advertisement

---

VIA Rail Canada recently signed a "cooperative agreement" with France's SNCF International to promote VIA Rail's passenger-train service operating knowledge worldwide.

Under the agreement, VIA Rail and SNCF International — a subsidiary of French railway SNCF — will "share their knowledge and experience" to "encourage rail transport, and to commercialize the know-how and long-term professional and technical" expertise, according to a July 4 statement. Collaboration opportunities range from jointly participating in requests for proposals to providing technical or operational project development support to offering customer service, rolling stock maintenance, training or management support.

"This collaboration will allow us to share our respective know-how, and confirms that VIA Rail is a model to which other countries turn concerning questions of passenger rail," said VIA Rail President and Chief Executive Officer Paul Coté.

Added SNCF International Chairman Jean-Pierre Loubinoux: "VIA Rail has a great deal of expertise in the delivery of passenger train services, and will certainly be an added value to help us open doors to new business opportunities."