VIA Rail Canada has awarded two contracts for the rebuilding of its Toronto and Montréal maintenance facilities.
Buttcon Limited of Concord, Ontario, will rebuild the Toronto Maintenance Center while Pomerleau Incorporated of Montréal will rebuild the Montréal Maintenance Center.
VIA said funding for the projects is in place and work will begin next spring.
The rebuilding of the maintenance facilities is being undertaken to make them better equipped to service 32 new trainsets being built for VIA by Siemens Mobility.
The Siemens cars, which began arriving at VIA in September, will ultimately replace existing rail cars now used in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor.
The first Siemens-built trainset began revenue service this month. Additional new equipment will be placed in service next year.