CANADA’s national passenger rail operator Via Rail announced on June 18 that Bombardier Transportation Canada, Siemens Canada, Stadler US and Talgo have been shortlisted to participate in the Request for Proposals (RFP) to manufacture a new fleet of inter-city trains for the Quebec City - Windsor Corridor.

THE city of Gatineau, Quebec, has unveiled proposals for a 26km light rail network which, according to its promoters, will help encourage movement of the population in the west of the city to downtown Gatineau and Ottawa, Ontario.

GE Transportation has completed the first of 200 Evolution series diesel-electric locomotives, which it is building at its plant in Fort Worth, Texas, for Canadian National Railway (CN).

GENESEE & Wyoming Canada has announced that its Huron Central Railway (HCRY) subsidiary will cease operating by the end of the year, citing a lack of funding from the province of Ontario to maintain services on its 283km line between Sault Sainte Marie and Sudbury.

THE Canadian government has committed $C 1.53bn ($1.19bn) in funding for stage one of Calgary's Green Line light rail project, the largest infrastructure investment made by the federal government in the province of Alberta.

THE Canadian government confirmed on May 11 that it will provide $C 62.4m ($US 50.2m) towards the construction of a 12.8km cut-off which will enable freight trains to bypass the town of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, where an oil train derailed and exploded in July 2013 killing 47 people.

VIA Rail Canada issued a request for qualifications (RFQ) on April 16 for a contract to supply 32 new trains to replace the current fleet on its flagship Quebec City - Windsor corridor.

GREATER Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) and Metrolinx have agreed to work together on a study looking at a potential rail connection between the Regional Transit and Passenger Centre at Toronto Pearson International Airport and the Kitchener rail corridor.

INFRASTRUCTURE Ontario and Metrolinx have selected Mosaic Transit Group as preferred bidder for a contract to design, build, finance and maintain Toronto’s Finch West light rail line.

CANADIAN prime minister, Mr Justin Trudeau, and the premier of Quebec, Mr Phillippe Couillard, announced on April 9 that federal and provincial funding will be made available for the extension of the Montreal metro Blue Line from Saint-Michel to Anjou.