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VIA Rail Canada Inc. recently awarded two contracts to Industrial Rail Services Inc. (IRSI) to rehabilitate and improve accessibility on more than 100 passenger cars.

Under a $98.9 million contract, IRSI will overhaul 98 VIA Rail passenger cars to extend their life by 20 years and reduce energy consumption by up to 20 percent. Under a separate $5.8 million contract, the supplier will upgrade 21 of VIA Rail's Renaissance cars to improve accessibility. The cars run on the Quebec-to-Toronto segment of VIA Rail's main corridor, and on its overnight route from Montreal to Halifax.

The car upgrades are being funded through the Canadian government's Economic Action Plan.