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VIA Rail Acknowledges its TurboTrain Past

Putting on the new VIA Rail TurboTrain livery - HSRC Collection On July 10th, 2024, VIA Rail released a publicity campaign for their Windsor to Quebec City corridor new train sets. The Siemens Venture trains, powered by Siemens Charger locomotives, will be fully in service across the entire corridor by the fall of this year. High Speed Rail Canada salutes VIA Rail’s acknowledgement of its past train, the TurboTrain in their new livery of the Lumi. According to the VIA Rail press release, Introducing Lumi, the unique train of its new Corridor fleet, which bears VIA Rail’s classic monochrome yellow all while keeping the signature linear lines of the new trains. Lumi will be the only new train (Simple and efficient, the monochrome yellow, our brand’s signature colour) with this unique exterior design and acts as a reminder of the beginning of a new era for passenger rail. As others have done when introducing a new fleet, VIA Rail wanted to make a strong gesture by differentiating one of
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VIA HFR Annual General Meeting - Frequency and Speed Important

  On July 10th, 2024, VIA HFR, a federal Crown corporation created in November 2022, had its inaugural Annual Public Meeting (APM). The meeting was bilingual format and it was webcast. The video will be loaded soon and High Speed Rail Canada will let have a link to it and let their followers know where to view it. The meeting featured key presentations from members of the Board of Directors and the CEO. The meeting began with Robert Prichard, Chair of the Board, who outlined the mandate given to VIA HFR by the Government of Canada to create a new passenger rail service linking Quebec City, Trois-Rivières, Laval, Montreal, Ottawa, Peterborough, and Toronto. He highlighted the significant progress made in the first year, including the formation of a talented management team and strong financial backing from the federal government. Marie-José Nadeau, Vice Chair of the Board, discussed the recruitment efforts to build VIA TGF’s leadership team and emphasized the project’s positive impact o
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High-Speed Rail for Alberta - Can it finally happen?

Alberta to study high-speed rail as part of comprehensive passenger rail plan. The province of Alberta has completed five studies since 1985 about the possibility of high-speed rail between Calgary and Edmonton. There is no question that corridor is well suited for high-speed trains. It would be the simplest and least costly to implement of any other potential corridor in Canada. However, no government has moved forward on past study recommendations. It came as a surprise that Premier Danielle Smith has announced a nine million dollar study to look at a comprehensive passenger rail plan for Alberta. Part of that plan would include the Calgary-Edmonton high-speed rail link. It is a provincial embarrassment that a comprehensive inter-city passenger rail system does not exist in Alberta. We hope the resulting plan recommendations will have positive, constructive ways to move the province of Alberta forward to implement a modern  inter-city passenger rail system. That plan would include hi
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Rare Photos Uncovered from ABB X2000 1993 High-Speed Train Visit to Windsor, Ontario

 A previous post on the High Speed Rail Canada website discussed the 1993 tour of the Swedish Asea,Brown. Boveri, (ABB) high-speed trail to Canada. It was at the end of a successful tour of the USA. Recently we became aware of promo photos taken on the Windsor, Ontario July 27th, 1993, stop of the tour. We have made a youtube video on our channel with these photos. Here is the LINK to watch it.
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VIA Rail Canada wanted high-speed rail 40 Years Ago

VIA Rail Canada 1984 High-Speed Rail in Canada Study Is there a future, a potential, for high-speed passenger rail services in Canada? That was the question the federal government posed to VIA Rail Canada in 1981. After three years of intensive effort, VIA had completed one of the most comprehensive studies ever made of any aspect of the passenger railway system in Canada. The feasibility study thus depicted possible approaches to using high-speed passenger rail advances in Canada, yet tailored specifically to Canadian conditions and needs. Pierre A.H. Franche, then President and Chief Executive Officer VIA Rail Canada in 1984 stated, “There is little doubt that consideration of high-speed rail will be a key part of longer-range national plans for modernizing Canada's passenger railway system.” 1984 High-Speed Rail Study Conclusions The 1984 feasibility study indicates that the Canadian government could, if it wished, provide Canada with a high-speed rail railway service between Mo
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Canada's High-Speed Train Options #1 Siemens ICE Trains

The first in a series of videos of high-speed train manufacturers that could be an option for Canada has been released. It will be interesting to see what high-speed trainsets are purchased for Canada's new High-Frequency Rail (HFR) project.  The videos are available on the High Speed Rail Canada Youtube Channel . With the increased emphasis now on having speed, as well as high-frequency and reliability, there are a number of high-speed train companies with products suitable for Canada. Siemens ICE 4 Trains The ICE 4, a high-speed train built by Siemens and used by Deutsche Bahn, has a unique and adaptable design that would work in Canada. Each car functions independently, allowing for the assembly of trains with five to fourteen cars to meet the needs of different routes. The ICE 4 is the main train used in Deutsche Bahn's long-distance rail network, replacing older trains and providing better service. The ICE 4 has a modular drive concept, developed with Bombardier, that can
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Martin Imbleau talks about the need for speed to Montreal Chamber of Commerce

ICE - InterCity Express High-Speed Trains in Munich Germany - credit Paul Langan It is refreshing to continually hear Martin Imbleau, the CEO of VIA HFR, speak about the need for speed regarding the Toronto-Quebec City Corridor. During a speech to the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, Martin Imbleau unveiled an ambitious plan for a rapid passenger rail project between Quebec City and Toronto. This project has seen significant advancements with the establishment of a new federal Crown corporation dedicated solely to its development. It is worth noting that this is the most substantial transportation infrastructure initiative in Canada since the construction of the St. Lawrence Seaway more than six decades ago. High Speed Rail Canada Continues to Support Martin Imbleau in his goal for increased speeds for the HFR project. The proposed railway network will span approximately 1,000 kilometers, featuring dedicated tracks that are fully electrified. The route will include stops i
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