Via Rail plans to use refurbished cars to improve Halifax-Montreal service

Via Rail wants to use refurbished railcars to improve service between Halifax and Montreal, but the CEO of the Crown corporation can't say whether doing so will increase the frequency of trains on the line.

Mario Peloquin made the comments in an interview Tuesday after a ceremony celebrating the $27-million restoration of Via's Halifax station. He also noted that last year was the 120th anniversary of The Ocean, the passenger train from Montreal to Halifax inaugurated in July 1904.

Ottawa has committed to renewing Via Rail's entire Canadian fleet within 10 years. However, in the interim, Peloquin says there are plans to refurbish stainless steel cars that are being retired in Central Canada for use in the Atlantic region. The railcars, originally manufactured in 1954 by the now-defunct Budd Company of Philadelphia, can be modernized and sent to Halifax as they become available, he said.

"As soon as we free up one of those (Budd railcars), we'll repurpose it in the segments of the long-distance runs where we can best benefit from their use," said the chief executive.

Some of the refurbished cars will run on The Ocean line, and others, he said, will be sent to The Churchill, which runs between Winnipeg and Churchill, Man., or The Skeena, between Jasper, Alta., and Prince Rupert, B.C.

Ted Bartlett, the former president of advocacy group Transport Action Atlantic, said in an email he hopes there will be enough refurbished cars to increase service on The Ocean. The 1,340-kilometre route currently runs just three times a week.

"It should not be necessary for The Ocean to wait long years for new cars to be designed and built to regain some of its former glory," wrote Bartlett.

Meanwhile, Peloquin said Via would "love to" increase the frequency of the Halifax-Montreal line, but he said he doesn't know if that can happen because CN may not have openings on its increasingly busy freight lines. Via Rail relies on CN's rail network for nearly all of its routes.

"The constraint is getting the additional time slots.… More freight traffic is leaving less time for running (passenger) trains. It's a constant discussion. We're trying," said Peloquin.

A spokesperson for CN said in an email that adding Via trains to its lines "would be subject to negotiation between Via and CN."

Bartlett said in an interview that there are also problems with The Ocean's reliability, as the service is slow and frequently late. Ottawa, he said, must take a leadership role in cutting a deal with CN to upgrade track and replace track sidings that have been removed over the years in northeastern New Brunswick.

Peloquin acknowledged, "we are unfortunately incurring delays pretty regularly on the long-distance runs, including The Ocean."

Upgrading the New Brunswick portion of the route, the CEO said, would be "a really good idea."

However, Peloquin said there's no final price tag for the improvements to the CN line. "It's at least hundreds of millions (of dollars), but I don't have a figure yet because we're not far enough advanced on the discussions."

A spokeswoman for the federal Transport Department noted that Ottawa has only recently committed to making major investments to renew Via Rail's fleet.

"With this major upgrade underway, the focus remains on maximizing the benefits of the new fleet before considering further infrastructure investments or service changes," wrote Sau Sau Liu in an email.

Peloquin said the announcements for the winning contracts for new locomotives and cars will be announced early next year.