22 www.canadianlawyermag.com/inhouse
The intercity rail service has launched a
number of modernization initiatives including
a $989-million project to introduce a new fleet
of trains in Quebec and Ontario in 2022,
offering Canadians safe, easy, comfortable
and sustainable travel with a reduced
environmental footprint. In line with the
Accessible Canada Act, this new fleet is part of
VIA Rail's plan to improve accessibility
on-board as well as in stations.
VIA Rail has proposed a High Frequency Rail
project, which would offer faster and more
frequent service on a dedicated passenger rail
network between the north shore of Quebec
and Toronto.
As chief legal and risk officer and corporate
secretary at VIA Rail, Jean-François Legault's
role encompasses a wide range of duties. He is
responsible for the efficient delivery of legal
services and for the implementation of the
Enterprise Risk Management program. He
also manages the conformity of VIA Rail's
safety and environmental management
systems and the management of all insurance
programs and claims. Together with his legal
and risk management teams, Legault also
plays a vital role in maintaining the reputation
of the business.
INHOUSE: What business
challenges are you
anticipating in 2020?
LEGAULT: VIA Rail has a couple of key
business challenges to continue to grow its
passenger and revenue at the same pace that
it has since 2014, while at the same time
managing its modernization agenda that
includes two key projects. The first is receiving
and operating a new fleet of around 32 train
sets, beginning in April 2022. We have also
formed a Joint Project Office with Canada
Infrastructure Bank, which was announced
last June to prepare investment options for
the Government of Canada's decision
regarding VIA Rail's High Frequency Rail
project to run on a dedicated passenger rail
network between Quebec and Toronto. Here in
Canada, our intercity passenger rail service
runs mostly on third-party infrastructure
owned by freight railways, so we proposed to
the government, in order to improve our
efficiency and ensure ridership growth, that
we should build and operate our own
passenger rail infrastructure between Quebec
and Toronto. That's key to providing Canadians
with a sustainable mode of transport and to
the future of intercity passenger rail service.
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2020
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