Research publications

With the majority of grains produced in Western Canada intended for export, the grain trade relies on a complex supply chain in which rail transportation is the cornerstone. This document provides an overview of grain handling in Western Canada, its legislative framework, as well as emerging issues and challenges the grain transportation system faces.

Since its founding in 1977, the Crown corporation VIA Rail Canada Inc. has been providing passenger rail service on various routes across Canada. Its busiest corridor is between Québec City and Windsor. VIA Rail has struggled for decades to maintain ridership on its network, and its on-time performance (OTP) is regularly criticized in the media. Since VIA Rail operates most of its trains on tracks shared with freight trains, congestion and delays are frequent, limiting its ability to increase and improve its services. To address these challenges VIA Rail proposed to the Government of Canada a high-frequency rail (HFR) project between Québec City and Toronto that would be built on dedicated tracks. However, on 19 February 2025, the Government of Canada announced its decision to opt instead for high-speed rail (HSR). This HillStudy first discusses VIA Rail’s mandate and analyzes its performance based on selected criteria. It then briefly describes the HSR initiative between Québec City and Toronto based on information available at the time of writing.