Minister of Transport welcomes the appointment of the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of VIA HFR Inc.

From: Transport Canada

News release

July 31, 2023              Ottawa, ON              Transport Canada

The Government of Canada is committed to modernizing intercity passenger rail service in a way that will best meet the transportation needs of travellers, while creating jobs and economic growth. The High Frequency Rail (HFR) project will transform passenger travel in Canada through the creation of a faster, more frequent, accessible, and sustainable rail service from Québec City to Toronto.

Today, the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, welcomed the appointment of Martin Imbleau as the inaugural Chief Executive Officer of VIA HFR – VIA TGF Inc. (VIA HFR), effective September 8, 2023. This follows an open, transparent and merit-based selection process carried out by VIA HFR’s Board of Directors.

In addition to Mr. Imbleau’s lengthy experience in energy transportation systems and major infrastructure projects, and most recently as Chief Executive Officer of the Port of Montréal, he is also an active member of his community who will bring a wide array of knowledge and expertise to this position. His experience in the operation and development of transportation infrastructure and his willingness to innovate will also prove invaluable to the HFR project.

Quotes

“The unprecedented nature and scale of the High Frequency Rail project requires a strong corporate leadership team. With his many years of executive-level experience in the transportation sector, I am confident Mr. Imbleau will be successful in leading the transformative and visionary High Frequency Rail project. I wish him all the best of success.”

The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez
Minister of Transport

Quick facts

  • VIA HFR operates at arms-length from VIA Rail and is a dedicated project office for the High Frequency Rail project.

  • The Government of Canada is leading a procurement process to select a private developer partner for the project. Once this partner is selected, VIA HFR will work with the partner to design and develop the new High Frequency Rail project, in close coordination with VIA Rail.

  • High Frequency Rail will transform intercity passenger rail in the Québec City to Toronto corridor through a variety of ways, including, but not limited to:

    • Providing more frequent services;
    • Offering more reliable and improved on-time performance;
    • Shortening journey times. For example, travellers will save at least 90 minutes between Toronto and Ottawa;
    • Adding new services to Peterborough and Trois-Rivières; and
    • Providing a greener rail system travel option using electrified technology.

  • The Government of Canada is committed to engaging the public, including communities currently served by VIA Rail between Québec City and Toronto, and forming meaningful, nation-to nation relationships with Indigenous Peoples, to inform the project’s design and development on an ongoing basis. Anyone interested in sharing their views on the project, asking questions, or signing up for project updates is encouraged to visit the VIA HFR website. 

Associated links

Contacts

Nadine Ramadan
Press Secretary
Office of the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez
Minister of Transport, Ottawa
Nadine.Ramadan@tc.gc.ca

Media Relations
Transport Canada, Ottawa
613-993-0055
media@tc.gc.ca

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