How is via rail powered

In addition to using energy-efficient LED lighting, the new bi-directional fleet will reduce turnaround time and operating time with engines running. The intercity train is powered by Charger locomotives, one of the most fuel-efficient diesel-electric locomotives available on the rolling stock market.

The passenger cars come with a high level of comfort, air-suspension, state of the art interior design, a full range of modern passenger amenities, the latest in food service equipment and will feature Enhanced Universal Accessibility, offering multiple accommodations for wheelchairs and other mobility devices. In this case, a silver lining to the many tragedies of COVID is the techno-economic opportunity to reassess the way we have structured society and, in turn, the way we have structured our mobility systems.

Re-examining how we create, improve and expand rail networks is essential to making the most of post-pandemic opportunities. Only VIA Rail, a federal crown corporation, moves people coast-to-coast. VIA Rail, which I use regularly for business and personal travel, should be an option for more Canadians.

Compared to a vehicle commute between these cities the train is often faster and more convenient from a work-efficiency or personal leisure standpoint.

Given the cost of vehicle ownership, fuel and maintenance, the train is also more affordable. Most Canadians have family or work obligations that mean each delay or schedule change becomes a mini-crisis avoided by driving, or even by taking pricey and carbon-intense flights.

Many are exhibiting structural problems and will need to be replaced soon for safety and reliability reasons. These were built between and for American streamliners. They were purchased secondhand and refurbished by Via in the s without any extra government capital funding. These antique trains are not used out on quiet remote services. They are used on fast intercity trains in southern Ontario and Quebec.

Canada is the only G7 nation that has not seen significant capital funding in intercity passenger rail in a generation. When Via received its last purpose-built passenger cars in , China still had trains pulled by steam engines. Today, China has the largest high-speed rail network in the world. Canada has yet to build a single high-speed line. It needs to be reliable, and must thus be an adaptation of a current intercity passenger train product offered by one of the major suppliers: Alstom, Bombardier, CAF, Siemens.

Most importantly, a new fleet for Via needs to be modern and reflective of 21st-century Canada and its commitment to reducing its carbon footprint by providing fast and efficient intercity train service. By selecting equipment that was already proven in North America and that will continue to have commonality with large pool of equipment used across the continent, VIA Rail hopes to ensure long-term maintainability and timely introduction into service of the much-needed new fleet.

The cab cars being built for both VIA Rail and Caltrans are the only novel element in the fleet design, because North American requirements for these are significantly different from European standards.

VIA Rail have ordered a total of 32 trains, including cab cars to allow the new trains to operate bidirectionally. This will result in considerable time and costs savings compared to the current need to turn most trains on a wye track at the end of their trips.

Like the Brightline fleet, the new VIA trains have a designed operating speed of up to mph and have been tested at up to mph. One thing we do know for sure is that the noses of the VIA Rail variant of the Siemens Charger and matching cab cars will receive a streamlined nose, unlike the snub-nosed SC state-sponsored corridor units. The design is more streamlined than the Amtrak Long Distance units, while using the same bolted mounting to permit swift replacement if necessary.

The new locomotives will also be ready for future installation of Positive Train Control equipment, which is now mandatory in the United States and standard for Amtrak. The Canadian government has yet to mandate this safety feature.