# Canada Expands Rail Car Production

Canada announced a **$4.7 billion VIA Rail passenger-car program** in September 2026 to build 313 cars domestically. Alstom facilities in La Pocatière, Quebec, and Thunder Bay, Ontario, will handle car-body production and final assembly, while design and engineering work is assigned to Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec. The first new cars are expected to enter service in 2031. The announcement points to potential supply-chain opportunities for Canadian rail manufacturers, steel firms, and component suppliers, but does not identify an open solicitation or provide procurement contacts.

- Steel and component suppliers can assess whether their products and manufacturing capacity fit the program’s domestic production needs.
- Companies seeking subcontracting or supplier qualification opportunities should use VIA Rail and government announcements as the source for further information; no open solicitation is identified in the signal.
- The planned production and engineering work is distributed across Quebec and Ontario, making the program relevant to suppliers able to serve those locations.

**Jurisdictions:** international
**Industries:** Transportation
**Topics:** Physical Infrastructure
**Published:** October 02, 2026

### Government Entities
- VIA Rail Canada
- Government of Canada

### Vendors
- Alstom (Manufacturer assigned production, assembly, and engineering work)

### Sources
- [Quebec train factory gets new life as Canada pushes to build rail cars at home - Philippine Canadian Inquirer Nationwide Filipino Newspaper](https://canadianinquirer.net/2026/10/02/quebec-train-factory-gets-new-life-as-canada-pushes-to-build-rail-cars-at-home) - Philippine Canadian Inquirer