Canada's Budget 2026 proposes C$6.6 billion VIA Rail fleet package
The package covers 313 Alstom passenger cars, 45 Stadler locomotives and a Montreal assembly and maintenance facility, with the full fleet in service by 2035.
Canada's Budget 2026 proposes a fleet package for national passenger operator VIA Rail worth more than C$6.6 billion. The plan allocates over C$4.7 billion for 313 passenger cars from Alstom Canada across nine vehicle types, from coaches to dome and dining cars, and C$1.6 billion for 45 Stadler locomotives. A further C$357 million funds an assembly and maintenance facility in Montreal, which would build the first trains manufactured in Canada in four decades.
Under the timeline, the first locomotives enter service in 2029 and the full fleet by 2035, replacing cars that are in part more than 70 years old. The budget also proposes C$1.2 billion over three years for VIA Rail operations and maintenance starting in 2027-28. The figures stem from a budget proposal and remain subject to parliamentary approval. The package follows the common pattern of bundling fleet procurement with facilities and long-term maintenance contracts.