Renaissance (railcar)

The Renaissance fleet is a set of intercity railroad cars owned and operated by Via Rail Canada.

Renaissance
A GE P42DC with ten Renaissance coaches laying over at the Via Toronto Maintenance Centre.
Interior of a Renaissance coach.
In service2002–present
ManufacturerMetro-Cammell
Built atWashwood Heath
Number built139
Capacity48 seats (coach, club cars)
48 seats (dining car)
10 double rooms (sleeping cars)
Operator(s)Via Rail
Specifications
Maximum speed200 km/h (124 mph) [1]
Track gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)

History

The cars were built by Metro-Cammell in the mid-1990s for the proposed Nightstar overnight service between the United Kingdom and continental Europe via the Channel Tunnel. They are based on the British Rail Mark 4 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.[2] In December 2000, the remaining 136 carriages were acquired, entering service in June 2002.[3][4][5]

Accessibility

The Council for Canadians with Disabilities 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 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.[6]:2–3[7]:129–130

Car types

Via acquired the entire original 139-car fleet; as designed it comprised 72 sleepers, 47 coaches, and 20 service cars.[8] Via rebuilt fifteen of the sleepers into dining and baggage cars. Thirty-three carriages never entered service, remaining in store at Thunder Bay.[9]

TypeIn serviceFleet numbersNotesImage
Baggage car[10] 9 7000–7011 Built out of unused sleeping car shells.
Club car[1] 14 7100–7114 48-seat capacity in a 2+1 configuration.
Coach[11] 33 7200–7232 48-seat capacity in a 2+1 configuration.
Lounge car[12] 20 7300–7316; 7354–7359 Via Rail refers to these as "service" cars.
Dining car[13] 3 7400–7402 48-seat capacity; built out of unused sleeping car shells.
Sleeping car[14] 27 7500–7589 10 double bedrooms. 29 unfinished shells were stored at Thunder Bay. These have since been scrapped.
Transition Car[15] 3 7600–7602 Barrier vehicle used to transition between the European Renaissance couplers and the standard knuckle couplers on HEP rolling stock.

References
  1. Via Rail. "Passenger cars - Renaissance Club car". Retrieved 2013-02-24.
  2. Three Alstom Nightstar coaches shipped to Canada Rail issue 385 June 14, 2000
  3. Britain says Goodnight to all 139 unused Nightstars Rail issue 400 January 10, 2001 page 9
  4. Canadians to buy all 139 Nightstars The Railway Magazine issue 1198 February 2001 page 14
  5. Night stock enters service at last Railway Gazette International August 2002 page 412
  6. Vanhala, Lisa (2010). Making Rights a Reality?: Disability Rights Activists and Legal Mobilization. Cambridge University Press.
  7. Harrington, Candy (2010). Barrier-Free Travel: A Nuts and Bolts Guide for Wheelers and Slow Walkers. ReadHowYouWant.com.
  8. Middleton, William D. (August 1, 2003). "VIA Rail's renaissance: "Renaissance" is the name VIA Rail Canada has given its new fleet of European-built passenger cars, but it applies equally well to the entire operation". Railway Age  – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) . Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved 2013-02-24.
  9. Tragic End for Nightstar Stock Rail Express issue 247 December 2016 page 3
  10. "Baggage cars - Renaissance baggage car". Via Rail. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  11. "Passenger cars - Renaissance Economy class car". Via Rail. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  12. "Service cars - Renaissance service car". Via Rail. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  13. "Service cars - Renaissance dining car". Via Rail. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  14. "Sleeping cars - Renaissance sleeping car". Via Rail. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
  15. "Baggage cars - Renaissance baggage transition car". Via Rail. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
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