Canadian Railroads > VIA equipment question

I'm booked on train 60 from Toronto to Montreal this coming Monday.  Is this train typically operated with new Siemens equipment?  The seating chart looks like it probably is.  Thanks!

Dave

It is showing as a five-car Venture.  Last minute changes can occur, of course.

There are very few HEP and LRC sets running on the corridor these days and your chances of getting a Siemens Venture set will only increase. In fact, VIA Rail wants all of the LRC cars withdrawn from service by next January. The Siemens Venture sets still have their issues with reliability but they are going to get worked out. VIA Rail wants all of their corridor trains to use Siemens Venture sets. 

Passfanatic Wrote:
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> There are very few HEP and LRC sets running on the
> corridor these days and your chances of getting a
> Siemens Venture set will only increase. In fact,
> VIA Rail wants all of the LRC cars withdrawn from
> service by next January. The Siemens Venture sets
> still have their issues with reliability but they
> are going to get worked out. VIA Rail wants all of
> their corridor trains to use Siemens Venture
> sets. 

I hadn't followed VIA's corridor equipment assignments closely, so was a little surprised to find the train 65 consist I rode Montreal to Toronto on Thursday was eight LRC coaches, bracketed by F40PH-3s and divided in the middle by a lone HEP-2 business class car (#4001, an ex-SR coach).  The LRCs are definitely shabby, and our assigned coach was in the reverse direction of what was shown in the seating chart.  So anyone (like me) who took the time to book a forward facing seat ended up riding backwards.  I'm looking forward to trying out the new Venture cars.

Dave

Train #65, which at Toronto becomes #75 for Windsor, normally has two Business Class cars in the middle.  They may be two HEP2s or one LRC and one HEP2.  VIA has recently begun operating buffer cars on both ends of most of the LRC trains.  The buffer cars I have seen have been LRCs - usually economy coaches but sometimes a Business Class car.  It seems strange having Business Class in the middle of the trains.

I recently travelled on #47 from Ottawa to Toronto.  It was to be a Venture when we booked it.  That was later changed to HEP2 equipment.  Then it was changed again to LRC.  There were no buffer cars on this four-car train.  The Business Class car was in very good shape.

As an aside, there is normally no plastic used in Business Class on the Venture trains.  The pre-meal drinks and wine and even water are served in glasses.  On the LRCs all beverages are served in plastic.  Until recently there was one glass on the meal tray, but on my last few trips it is all plastic.  This seems strange that plastic vs glass depends on the equipment.  

I've been trying very hard to follow the equipment situation in the VIA corridor and, last I heard, only about half of the Venture sets were in service. I'm assuming that number is up by a few now. Does anyone know if that's actually the case?  I can always use that VIA equipment site, but I don't know the equipment rotations.

The Ventures appear to be running more reliably now that winter is behind us.  A major problem facing the Ventures is CN's insistence on speed restrictions at level crossings due to concerns about "shunting."  It seems that CN may have modified the restrictions somewhat.  On a recent trip from Toronto to Ottawa on a Venture the train went through many level crossings at 80 mph on the Kingston Sub.  On VIA's own track between Brockville and Ottawa (where the CN rule doesn't apply) many crossings were passed at 95 mph.  Arrival in Ottawa was only six minutes late.  On some days that train has arrived a few minutes early.  

DrawingroomA Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The Ventures appear to be running more reliably
> now that winter is behind us.  A major problem
> facing the Ventures is CN's insistence on speed
> restrictions at level crossings due to concerns
> about "shunting."  It seems that CN may have
> modified the restrictions somewhat.  On a recent
> trip from Toronto to Ottawa on a Venture the train
> went through many level crossings at 80 mph on the
> Kingston Sub.  On VIA's own track between
> Brockville and Ottawa (where the CN rule doesn't
> apply) many crossings were passed at 95 mph. 
> Arrival in Ottawa was only six minutes late.  On
> some days that train has arrived a few minutes
> early.  

We just arrived in Kingston right on time.  The speed indicator on the display in our car has showed a near constant 135kmh, or about 83mph between station stops.  

EDIT: Have been running at 160kmh or so (100mph) east of Brockville.

Dave



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/26 07:14 by DavidP.

Interesting that CN is changing the rules on some sections of the corridor without 32-axle trainsets. It would be interesting to know what's going on. I don't know of any cases of that happening in the U.S. on railroads that have shunt axle count requirements in certain areas.

VIA publishes a warning to customers booking on the app or website stating that they're experiencing delays of 15-45 minutes on some corridors trains, but both trains I rode arrived a couple of minutes ahead of schedule.  The monitors at Gare Centrale at noon time today showed late arrivals from Quebec City and Ottawa though.

Dave

The two trains that use Ventures between Toronto and Windsor (#71/76 and #73/78) are usualy late - often 45 minutes.