A new home in Toronto for VIA Rail’s new Corridor Fleet
As part of the 2018 Federal Budget, the Government of Canada funded replacing VIA Rail’s Québec City-Windsor corridor fleet and modernizing the Toronto and Montréal maintenance centres.
In 2022, we were pleased to announce the contract awarding for the modernization of VIA Rail’s Toronto Maintenance Centre (TMC), located in the Etobicoke-Lakeshore area, to Button Limited, based in Concord, Ontario. In addition, to continue to maintain and service our existing fleet, the TMC will become a home base for the many stages of maintenance of VIA Rail’s new corridor fleet.
Since the beginning, our commitment has been to keep our community and stakeholders informed of our ongoing activities through regular updates. These articles will be another way to provide the latest information on this project.
Highlights of the TMC construction activities
In addition to being one of the most environmentally friendly fleets in North America, these 32 new trainsets will offer an unparalleled and fully accessible travel experience and allow us to reimagine the way Canadians travel in the Québec City-Windsor corridor.
Following the awarding of the contract, Buttcon started setting up the construction site in January 2023 with the arrival of 10 construction trailers to the site.
With projected completion in 2026, the TMC modernization will stimulate local economic growth with an estimated 450 to 475 jobs created throughout this project.
The project will include partial demolition and modification of the main building, the removal and addition of rails, various infrastructure improvements throughout the maintenance yard and the construction of a new wheel lathe facility to maintain wheels and ensure their smooth operation on the tracks, which is an essential improvement at the TMC.
VIA Rail’s commitment to our community
The quality of life of our neighbours and residents of the Etobicoke-Lakeshore borough is important to us and the construction team. As a result, mitigation measures have been put in place to limit the disruptions caused by the upcoming work.
Monitoring noise, vibration, air quality and dust control
We will regularly monitor the noise and vibration from the construction work with specialized equipment and update our Noise and Vibration Control Plan accordingly. Two TMC’s neighbouring businesses, DCL Corporation and Northwood Collection Inc./Images 2000 Inc., kindly allowed us to set up equipment in their buildings. Additionally, our general contractor has displayed emergency contact information on the construction site fence. All communication, including any complaints, will be directly sent to the site superintendent, and VIA Rail will be informed immediately.
We are committed to ensuring that communities and stakeholders know every step taken as part of this key modernization project. Updates will be provided on our various channels, and we invite you to visit our dedicated webpage to ask questions, provide comments and obtain more information on the project.
Safety of our employees and of our communities
Throughout this project, we are also committed to ensuring the safety of our employees and communities and to minimizing disruptions.
Working closely with VIA Rail, Buttcon Limited and its team developed detailed access management plans to ensure that all persons accessing the site comply with the health and safety policies and procedures, training guidelines, track protection awareness, and site access.
The measures include ensuring that all pedestrians and/or vehicular routes for both VIA Rail and construction team members are identified using signage, physical barriers, and, when required, stationing spotters and traffic control team members for additional guidance and protection.
Mr. Jeremy Whitehead, General Site Superintendent with over 25 years of experience in the construction industry, leads Button Limited’s team in implementing construction activities and ensuring necessary safety processes, procedures, and equipment are in place.
Bringing with him a wealth of experience mentoring staff and monitoring production rates and schedules, he takes pride in his ability to lead and manage teams, ensuring work is performed safely within design specifications while keeping the community at the heart of his decisions.
You can watch this video to learn more about how Jeremy Whitehead and his team prioritize safety during construction.