CANADIAN National (CN) announced on November 28 it is launching a $C 10m ($US 9.4m) programme to enhance the early detection of defects in rails and wheelsets.

THE first of 468 new-generation Azur metro cars being built by a consortium of Bombardier and Alstom for Montreal public transport company STM was formally presented to representatives of the government of Quebec and the City of Montreal at Bombardier's La Pocatière plant in Quebec on November 25.

BRITISH Columbia transport authority TransLink has begun returning to service the first of 114 Vancouver Skytrain Mark 1 light metro vehicles to be refurbished under a $C 37.9m ($US 35.2m) overhaul programme, which is expected to extend the life of fleet by 15 years.

THE City of Ottawa is to hold talks with Ottawa International Airport Authority to discuss the possibility of constructing an airport rail link for the Canadian capital.

JUST over a year after his hedge fund Pershing Square won its battle to oust the board of Canadian Pacific (CP) and install a new management team, billionaire investor Mr William Ackman announced on October 24 that he has sold around 5.9 million shares in the railway, roughly $US 800m of his investment.

TORONTO City Council has voted by a majority of four to endorse reconstructing the Scarborough light metro line as an extension of the city's heavy metro, giving a political victory to Toronto's mayor Mr Rob Ford.

Having won its first contract for LRVs in North America earlier this year, Alstom has high hopes of winning more business. Guillaume Mehlman, president of Alstom Transport North America, explained his strategy and some of the nuances of this market to David Briginshaw.

THE government of Quebec announced on September 20 that it plans to invest at least $C 1.5bn ($US 1.46bn) in the extension of the Montreal metro Blue Line to St Leonard and Anjou.

CALGARY Transit announced on September 11 that it has concluded a $C 192m ($US 186m) contract with Siemens Canada for 60 S200 light rail vehicles for the city's CTrain network.

The Toronto and Hamilton region has prescribed a major investment in public transport over the next 25 years to accommodate a rapidly growing population, and stem worsening congestion on its roads. Keith Barrow discovers how Metrolinx is establishing a firm financial base for the Big Move.