VIA Rail

[cplchanb]

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not bad, thought the randomly cut off stripe and grey slab still looks strange to me...

 

[cplchanb]

You can get a view of the Cab Car at 0:23. It is a bit fuzzy, but from what I can see they did an amazing job with it IMHO! It has the maple leaf and plays homage to the diagonal stripe on the locomotive.

i guess that answers the question of whether the cab would look like the loco or not.

 

[cplchanb]

Projects & Infrastructure | VIA Rail

VIA Rail is working on modernizing its services and infrastructure: service design, rolling stock, rails, and stations. Discover our innovative projects!

corpo.viarail.ca

their cover render shows a nice side view of the loco and first car

Fleet Replacement Program | VIA Rail

With our new bi-directional trains, we’ll take you where you need to go while providing a comfortable, accessible, eco-friendly experience.

corpo.viarail.ca

cab car here. Looks like they removed all references of the original concept livery

About VIA | VIA Rail

Welcome aboard! Learn more about VIA Rail: our company, projects and infrastructure, community engagement...

corpo.viarail.ca

in fact the whole site is filled with the new trains!

 

[Garuda]

The maple leaf at the back should be done. Certainly doesn’t work with the rest of the design. But at least it’s smaller now.

 

[Allandale25]

Another view.

https://www.facebook.com/100004775177717/posts/1862472677255220

 

[Bordercollie]

But will these new trainsets be enough to replace everything in the corridor?
Will the P42's be retired since we no longer will have a need for them?

If we continue to require F40's for other services will they not need another life extension seeing that there is currently no order for non corridor fleet replacement?

 

[crs1026]

But will these new trainsets be enough to replace everything in the corridor?
Will the P42's be retired since we no longer will have a need for them?

It depends on how you define "the corridor". The new order replaced the old fleet seat-for-seat. The new fleet will be more reliable, so there will be some margin of growth possible. The question is how long it will take to "max out" that capacity.

A lot depends on the HFR decision. That decision is said to include a further order for more trainsets. If HFR proceeds, the fleet will grow. If it doesn't, well, the outcome is better than status quo.

The P42's are at end of life in terms of maintainability - parts supply etc. Maybe someone will buy them, but don't count on it.

If we continue to require F40's for other services will they not need another life extension seeing that there is currently no order for non corridor fleet replacement?

The time to ask that question is after the Siemens order has arrived and been in service for long enough to give data on its reliability and performance capability. If the results are positive, one might look to Siemens to provide a loco that has parts commonality in whatever body shell works best for long distance trains. If the results are less impressive, one would explore what the market can offer. The F40's are young enough still that there's no need to rush that decision.

- Paul

 

[Bordercollie]

It depends on how you define "the corridor". The new order replaced the old fleet seat-for-seat. The new fleet will be more reliable, so there will be some margin of growth possible. The question is how long it will take to "max out" that capacity.

A lot depends on the HFR decision. That decision is said to include a further order for more trainsets. If HFR proceeds, the fleet will grow. If it doesn't, well, the outcome is better than status quo.

The P42's are at end of life in terms of maintainability - parts supply etc. Maybe someone will buy them, but don't count on it.



The time to ask that question is after the Siemens order has arrived and been in service for long enough to give data on its reliability and performance capability. If the results are positive, one might look to Siemens to provide a loco that has parts commonality in whatever body shell works best for long distance trains. If the results are less impressive, one would explore what the market can offer. The F40's are young enough still that there's no need to rush that decision.

- Paul

AMTRAK already has the data for Long distance chargers. Why do we need to duplicate the data?

Not sure how much longer the legacy fleet can hold on for. It would make sense to retain some of the LRC's that are in good condition and use them in areas outside of the corridor. I mean if they are more reliable than the rebuilt HEP Fleet that should tell you something.

 

[roger1818]

But will these new trainsets be enough to replace everything in the corridor?

I've gone over this before, but according to VIA's cycling plan, they have 28 trains in active service with a total of 1556 business class seats and 6270 economy seats for a total of 7826 seats. Assuming VIA receives 32 of each train car configuration to make 32, 5 car trains (each with 87 business seats and 198 economy seats) and they have the same 28 trains in operation (with 4 spares), that would give VIA a total of 2436 business class seats and 5544 economy seats for a total of 7980 seats in operation (not including the spares). Thus the overall capacity increases slightly, but there is a modal shift to more business class seats and fewer economy class seats. If VIA has some of the Business 3B cars (which aren't used in the short and extra short configurations) built as economy cars (which are needed for the extra long configuration), the overall capacity increases even further (since economy cars have more seats than business cars).

Will the P42's be retired since we no longer will have a need for them?

