It's just as much who owns the rails. In Vancouver we have a commuter rail service that runs on lines owned by the freight companies. So sometimes people have to watch as they wait in a siding while stuff goes by first.

Ideally this is just one of several rail related initiatives and we have more announcements coming.

We can all enjoy the new cars whilst sitting waiting for another train to pass.

Canada could also benefit from a shinkansen line or two. With population centers mostly along a straight line in the south, it would allow for rapid transit between major cities on dedicated passenger rail.

Freight right-of-way ownership is also a problem, but the car set they are replacing/adding to is 75+ years old, they are sturdy and reliable, but having more cars means that they could increase service beyond 3 trips a week on these routes. At the moment, occasional breakdowns and maintenance periods mean they face long distance equipment shortages sometimes.

@ryper @radish6367

Isn't it a lack of rails that's the problem, not a lack of rail cars?

Thats one issue. This announcement addresses a different issue.

The current VIA long-haul fleet is 70 year old equipment. It's getting increasingly expensive to maintain, and if it isn't replaced it will become almost impossible to keep them safely operating.

I assume this is primarily for the GTA commuter rail where that's less(?) of an issue.

But in any case, the VIA rolling stock is pretty old, AFAIK.

For anyone interested, this video give a good overview of some of the issues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1G0Lyh3uik

Everything VIA is run down. But yeah the rail is the biggest issue and probably more expensive.

it's both.

Via is a shit service. yes, please charge me $200 for a 10 hour trip during which I will be knocking knees and playing footsie with the person across from me, with less space than an airplane seat has. I can't wait for the privilege

nah dude I'll just drive for the same cost, less time, more flexibility, and more cargo capacity