VIA Rail Canada, Pomerleau break ground on new Montreal assembly and maintenance facility
VIA Rail Canada (VIA Rail) and Pomerleau have launched construction of VIA Rail’s new assembly and maintenance facility in Montréal, Quebec.
The new 100,000-square-foot facility will be built by Pomerleau through a C$357 million (US$251 million) investment from the government of Canada. It is set to enable the final assembly in Canada of up to 36 of the 45 new battery-diesel hybrid locomotives ordered from Stadler, as well as testing ahead of their entry into service.
“The start of construction of this new assembly and maintenance facility marks an important milestone in the renewal of VIA Rail’s pan-Canadian fleet,” said VIA Rail President and CEO Mathieu Paquette. “This new facility will enable us to provide our passengers with reliable, modern and safe service while also strengthening Canada’s rail expertise and capacity for decades to come.”
Once this phase is complete, the facility is set to be used for the long-term maintenance of VIA Rail’s entire new pan-Canadian fleet, including the locomotives that are part of a C$1.95 billion (US$1.37 billion) order from Stadler and the C$4.7 billion (US$3.31 billion) passenger car order from Alstom that’ll contain 313 units. Integrated into the Montréal Maintenance Center, it is designed to leverage existing infrastructure and the expertise of VIA Rail’s technical teams.
“We are proud to continue our collaboration with VIA Rail on this landmark project, which will help modernize Canada’s rail infrastructure,” said Pomerleau President and CEO Philippe Adam. “This new facility represents VIA Rail’s largest construction project in Montréal in nearly 40 years. Beyond the delivery of this landmark project, we are bringing together the expertise of our teams and partners to create a lasting piece of infrastructure that will benefit future generations.”
Site excavation is currently underway and will continue through January 2027. Foundation work is scheduled to begin in mid-January, according to the duo. At peak construction, up to 200 workers will be on site building the new facility, which is expected to become operational in the summer of 2029, in time for the assembly of the first locomotives in Canada.
Overall, VIA Rail says it’s pan-Canadian fleet renewal project and the construction of the new facility represent a C$6.7 billion (US$4.71 billion) investment by the government of Canada.
About the Author
Noah KolendaNoah Kolenda
Associate Editor
Noah Kolenda is a recent graduate from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism with a master’s degree in health and science reporting. Kolenda also specialized in data journalism, harnessing the power of Open Data projects to cover green transportation in major U.S. cities. Currently, he is an associate editor for Mass Transit magazine, where he aims to fuse his skills in data reporting with his experience covering national policymaking and political money to deliver engaging, future-focused transit content.
Prior to his position with Mass Transit, Kolenda interned with multiple Washington, D.C.-based publications, where he delivered data-driven reporting on once-in-a-generation political moments, runaway corporate lobbying spending and unnoticed election records.