CANADA: Stadler will supply 45 hybrid battery-diesel locomotives to VIA Rail under a $1.95 billion federal investment that also returns passenger-locomotive assembly to Montréal after more than 25 years.

45 VIA Rail Hybrid Locomotives Funded in Canada
45 VIA Rail Hybrid Locomotives Funded in Canada. Photo: railway-news.com

The Government of Canada announced the investment on 29 July 2026. It includes $1.6 billion for the locomotives and $357 million for a new assembly and maintenance facility at VIA Rail’s Montréal Maintenance Centre. Pomerleau will build the facility, while the two investments are expected to support the equivalent of 1,200 full-time jobs during the project.

VIA Rail hybrid locomotives will recover braking energy

The new Stadler locomotives will combine diesel-electric propulsion with traction batteries. The batteries will supply onboard auxiliary systems, head-end power and traction, while also storing energy recovered during braking.

Working with the diesel engine, the battery system will deliver up to 4 MW of power at the wheel. Each locomotive will provide 350 kN of starting tractive effort and operate at up to 160 km/h (100 mph). The design is intended for temperatures as low as -50°C.

Battery mode will be available at stations and in environmentally sensitive areas to reduce noise and exhaust emissions. The stored energy can also help a locomotive reach a safe location if its diesel powertrain fails.

“Our hybrid locomotive platform combines performance, reliability and sustainability. By integrating battery-assisted operation into a powerful long-distance locomotive, we are providing VIA Rail with a future-oriented solution that supports its environmental objectives while enhancing operational flexibility and passenger service.” — Iñigo Parra, Executive Vice-President Division Spain at Stadler

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Up to 36 locomotives will receive final assembly in Canada

Stadler Valencia’s Albuixech plant will lead design, manufacturing and delivery. Up to 36 locomotives will receive final assembly in Canada, where part of the testing and commissioning will also take place. ABB will supply the batteries from its Saint-Laurent facility.

The contract includes 20 years of technical support and spare-parts supply. Stadler plans to provide these services through a Canadian subsidiary, with personnel based at VIA Rail maintenance facilities in Montréal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver.

New locomotives will replace an ageing LDRR fleet

The fleet will serve VIA Rail’s Long-Distance, Regional and Remote Rail programme outside the Québec City–Windsor Corridor. In a 2025 procurement update, Transport Canada reported that roughly 75% of this fleet was more than 65 years old, compared with an industry-standard life of 35–40 years.

These services link 272 stations and another 317 on-request stops, including 93 Indigenous communities without alternative public surface transport. The federal government describes the new units as North America’s first hybrid-powered passenger locomotives.

Stadler says the vehicles will be more than 92% recyclable and over 95% recoverable, with batteries designed for long service and second-life use. Neither announcement specified a delivery timetable.

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