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Yesterday, the Canadian government and VIA Rail Canada Inc. announced a more than $250 million investment in the railroad’s “Canadian National Kingston Subdivision” project — the largest infrastructure improvement program in the 153-year history of passenger-rail service between Montreal and Toronto, according to VIA Rail.

Part of the federal government’s more than $900 million commitment to renew and expand Canada’s passenger-rail systems, the project calls for a series of infrastructure improvements at eight locations along VIA Rail’s 334-mile double-track line. The project, which also includes station and rolling stock upgrades, is designed to boost capacity by eliminating bottlenecks and reducing operational conflicts between VIA Rail and CN trains.

VIA Rail plans to build a third mainline track to enable passenger and freight trains to pass or overtake each other; extend sidings and yard tracks to allow CN trains to exit and clear the mainline when required; and improve other track and signals to boost on-time performance for both railroads.

Work is scheduled to begin this summer and conclude in 2011. CN has hired 100 track and signal workers to complete its portion of the work, which will be performed under contract with VIA Rail. Under the project’s first phase, VIA Rail also plans to add two daily round-trip trains on the Toronto-to-Montreal and Toronto-to-Ottawa routes.

"Today is the dawn of a new era in safe, swift and sustainable passenger-rail travel in Canada," said VIA Rail Chairman Donald Wright in a prepared statement. “This project will decisively position the passenger train as the modern answer to highway gridlock and airport winglock."

Meanwhile, the federal government and VIA Rail also announced the arrival of the first of 54 rebuilt F-40 locomotives from CAD Railway Industries. The locomotives will feature new components and systems designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions up to 12 percent, and cut fuel usage and maintenance costs, VIA Rail said.