Effective Oct. 30, the Canadian government is requiring employers in the federally regulated rail, air and marine transportation sectors to have established COVID-19 vaccination policies for employees, and travelers on VIA Rail and Rocky Mountaineer trains to be fully vaccinated.
All CN employees in Canada are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Nov. 1, the Class I railroad reported on Sept. 8.
Transport Canada will receive more than C$100 million ($79.66 million) from the Canadian government to continue freight and passenger rail safety and security improvements.
![Increasing infrastructure capacity on the Milton corridor is “key to realizing the transportation benefits of fluid freight movement and two-way, all-day [GO Transit train] service for commuters,” according to Transport Canada.](https://www.railwayage.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GO-1-300x169.png)
Canadian Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra on Aug. 10 confirmed that the government of Canada is committed to improving the Milton Corridor by reducing passenger and freight rail bottlenecks through Mississauga and Milton in Ontario.
Canada’s two Class I railroads continue to set records for grain moves. For the 2020-21 crop year, CN and Canadian Pacific (CP) each reported about 31 million metric tons (MMT) shipped, despite weather and other challenges.
Transport Canada has approved Canadian Rail Operating Rules changes to further reduce the risk of uncontrolled rail equipment moves.
Transport Canada’s National Trade Corridors Fund (NTCF) has received an additional C$1.9 billion (US$1.52 billion) to finance new projects that support Canadian road, rail, air and marine shipping route improvements “to foster domestic and international trade.”
Tshiuetin, the first Indigenous owned and operated railroad in Canada, will receive C$55 million (US$44.1 million) from the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) and the government of Quebec for modernization efforts.
A Canadian community in British Columbia, Canadian Pacific (CP) and CN are in the midst of support and recovery efforts, and Transport Canada has issued a Ministerial Order for the Class I railroads to cease area train movements for 48 hours, starting July 9.
A glimpse of actual progress teased the passenger rail industry July 6 when the Canadian government unveiled previously obscure details of its long-running High Frequency Rail (HFR) program.
