Stadler to Build 45 Hybrid Locomotives for VIA Rail

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

CA$1.6 billion covers the new locomotive fleet

The Government of Canada announced the package on July 29, 2026, allocating CA$1.6 billion for the production of the 45 locomotives. Stadler will use international and Canadian suppliers, with final assembly of up to 36 units planned in Canada.

A further CA$357 million will fund a new assembly and maintenance facility at VIA Rail’s Montreal Maintenance Centre. Pomerleau will build the facility, which will support both Canadian assembly and the fleet’s long-term maintenance. The two investments are expected to support the equivalent of 1,200 full-time jobs across manufacturing, construction, engineering and maintenance.

Stadler’s contract also includes a 20-year technical support and spare-parts agreement. The manufacturer’s Valencia operation in Spain will lead design, production and delivery, while assembly, testing and commissioning work will also take place in Canada. Stadler plans to establish a Canadian subsidiary with personnel at VIA Rail maintenance sites in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver.

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Battery-diesel locomotives designed for Canadian routes

The locomotives will combine diesel-electric propulsion with traction batteries supplied by ABB’s Saint-Laurent facility in Quebec. Battery modules will support traction, onboard auxiliary systems and head-end power for passenger cars.

Each locomotive is designed to deliver up to 4 MW at the wheel, 350 kN of starting tractive effort and a maximum operating speed of 160 km/h, or 100 mph. Stadler says the design will operate in temperatures as low as -50°C.

The batteries will recover and store braking energy. At stations and in other environmentally sensitive areas, the locomotives will be able to operate in battery mode, reducing local noise and exhaust emissions. The federal government describes them as the first hybrid-powered passenger locomotives in North America.

New traction for long-distance and remote services

The order forms the locomotive component of VIA Rail’s wider long-distance, regional and remote fleet renewal. The new units will replace aging locomotives on routes outside the Québec City–Windsor Corridor, including services connecting remote communities.

The July 2026 announcements did not provide a delivery schedule or an entry-into-service date. Those milestones will determine when the existing fleet begins to give way to the new battery-diesel locomotives.

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