VIA and feds announce passenger rail improvement project
Today, the Government of Canada and VIA announced $300 million dollars in support for the largest-ever improvement and investment program in the 153-year history of passenger rail service between Montreal and Toronto: VIA's CN Kingston Subdivision Project. "It gives me great pleasure to unveil this strategic investment in the upgrading of the Montreal-Toronto main line, which is the heart of the Canadian passenger rail system," said Minister of State for Science and Technology, Gary Goodyear, on behalf of Minister of State for Transport, Rob Merrifield. "This project, announced through Canada's Economic Action Plan, will create new jobs and expand passenger rail service in this important transportation corridor." VIA's CN Kingston Subdivision Project is a series of infrastructure improvements at eight locations along the 539-kilometre, double-track rail line. It will boost capacity by eliminating bottlenecks and greatly reducing delay-causing conflicts between VIA passenger and CN freight trains. Phase I of the project will allow for the addition of two daily roundtrip frequencies on VIA's Toronto-Montreal and Toronto-Ottawa routes. The latter operates over the Kingston Subdivision between Toronto and Brockville.
CN's EVP, Claude Mongeau said: "CN is pleased to support VIA and the federal government on this important infrastructure project. CN has traditionally maintained the Kingston Subdivision to its highest track standards in recognition of its importance to intercity passenger traffic and key flows of rail freight. CN will undertake the engineering work for the rail-line improvements on behalf of VIA." VIA's CN Kingston Subdivision Project is part of a $923M investment by the Government of Canada in passenger rail renewal and expansion. Other elements of VIA's program include expanded, fully-accessible station facilities at strategic locations on the Montreal-Toronto route, major infrastructure and station upgrading on other routes, accessibility projects for travellers with special needs and the complete rebuilding of service-proven locomotives and rolling stock. Highlights of the CN Kingston Subdivision Project include the construction of additional ("third") main line track to enable VIA and CN trains to pass or overtake each other safely and quickly; extensions to sidings and yard tracks to allow CN freight trains to exit and clear the main line when required; and other track and signal improvements to smooth the flow of VIA passenger and CN freight traffic. Work will begin this summer and wrap up in 2011. To date, CN has hired 100 track and signal workers for its portion of the work, which will be performed under contract with VIA. Additional jobs will be created throughout the two-year span of the project within both CN and other private sector companies participating in this project.
In related news, the Government of Canada and VIA also announced today the arrival of the first of 54 rebuilt F-40 locomotives from CAD Railway Industries. The enhanced F-40 fleet will incorporate new technologies that will reduce green-house gas GHG emissions by up to 12%, produce fuel savings of 5 million litres per year, and reduce maintenance costs by 8% annually. The rebuild program will extend the life of VIA's 54 F-40 diesel-electric locomotives by another 15 to 20 years at less than half the cost of buying new equipment. The rebuilt F-40 diesel locomotives - which constitute 70% of VIA's motive power fleet - will incorporate many systems that were not available when they were built.