That is my understanding, since it's apparently impractical to refurbish them.

If we continue to require F40's for other services will they not need another life extension seeing that there is currently no order for non corridor fleet replacement?

Didn't they just finish refurbishing them? Regardless, according to VIA's .2020-2024 Corporate Plan they are exploring the replacement of their Long-Distance and Regional fleet. Until then, they require "$14.6 million per year to maintain the current fleet in a state of good repair." Having 19 extra F40s left over from corridor use will give them more spares to work with until then.

 

[roger1818]

AMTRAK already has the data for Long distance chargers. Why do we need to duplicate the data?

Amtrak has only just started receiving their ALC-42 locomotives (the long distance version of the Charger) according to this media release from last August. Granted, by the time VIA gets approval to purchase replacements, there should be some good data.

EDIT: According to this article from March of this year, the first ALC-42s were expected in April and Amtrak would begin testing them, so it sounds like they still aren't in revenue service.

 

[Urban Sky]

It would make sense to retain some of the LRC's that are in good condition and use them in areas outside of the corridor. I mean if they are more reliable than the rebuilt HEP Fleet that should tell you something.

You can forget that, according to Jason Shron:

The LRC cars will not be permitted to carry passengers for any carrier. Transport Canada has given them a reprieve until the new fleet arrives, but they have made it very clear to VIA that the LRC fleet cannot be sold for private use in Canada.

We're hoping to get a set for the VHA - VIA Historical Asssociation - but we will never be able to run them with people on board.

Re: Disposing of VIA corridor fleet

groups.io

 

[roger1818]

You can forget that, according to Jason Shron:

Re: Disposing of VIA corridor fleet

groups.io

Thanks for the link. I wonder if there are real safety concerns with the LRCs as implied, or if it is a matter of the government not wanting the potential embarrassment of after spending money to replace the fleet, because it is at the end of its life, to then have VIA (or someone else) getting many more years of service out of the equipment? While there might be practical ways they could be used elsewhere, the media could latch onto it and twist the facts to question the necessity of the corridor fleet replacement. Since the LRCs are only used on the corridor, they are easy to identify. The HEP and Renaissance cars look the same as cars used elsewhere and it would be less obvious using them without tracking car numbers.

It is kind of like in hockey when a player flails on the ice in pain to draw a penalty and then is on the ice for the first shift of the ensuing power play. There might be good reasons for it to happen, but it is an embarrassment to the referee.

 

[SFO-YYZ]

^^^Looks nice! And from VIA's Website:

New Fleet Exterior Design Reveal | VIA Rail

Starting next year, you’ll be seeing something new in the Québec City-Windsor corridor. Something bold, evocative and never-before-seen on Canadian tracks.

corpo.viarail.ca

EDIT: Also from their website for those concerned about how it will transition to the rest of the train:

Honestly, kudos to the VIA Rail team on this design. They could've gone the easy route and just paint it with some generic livery like Amtrak that has zero creative elements.

To your average passenger, most people would almost mistaken this for "high speed rail" rolling stock, which will undoubtedly help boost VIA Rail's public image.

 

[innsertnamehere]

I seem to recall that VIA intended to retain some of the existing fleet, shifting it around a bit to northern services and retiring some older cars there, and using a few trainsets to increase service in Southern Ontario with the new fleet being focused on the London-Quebec City corridor. They wanted to increase Windsor, Stratford, and Sarnia service a few years ago but that never came to be. Retaining a few trainsets (3-4) would likely allow for some frequency improvements for those lines.

I would love to see a return of regular service to Niagara as well if possible to supplement the Maple Leaf and GO service, which is more or less useless for non-cross border traffic. With the rumblings coming out of the Biden Administration the Maple Leaf may see some frequency improvements anyway, but still.

 

[robmausser]

It depends on how you define "the corridor". The new order replaced the old fleet seat-for-seat. The new fleet will be more reliable, so there will be some margin of growth possible. The question is how long it will take to "max out" that capacity.

A lot depends on the HFR decision. That decision is said to include a further order for more trainsets. If HFR proceeds, the fleet will grow. If it doesn't, well, the outcome is better than status quo.

The P42's are at end of life in terms of maintainability - parts supply etc. Maybe someone will buy them, but don't count on it.



The time to ask that question is after the Siemens order has arrived and been in service for long enough to give data on its reliability and performance capability. If the results are positive, one might look to Siemens to provide a loco that has parts commonality in whatever body shell works best for long distance trains. If the results are less impressive, one would explore what the market can offer. The F40's are young enough still that there's no need to rush that decision.

- Paul

Why are the P42's at end of life and the F40's not when the F40 is an older loco? Im guessing it just was a more popular unit and therefore theres more parts etc for it?