We represent the interests of rail and bus passengers and advocate for public transport services in Canada.

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High Frequency Rail Map (Transport Canada) overlaid on artists impression of a Canadian high speed train (Alstom)

Feb 28

Cadence wins $3.9B High Speed Rail development contract but delivery timeline is cause for concern

By Transport Action | Intercity Rail and Bus

On February 20, 2025, Canada’s Minister of Transport Anita Anand announced that the Cadence consortium has been selected as the winner of the VIA-HFR Request for Proposals that was published on October 13, 2023. VIA-HFR was rebranded as “Alto” and, as we anticipated, the high-speed 300 km/h+ option in the bid was confirmed. After decades […]

VIA Rail 2210, a Siemens Venture locomotive, leaving Toronto Union station at night to go to the Toronto Maintenance Centre.

Feb 14

VIA Rail Struggling with Fleet Availability

By Transport Action | Intercity Rail and Bus

One daily roundtrip between Ottawa and Toronto and some weekend departures have been cut from VIA Rail’s schedule at least until at least March 2025 as the company struggles with fleet availability. Caught between the need to retire its legacy corridor fleet, including life-expired LRC cars, and availability issues with the new Siemens Venture fleet, […]

Attendees sit around tables focusing on a panel discussion with the Alberta Premier and Minister of Transportation

Nov 27

Alberta Moving Quickly to Advance Regional Rail

By Transport Action | Intercity Rail and Bus , Latest News , Prairies

The province of Alberta hosted a passenger rail forum on November 22, 2024. Transport Action was represented at the forum and we have positive news from the event.

Grand River Transit buses picking up passengers in downtown Kitchener

Nov 22

Transit conferences focus on funding and standardization

By Transport Action | Urban Transit

Transport Action board members attended the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) conference in Toronto from November 17-20, 2024 and the Canadian Urban Transit Research and Innovation Consortium’s (CUTRIC) Zero Emission Transit and Mobility Conference, held in Burlington in October. Ongoing collaboration with both of these industry organizations is vital to furthering our advocacy for passengers […]

CN freight train with grain hoppers heading west through the Rockies in winter.

Nov 20

Transport Action Highlights the Need for Increased Scrutiny of Canadian Freight Railroads

By Transport Action | Intercity Rail and Bus , Letters

Amidst VIA Rail’s long-overdue and drawn out negotiations of its legislatively-required Train Service Agreement, CN has restricted the use of VIA Rail’s new fleet for safety concerns and is unwilling to share any details into its decision to do so, something VIA is challenging in court. We request government attention into the matter to ensure that CN is operating in good faith on this critical safety issue.