Sunday, January 18, 2026

VIA Ventures in Service, Part 5


Back in January, 2024 and with the delivery of the twelfth Siemens Venture set, I split my very first Siemens Venture post first published on September 21, 2021, spawning VIA Ventures in Service, Part 1. Then a subsequent Part 2, then Part 3 and Part 4. We're now splitting it again, resulting in this post - Part 5, because it's hard for you and me to find 'news' in a post buried back in August, 2025! VIA's Siemens implementation has so far spawned a blog-busting 26+ Trackside Treasure posts and counting!  Here are the Venture-centric posts:
VIA has been dealing with improved serviceability of the Ventures, a smoother implementation process. The genesis of Part 4 is now six months ago, and this post picks up the implementation in mid-January, 2026. This winter, VIA has faced some operational challenges and garnered some negative media coverage over HEP losses and resulting stranding and subsequent rescue of Venture sets. 

This will be a living post, with mid-January (and newer) operational updates (serviceability, Corridor rotation, incidents) added regularly and perhaps being book-ended when we finally, if ever, see complete implementation. On that note, the week this post was published saw 25 of VIA's Venture sets documented in service - a record high since I've been documenting the implementation of the 32-set fleet! Witness Venture Set 18 "Lumi" operating as VIA No 40 on January 16, 2026:
JANUARY 2026 UPDATES (continued from Part 4)

I've initiated a new way to document Venture sets' serviceability. My previous methodology involved giving each set a week's grace for not being observed in service, designating two-week absences as plausible NOT in operation (was shown as red squares). The problem was that I couldn't really prove that. What I can prove is a set being IN operation (now shown as 'V' for that week), based on first- or second-hand observations. Even though I had a six-week decrease in the number of observations (shown as grey shaded cells at bottom of table), I include those weeks in the table while acknowledging that decrease. Here's my most recent ten-week observations of Venture serviceability, begun the nominal week of November 10 (the dates are shown across the top row because Set 1 seems to reside at VIA's TMC. If it ever enters service, it will be a banner day!

Jan. 19 - Snow Day! Venture-equipped VIA Nos 62/52 operated separately, with No 62 Set18Lumi departing 90 minutes late, arriving Montreal 2 hours 42 minutes late and No 52 Set 31 departing (and arriving Montreal) 1 hour late. VIA No 45 kicks up snow squall powder (image courtesy Railstream, LLC):
Jan.22 - Venture-equipped Nos 62/52 operated separately, with No 62 Set 18Lumi on time and No 52 Set 8 separating before Guildwood and thereafter operating one hour late.

also Jan.22 - VIA has contracted its Venture rotation back to 14 sets with 2 guard sets. Prior to rising to 15 then 16, the number of sets in use had hovered around 12-14 since February, 2025. Here's Doug Bardeau's current Venture Corridor rotation diagram. Other fleets:  LRC down from 7 to 4 sets and 2 guard sets; HEP back up from 2 to 5 sets (though three are LRC with an HEP Business Class car!), with 1 guard set, effective January 26. Doug Bardeau's rotation diagram:
Jan.23 - HEP-equipped trains in the Corridor have doubled effective today to seven: Nos 44, 53, 54, 643, 668, 71 and 76 and all HEP consists are four cars. By contrast, there are 34 Venture-equipped trains planned. The greatest reduction seems to be in LRC consists: down to 12 LRC-equipped trains. Storm watch and the end of January or just the planned retirement of 21 LRC cars by the end of this month?
also Jan. 23 - a Montreal news article on Venture problems noted that "older locomotives were added to the fleet for use in case of breakdowns following the Brockville incident. This measure remained in place until last week" and that VIA "will soon begin restricting the use of its new trains to a single direction, even though they are designed to run in both directions." VIA Rail spokesperson Karl Helou says VIA was conducting “thorough technical investigations” with Siemens into the Brockville debacle of December 10-11 and that VIA had received “preliminary results,” without providing further details. Effective January 24, Charger locomotive will need to always be in the lead, requiring wye-ing at destination, delayed to January 26 at least. A temporary measure until the snow stops flying. It quite literally is a problem of aerodynamic forces affecting the loco intakes in push versus in pull. One explanation: The brake resistors are inside the intake, cooled by the air going into the engine, they get soaking wet and this causes a multitude of engine problems.

Jan.24 - Extreme cold is disrupting Corridor operations. Nos 62 and 63 cancelled, No 61 stopped due to a mechanical issue and passengers transferred.

