\u201d\u00a0The Hon. Steven MacKinnon, Minister of Transport and the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons<\/p>\n
\u201cThis investment is great news for Thunder Bay and for Northern Ontario. Building the passenger rail cars in Canada means good-paying, skilled jobs for Canadians and new opportunities for local businesses that are part of the rail supply chain. With this investment, we\u2019re strengthening our economy, supporting communities, and ensuring Canadian workers continue to play a leading role in building the future of passenger rail right at home.\u201d The Hon. Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario<\/p>\n
\u201cToday\u2019s announcement marks a defining step in shaping the future of VIA Rail\u2019s pan-Canadian fleet. These new Canadian-built passenger rail cars will retain signature features such as dome cars, full-service dining, and social areas, while incorporating modern amenities, improved accessibility, and greater reliability. They will help us preserve essential services to remote communities and elevate the unique onboard experience that allows passengers to discover Canada in a way that only train travel can offer. We thank the Government of Canada for this historic investment in the future of passenger rail.\u201d Mathieu Paquette, Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of VIA Rail Canada<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
September 3, 2026 Thunder Bay, Ontario In a rapidly changing world, Canada is setting a new course. We are building our strength at home, diversifying our trading relationships abroad, and investing in the infrastructure that will secure our future. We are moving fast, seizing new opportunities, and reducing our dependence on any single partner. Through …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":73751,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,76],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-86427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-federal","category-northern-ontario"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-09-11 10:27:56","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86427"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86427\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86428,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86427\/revisions\/86428"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/73751"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wawa-news.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}