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www.journaldemontreal.com
By Olivier Faucher
Friday, January 23, 2026
VIA Rail’s new Siemens trains, purchased for nearly $1 billion, are already experiencing technical problems during winter, leading to recurring breakdowns and forcing the Crown corporation to rely on older locomotives as backup.
In 2018, VIA Rail awarded a $989-million contract to Siemens to build 32 new train sets in California. These “Venture” model trains have been in service since 2022, replacing the aging fleet on the Quebec City–Windsor corridor. The final train set was delivered just a few months ago.
However, Le Journal has learned that winter-related technical problems have recently prompted VIA Rail to implement several mitigation measures.
Winter-Related Failures
The Teamsters union, which represents locomotive engineers, believes snow infiltration or cold weather is affecting certain components, causing breakdowns without warning.
“When that happens, the heating and USB ports fail. The lights remain on temporarily via battery. The train begins to slow down and operators can bring it to a controlled stop to restart the power supply,” explained Teamsters spokesperson Christopher Monette.
These failures reportedly occur “several times a month” and are often resolved quickly by staff restarting the train to avoid major disruptions.
“But sometimes they aren’t able to,” Monette added.
A notable incident occurred in Brockville, Ontario, on December 10 and 11, when approximately 300 passengers were stranded for more than 12 hours on a Siemens train traveling from Toronto to Ottawa.
“The trains operate perfectly in the summer. It’s only in the winter that we see problems, and that creates growing concern among our members. They start their shifts wondering if the train will run,” Monette said.
“This is not normal.”
Old Locomotives as Backup
Following the Brockville incident, VIA Rail began coupling older locomotives to the new Siemens trains as a precautionary measure. This practice continued until last week.
The Journal also learned that VIA Rail may soon limit use of the new trains to one direction only, despite their intended bi-directional operation.
“The train is supposed to be able to push and pull. It’s like a mechanic telling you: ‘There’s a problem with your car and we don’t understand it, so don’t use reverse.’ That’s not normal,” Monette said.
He warned that this could complicate train movements and increase congestion on rail networks.
Manufacturer and VIA Rail Responses
VIA Rail spokesperson Karl Helou stated only that the company is conducting “thorough technical investigations” with Siemens into the December breakdowns and has received “preliminary results,” without further detail.
Monette believes Siemens owes the public clearer explanations.
“These are brand new trains, paid for by taxpayers. It’s up to the manufacturer to fix these problems,” he said.
Siemens trains of the Venture model are widely used in the United States, including in the Midwest, Florida, and New York State.
Monette also criticized the original procurement decision:
“We can only regret that in 2018 the government awarded the contract to Siemens in California when Bombardier was right here in La Pocatière. They understand our winters better.”
Maintenance Costs and Siemens’ Position
In addition to the purchase price, VIA Rail pays Siemens $23.7 million annually over 15 years for maintenance and replacement parts.
In a written response, Siemens said its trains are “guaranteed in the long term.”
“Our locomotives are designed by our engineers to operate optimally and reliably throughout the year,” said spokesperson Vanessa Bergeron.
Other Ongoing Issues
Siemens’ Venture trains are also at the center of a dispute between VIA Rail and CN Rail. CN argues the trains lack sufficient axles to automatically trigger level-crossing barriers, requiring VIA trains to slow down at crossings since October 2025.
This legal conflict has caused major delays on the Quebec City–Windsor corridor and forced VIA Rail to issue more than $31 million in travel credits to passengers, according to Radio-Canada.
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