Jan.25 - Extreme cold again. No 40 cancelled. Venture Loco Lead (VLL) postponed until tomorrow. Current four-car HEP sets, locomotives subject to change (first observations):
  • 912-4005-4112-4114-4119-[910] (No 47 Jan.25) then (4009-4112-4114-4119 No 47 Feb. 1)
  • 905-4003-4103-4110-4105-6407 (No 53 Jan.27) then (4003-4103-4110-4005 No 643 Feb.1)
H2 and H3 listed in Doug Bardeau's rotation diagram are actually 1 HEP2 business and 3 LRC economy:
  • “H2” 6414-[3356]-3342-3306-4000-909 (3-car No 641 Jan 28) 
  • “H3” 6402-3307-3369-3334-4002-901 (No 53 Jan.25)
  • also 6401-3318-3359F-3333-4001-914 (No 43 Jan.26)
  • also 903-3356-3336-3357-4000-909 (No 643 Jan.30)
Major snowstorm overnight. No 68 terminated at Cobourg reportedly due to wheel defect, passengers transferred to 668 (below, photo posted to social media), Belleville and Kingston bussed. No 668 delayed departure, reverse to rescue 68, switch problems Belleville arrived Montreal 8 hours late.
Jan.26 - Result of last night's 40 cm+ snowstorm: Venture-equipped cancellations: 41, 60/50, 62/52, 63; non-Venture Nos 641, 61. Also, Set 21 (filled in for seven-car equipment on No 79 Jan.23 died by Chatham as No 72 on Jan.24 and returned to Windsor) is operating as No 76. Venture J-trains 69/669 (locos leading) and 47/59.

also Jan.26 - Set 24 with Set 25 (leftovers) on the tail-end were in CN's Belleville yard - January 25th's No 68 equipment which terminated at Cobourg. Still there two days later and getting even more snowed in. See February 1 update below. (Photo posted to social media):
Jan.27 - No 65 operated Venture Loco Lead (was always standard for eastbounds so westbounds only will be listed as VLL hereafter).
Jan.28 - Nos 41, 63, 645 operated Venture Loco Lead (VLL).
Jan.29 - No 41, 63, 65, 645 were VLL.
Jan.30 - No 41, 45, 63, 645 VLL; No 62 and 52 operating separately, 52 Cab Car Leading (CCL).
Jan.31 - No 62 and 52 operating separately, 3+ and 4+ hours late respectively. No 41, 63, 65 VLL. No 52 CCL. No 61 had ?deadhead eqpt. on the tail end: 3300-3459-3455-3314-3452-907.

FEBRUARY 2026 UPDATES:

Feb.1 - No 62 and 52 operated separately. No 53, 63 VLL, No 45 CCL. The Ontario Northland Venture set is inside the TMC for training.

also Feb. 1 - Set 18 operated as VIA No 667 rescue train Montreal to Belleville to pick up Sets 24 and 25 that had required on-site wheel replacement at Belleville from the troubled No 68 of January 25 (see above). This might be the first Lumi/XSJ/XL consist to have operated together! A drone photo posted to social media shows Sets 24/25 moved deeper into the yard, with likely Charger 2223 cut off and moved west for road access for the work involved:
Feb.2 - No 41, 45, 47, 55, 63, 65, 669 VLL (all westbounds observed). VIA 643 and 44 are cancelled today and until at least Feb. 7 due to 'equipment shortage'.
Feb.3 - No 47, 63, 645 VLL. No 47 died near Fallowfield, psgrs. transferred to Venture-equipped No 645. Both trains were Venture-equipped and operated through to Toronto. 
Feb.4 - No 41, 45 VLL; No 50, 645 CCL. (CCL if the Charger has any issues - cracked windshield, etc). No 65 cancelled, psgrs. transferred to No 67. No 62 and 52 operated separately
Feb.5 - No 41 VLL. No 62 and 52 operated separately.
Feb.6 - No 41, 45, 63, 65 VLL. Nos 46 and 59 cancelled.
VIA website showing Nos 641 and 53 temporarily unavailable for Feb. 9-12, and Nos 644 and 54 for Feb 9-11.
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2 comments:

Joseph Mathews said...

Eric, first chance I have had to read your lastest post as I was up late last evening with Indiana's win over Miami for the college football national championship down here. I'm a fourth generation Hoosier and Indianapolis native. Now, back to the topic at hand. With Via using FP40PH-2 locomotives for HEP apparently on Ventures, Amtrak should pay attention as they are having the same issues with the their Chargers in cold areas. I don't what Siemens was thinking though I have to admit that while I have spent some winter months in Germany, the temperature do not approach the well below zero (C & F) that our nations face. This has to be a temporary solution, though. Both countries have paid millions of dollars (U.S. and "Loonies") and are faced with added expenses to keep the trains moving. Do you know if the Via contract has any claue for reimbersurement of said additional expenses due to design flaws? Again, kudos for yet another clear, concise post. Kudos also to P.M. Carney for his speech in Davos. Stay warm and hope the trains do as well.

Tuesday, January 20, 2026 at 2:56:00 PM EST
Eric said...

Hi Joseph,

Go IU! Jane Pauley did an homage to her home state university on CBS Sunday Morning this weekend. Dave Letterman went to Ball State.

The F40 tag-along experiment has not reoccurred. I don't have, though I have requested, a copy of the Siemens contract from VIA. So I don't know if such jury-rigged responses are covered or not. I do know they're not coveted, though!

Carney used the word 'hegemon' which will be a head-scratcher to many. Standing ovation, though!

Thanks for your comment,
Eric

Tuesday, January 20, 2026 at 7:38:00 PM EST

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