VIA Rail and SEPTA advance separate fleet plans

Rail-car fleet moves at VIA Rail and SEPTA include two developments. One is a CA$150 million sleeper-car modernization program in Canada. The other is a 24-car purchase for Regional Rail in Pennsylvania.

VIA Rail rail-car fleet moves and sleeper-car upgrades

Last week, VIA Rail Canada Inc. announced a CA$150 million modernization program. It will run over the next five years. It covers the company’s entire fleet of 56 Chateau and Manor sleeper cars. CAD Railway Industries will upgrade the cars’ key systems and interiors. The work is meant to improve comfort and reliability. It is also meant to improve onboard amenities. The changes are for passengers travelling on The Ocean and The Canadian long-distance routes.

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“By modernizing these sleeper cars, we are enhancing comfort and reliability for our passengers, supporting skilled Canadian jobs and ensuring our services continue to meet expectations as we renew our fleet over the coming decade,” said VIA Rail President and CEO Mathieu Paquette in a press release.

Over the coming years, VIA Rail plans to progressively renew the trains. They serve its long-distance, regional and remote networks. In addition, company officials said procurement for new locomotives and passenger cars is already underway. Full fleet replacement is expected over the next decade.

SEPTA buys Exo cars for Regional Rail fleet

Meanwhile, SEPTA is buying 24 rail cars from Exo in Quebec, Canada. The purchase is part of an ongoing effort to bolster its Regional Rail fleet. The funding comes from the nearly $220 million in additional capital dollars. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro allocated that money in November 2025. It was meant to support SEPTA’s urgent safety upgrades and infrastructure improvements.

The purchase follows last fall’s Federal Railroad Administration-mandated inspections and repairs. Those steps involved SEPTA’s 50-year-old Silverliner IV fleet. In recent months, SEPTA had been in contact with transit agencies across North America. The talks concerned potential rail-car purchases. The agency is now working out the logistics to transport the Exo cars from Montreal. A timeline for placing them into service will be developed later in the spring. Also, the cars’ doors and other systems will be modified to meet SEPTA’s standards.

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