The Renaissance fleet is a set of intercity railroad cars owned and operated by
Via Rail Canada
Via Rail Canada Inc. (), operating as Via Rail or Via, is a Canadian Crown corporation that is mandated to operate intercity passenger rail service in Canada. It receives an annual subsidy from Transport Canada to offset the cost of operating ...
.
History
The cars were built by
Metro-Cammell
Metro-Cammell, formally the Metropolitan Cammell Carriage and Wagon Company (MCCW), was an English manufacturer of railway carriages, locomotives and railway wagons, based in Saltley, and subsequently Washwood Heath, in Birmingham. Purchased ...
in the mid-1990s for the proposed ''
Nightstar'' overnight service between the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
and continental
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
via the
Channel Tunnel. They are based on the
British Rail Mark 4
The British Rail Mark 4 is a class of passenger carriages built for use in InterCity 225 sets on the East Coast Main Line between King's Cross, Leeds and Edinburgh. Withdrawals began in 2019, with some being sold for further use with Transp ...
design, but with heavy weight steel construction (by European standards) to meet safety requirements for the carriages to run through the Channel Tunnel.
In 2000, after the ''Nightstar'' concept was abandoned, Via acquired an initial three carriages for trials. In December 2000, the remaining 136 carriages were acquired, entering service in June 2002.
Accessibility
The
Council for Canadians with Disabilities
Council for Canadians with Disabilities (CCD), formerly known as the Coalition of Provincial Organizations of the Handicapped (COPOH), was created by people with disabilities in 1976 to provide support for all people with disabilities who seek the ...
successfully sued Via Rail in ''Council of Canadians with Disabilities v. VIA Rail Canada Inc.'' over the lack of
accessibility of the Renaissance cars. The
Canadian Transportation Agency
The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA; french: Office des transports du Canada, OTC) is the independent, quasi-judicial tribunal of the Government of Canada that makes decisions relating to federally-regulated modes of transportation ( air, ra ...
ordered Via to retrofit some of the fleet to ensure the availability of accessible accommodations. Nevertheless, the Renaissance cars remain the least accessible in the fleet.
Car types
Via acquired the entire original 139-car fleet; as designed it comprised 72 sleepers, 47 coaches, and 20 service cars. Via rebuilt fifteen of the sleepers into
dining
A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearanc ...
and
baggage cars. Thirty-three carriages never entered service, remaining in store at
Thunder Bay
Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario; its population i ...
.
[Tragic End for Nightstar Stock '']Rail Express
This tabulation is for periodicals which do not have their own articles.
Magazines ''Australian Railway''
*
* Published Trade News Corporation
* Feb-Mar 1988 is Vol. 2 No. 1.
* Last issue about #23 in approximately Aug 1992.
* Size = ~A4
''A ...
'' issue 247 December 2016 page 3
References
External links
*
{{Via Rail rolling stock
Railway coaches of Canada
Via Rail rolling stock
Train-related introductions in 2002