CANADA’s national passenger rail operator Via Rail announced on June 18 that Bombardier Transportation Canada, Siemens Canada, Stadler US and Talgo have been shortlisted to participate in the Request for Proposals (RFP) to manufacture a new fleet of inter-city trains for the Quebec City - Windsor Corridor.

VIA Rail Canada issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) on April 16 for a contract to supply 32 new trains to replace the current fleet on its flagship Quebec City - Windsor corridor.

CANADIAN national passenger operator Via Rail has awarded Bombardier a $C 54m ($US 42.3m) contract to upgrade 17 of its oldest coaches to meet current and future accessibility standards.

STATE support for Via Rail’s Fleet Renewal Program was confirmed on February 27 with the publication of the Canadian government’s 2018 budget, which allocates funds to Transport Canada for the procurement of new trains for the Windsor - Quebec City corridor.