The refurbishment, due to be undertaken by subcontractors at the New Richmond workshops in the Gaspé region of Quebec, will consist of full engineering and design work on various components and is expected to be completed by 2018. Once completed, the refurbished rolling stock will return to service in the Canadian Rockies and Pacific Northwest.

Mr Gord Miller, Vice President of Rail Operations at Rocky Mountaineer, said: "This is the largest capital investment in Rocky Mountaineer's 25-year history. Considerable planning and investment has gone into this project, with the singular goal of delighting our guests with the changes to our most luxurious class of coaches.

"We evaluated many prospective partners and selected Canarail because of its expertise in the sector and track record of innovation."